Head of Collections & Recovery
Job Description:
About the Role
Our client, a leading financial services institution providing credit solutions to individuals and SMEs, is looking to hire a Head of Collections & Recovery to lead its end-to-end collections and recovery function.
The role will be responsible for safeguarding portfolio quality and driving performance across early-stage collections, late-stage recovery, repossession, legal recovery and write-off management. The successful candidate will be expected to strengthen collections processes, controls, analytics and governance while ensuring that recovery activities are conducted in a compliant, ethical and customer-focused manner. The position is based in Nairobi, with countrywide travel as required, and reports to the Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director, with a dotted-line relationship to the Board Credit Committee.
Objectives of the Role
Develop and execute a robust collections and recovery strategy that supports portfolio quality and business growth.
Reduce portfolio-at-risk (PAR) and non-performing loan (NPL) levels through proactive, data-driven collection strategies.
Strengthen early-stage collections and maximise cure rates while limiting migration of accounts into higher delinquency buckets.
Drive recovery of non-performing and written-off accounts through settlements, collateral realisation, repossession and legal recovery.
Establish strong controls, governance and reporting standards across the collections and recovery function.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, consumer protection, data protection and debt-collection requirements.
Build and lead a high-performing, ethical collections and recovery team, including effective management of outsourced agencies and service providers.
Provide accurate portfolio analytics, recovery reporting and provisioning inputs to support management decision-making.
Role Responsibilities / Description
Strategy & Governance
Develop and implement collections and recovery strategies, policies and procedures aligned with applicable regulatory requirements and the organisation's strategic objectives.
Establish risk-based collection segmentation, contact strategies and treatment paths across products and delinquency buckets.
Monitor portfolio quality and recovery performance and provide regular reports to senior management and relevant governance committees.
Strengthen controls and governance frameworks to ensure the collections function is effective, auditable and sustainable.
Collections Operations
Lead early-arrears collections through calls, SMS, field visits, digital reminders and other appropriate collection channels.
Develop strategies to maximise cure rates and minimise roll-forward into later delinquency buckets.
Oversee restructuring, rescheduling and settlement arrangements for viable customers in financial distress, within approved policies and delegated authority.
Manage the performance of external debt-collection agencies, auctioneers and repossession agents, including onboarding, service-level agreements, performance monitoring and conduct management.
Recovery & Legal
Drive recovery of non-performing and written-off accounts through negotiated settlements, collateral realisation and litigation.
Oversee repossession and disposal processes to maximise recovery value while ensuring compliance with applicable laws and fair-treatment standards.
Manage external legal counsel and monitor the legal recovery pipeline, associated costs and turnaround times.
Ensure effective tracking and follow-up of recovery cases through to resolution.
Compliance & Customer Treatment
Ensure all collection and recovery activities comply with applicable data protection, consumer protection and debt-collection requirements.
Promote ethical and professional collection practices, with zero tolerance for harassment, unlawful practices or conduct that may expose the organisation to regulatory or reputational risk.
Maintain complete and auditable records of collection and recovery activities.
Ensure customer complaints relating to collections and recovery are appropriately investigated and resolved within agreed timelines.
Analytics & Reporting
Develop and maintain collections dashboards and portfolio analytics to support decision-making.
Analyse roll rates, vintage performance, delinquency trends and portfolio segmentation to identify emerging risks and opportunities.
Provide accurate and timely portfolio reports and inputs required for provisioning and financial reporting.
Use data and performance trends to continuously improve collection strategies and resource allocation.
People Leadership
Lead, coach and develop a high-performing collections and recovery team.
Set clear individual and team targets, performance measures and scorecards.
Build a culture of accountability, ethical conduct, performance and continuous improvement.
Effectively manage both internal teams and outsourced recovery partners.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance in the role will be assessed against agreed annual targets, including:
Portfolio at Risk (PAR 30): 5% of gross loan book.
NPL Ratio: 8% in Year 1, with a longer-term target of 5%.
Collection Efficiency: 97% of amounts contractually due.
Early-Bucket Cure Rate: 60%.
Roll-Forward Rate: 25% from the 31–60 to 61–90 day bucket.
Written-Off Portfolio Recoveries: 20% annually.
Repossession Cycle: 90 days from default trigger to disposal/settlement.
Cost of Collections: 3% of amounts collected.
Compliance & Conduct: Zero regulatory/conduct breaches and timely resolution of customer complaints.
Reporting & Provisioning: 100% accuracy and timeliness, with zero material audit findings.
Academic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Commerce, Economics, Law or a related field.
A Master's degree will be an added advantage.
Professional qualification such as CPA (K), ACCA, CCP or another relevant credit-management qualification is preferred.
Experience & Technical Skills
At least 10 years' experience in credit, collections and recovery within banking, microfinance or a related financial services environment.
At least 5 years' experience at senior management level.
Demonstrable experience in reducing PAR and NPL ratios and improving portfolio quality.
Strong experience managing collections, recoveries, repossession, legal recovery and external recovery agencies.
Strong understanding of credit risk, collections strategy, portfolio segmentation, roll rates and vintage analysis.
Good knowledge of IFRS 9 and provisioning requirements.
Strong understanding of applicable regulatory, consumer protection, data protection and debt-recovery requirements.
Experience in secured lending and recovery involving chattels, motor vehicles, land or other collateral will be an advantage.
Strong reporting and analytical capabilities, with the ability to translate portfolio data into actionable collection strategies.
Proven experience managing large, performance-driven collections teams and outsourced service providers.