Collections Team Leader

About Unifi
Unifi is a fast-growing consumer lending company operating in Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Unifi delivers personal lending products through online, mobile phone and branch channels. The company is well supported by strong shareholders and a board of directors with vast experience in entrepreneurship and lending.

The Role
This is a new role created in managing and optimizing our debt recovery processes. As our client base grows and scales, maintaining strong relationships with external stakeholders becomes paramount for sustaining success and achieving financial goals for the Company. The position will be tasked with developing different collections methods that consistently lead to achieving the company’s financial growth, responsible for ensuring timely collections on accounts in default, analyse collections data and make timely recommendations to management on the best solutions.

Candidate must possess a unique blend of interpersonal, analytical, and strategic skills, must have good spreadsheet skills and be self-motivated. The ideal candidate must bring fresh innovative ideas, but also be willing to get their hands dirty and implement the ideas. A knowledge of Microfinance/Bank would be preferable, and a sense of humour would be helpful.

Learn more about Unifi at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUrwaPmzU5E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh-EjDAMjas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl32BzxAHfA&t=26s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gf1ZiFpfSc&t=188s

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the collections team, ensuring high standards of operational execution across all collections functions.
• Creating and maintaining relationships with Banks, Employers and other external stakeholders
• Execute direct debits and payroll deductions for clients who have defaulted.
• Ensure timely identification, investigation and clearance of clearing and suspense accounts related to collections activities, working closely with the Manzi and Finance teams to resolve variances and reconciling differences.
• Be super critical of issues that negatively affect clients and push to resolve them.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve collections processes and performance while looking at more ways of collecting.
• Set departmental goals and monitor progress to ensure targets are met

• Monitor and analyse collections data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and company policies in collections activities.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with the collections process.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation of collections activities and decisions.
• Work closely with other departments, such as Finance, Customer Service, and Recoveries, to ensure coordinated efforts in debt recovery.
• Prepare and present regular reports on collections performance to senior management.
• Be in touch with what our competitors are doing.

Requirements

• Degree in Banking and Finance or equivalent professional qualifications
• Prior working experience with Google Workspace applications would be beneficial, but not essential. (Gmail, Docs, Sheets)

Preferred

• Banking experience an advantage but not required
• Experience with Direct Debit and or Payroll deductions
• Ability to think outside the box when the norm is not acceptable
• Good communication and analytical skills
• Have some tech knowledge of the market