Debt Recovery Team Leader – AR

Job Details

Job Title: Debt Recovery Team Leader
Department: Customer Access – Customer & Digital Services
Grade: PO3
Reports To: Service Manager – Debt Recovery
Direct Reports: Up to 15 Debt Recovery Officers

Job Purpose

The Debt Recovery Team Leader is responsible for leading and managing a debt recovery team within a local authority environment, ensuring the effective collection of monies owed to the Council across one or more debt portfolios, including Housing Benefit Overpayments, Adult Social Care, Sundry Debt and related debt recovery functions.

The postholder will drive operational performance, implement debt recovery strategies, and ensure compliance with legislation, council policy and regulatory requirements to maximise income recovery, minimise bad debt and reduce financial risk.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and manage a team of up to 15 Debt Recovery Officers to deliver high-quality debt recovery services and achieve operational targets.
• Manage recovery activities across designated debt portfolios, ensuring efficient and timely collection of outstanding debts.
• Monitor team performance through KPIs, reporting and recovery targets, taking corrective action where required.
• Implement and embed debt recovery strategies, identifying barriers to performance and driving service improvement.
• Ensure all recovery decisions, financial advice and enforcement activity comply with relevant legislation, court procedures, case law and Council policies.
• Analyse recovery data, performance reports and exceptions to improve payment allocation, recovery outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Develop staff capability through coaching, mentoring, training, performance reviews and development planning.
• Work collaboratively across departments and with external stakeholders, including government agencies, housing providers and voluntary organisations, to support effective service delivery.
• Manage employee matters in line with Council policies, including sickness absence, capability, disciplinary and performance management processes.
• Present complex financial, legislative and operational information clearly to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, equality, data protection, customer care and health & safety requirements.

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience within a local authority debt recovery / collections environment.
• Strong knowledge of debt recovery processes, legislation, court procedures and legal recovery methods.
• Experience managing staff performance, workloads, targets and operational delivery.
• Ability to analyse complex legislation, financial information and operational data to make sound decisions.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with diverse customer groups in challenging environments.

Desirable Systems Knowledge

• Oracle
• Northgate Revenue & Benefits
• Mosaic
• Debtsys