Mortgage Collections Strategy Specialist

Business Unit:   Financial Care 
Salary range: £Depending on experience
Location: Hybrid - Attending Leeds or Gosforth HUB 1-2 times per week
Contract Type: Permanent

We’re looking for straight up mortgage collections strategy specialist to join our Financial Care (Collections) strategy team.

Our team

Collections Strategy Specialists are primarily responsible for utilising their knowledge and experience, backed by cutting-edge analysis, to drive the direction of the customer journeys for Mortgage Customers who are in arrears. Using well-developed skills to draw conclusions, offer solutions and make recommendations that contribute to achieving our businesses ambitions. This ensures that they support customers in line with risk appetite, within regulatory guidelines and delivers delightfully surprising customer solutions.

You’ll be driving the delivery of credit risk strategies to ensure we offer the right treatments to customers in arrears, at the right time.

What you’ll be doing

• Managing a team of Collections strategy analysts, supporting technical and soft-skill development.
• Identifying opportunities to drive improvements in the collections journey which deliver great customer outcomes and make best use of operational resources.
• Leading on the designing, monitoring and ongoing improvement to contact strategies which aim to contact the right customer, through the right channel, at the right time.
• Working with legal and compliance teams to ensure adherence to current and new regulatory requirements – modifying and adapting strategies/monitoring where necessary.
• Maintaining supportive and collaborative internal relationships inc. 2nd line risk, Financial Care operations, compliance and commercial teams as well as external relationships with third parties such as UK Finance, Credit Reference Agencies, Benchmarking Agencies and Insight providers.
• Supporting in the development, evaluation and delivery of key strategic change. Adapting engagement for the numerous stakeholder groups and ensuring relevant communications are articulated to the rest of the business.
• Driving self-development, including the appropriate prioritisation of work, understanding the skills required to complete the role including analytical self.
• Placing customers (internal and external) at the heart of decision making, ensuring that Financial Care and wider VM business colleagues are customer focussed and committed to achieving the right outcomes for customers and for VM.
• Supporting the running of monthly strategy governance, sharing MI trends, strategy updates and general credit considerations.
• Monitoring the performance of the business, provide early warning of adverse risk trends including new and emerging risks, and recommendations to improve.

We need you to have

• Substantial experience of Mortgage collections, including knowledge of English, Welsh and Scottish litigation, and MCOB compliance.
• Exceptional communication skills to deliver clear verbal and written communication accurately in regarding repayment terms, policies and consequences and to document customer interactions accurately.
• Significant experience in a similar Mortgage collections strategy role, where you managed a team of analysts.
• Strong SAS/ SQL programming skills
• A Proactive and autonomous approach to seek opportunities for continuous improvement without prompt.
• An insatiable curiosity and a proactive and inquisitive nature.
• A team player that’s willing to get stuck in!

Red Hot Rewards 

• Generous holidays - 38.5 days annual leave (including bank holidays and prorated if part-time)​ plus the option to buy more. 
• Up to five extra paid well-being days per year​.  
• 20 weeks paid, gender-neutral family leave (52 weeks in total) for expectant parents and those looking to adopt. 
• Market-leading pension.  
• Free private medical cover, income protection and life assurance.  
• Flexible benefits include Cycle to Work, wellness and health assessments, and critical illness.  

And there's no waiting around, you'll enjoy these benefits from day one. 

If we’re lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early. Please ensure to submit your applications as soon as possible.  

Say hello to Virgin Money

Virgin Money is so much more than just a bank. As part of the Nationwide group, together we're the UK's first full-service mutual bank serving millions of retail and business customers and all driven by our purpose; Banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. With us, you’ll be part of an organisation uniquely positioned to make a difference to the lives of customers, communities and broader society and embark on a collaborative, customer obsessed, and fun-filled career journey. Embrace the weekdays, enjoy fantastic perks, and make a meaningful positive difference. Time to discover what it means to be part of the first mutual full-service banking provider.  

Be yourself at Virgin Money

At Virgin Money, we celebrate everyone. We have fun, think big, and relentlessly include each other, all in pursuit of our purpose: Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.    

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion.  If you need any reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition team careers@virginmoney.com

Please note: If we receive a high volume of eligible applications, we may need to prioritise candidates whose skills and experience most closely align with the role, while still ensuring fair and equitable consideration for all applicants.

Now the legal bit
Although some of our roles allow you to be based anywhere in the UK, we'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. 

If you're successful in securing a role with us, there are some checks you need to complete before starting. These include credit and criminal record checks and three years' worth of satisfactory references. If the role is part of the Senior Manager Regime and Certification Regime, it requires enhanced pre-employment checks – we'll ask for six years of regulatory references, and once in the role, you'll be subject to periodic employment checks.