Junior Collections Agent

Northampton, United Kingdom | Posted on 14/01/2026

The Junior Collections Agent will be an integral member of the Workouts & Collections team, primarily responsible for the early-stage management of defaulting accounts across our portfolio. The core focus of this role is proactive communication via phone and written correspondence to minimise arrears, agree suitable payment plans and ensure compliance within internal policies.

This is a critical role that maintains the financial health of the business and helps manage customer relationships during challenging periods. There will be excellent senior stakeholder visibility.

• Outbound Calls:
  Proactively contact customers whose accounts have fallen into arrears via phone to discuss outstanding payments and understand the root cause of the default.
• Inbound Calls:
  Handle incoming calls from customers regarding payment queries, account status and payment plan discussions.
• Payment Negotiations:
  Negotiate and set up sustainable payment plans, working within delegated authority limits and established company guidelines.
• Account Servicing:
  Accurately record all collection activities, communications and promises to pay in the company’s collections system (CRM/Loan Management System).

• Letter Generation:
  Prepare and dispatch a range of standard collections letters (e.g. initial demand, notice of default, termination notices) accurately and in a timely manner.
• Email Communication:
  Manage professional correspondence via email with customers and where necessary, third parties.
• Document Management:
  Maintain organised and compliant electronic and physical files for all collections activity.

• Adherence to Policy:
  Ensure all collection activities strictly comply with internal collection policies.
• Escalation:
  Identify and promptly escalation complex, litigious or high‑risk accounts to senior collections staff.

• Communication Excellence:
  Exceptional verbal communication skills with a professional, empathetic and firm telephone manner.
• Negotiation & Persuasion:
  Ability to negotiate payment solutions while maintaining a professional relationship.
• Resilience:
  Capacity to handle challenging conversations and remain composed under pressure.
• Attention to Detail:
  Meticulous approach to data entry, letter generation and ensuring compliance.
• IT Proficiency:
  Comfortable using standard office software (Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel) and quickly learning new collections software/CRM systems.
• Previous experience (6-18 months) in a high-volume call centre, customer service role or a collections/credit control environment.
• Familiarity with financial services terminology, especially related to asset finance, loans or unsecured/secured lending.
• A basic understanding of regulatory frameworks relevant to collections (e.g. data protection).

• Degree educated strongly preferred.
• 30 days annual leave, increasing with length of service.
• The opportunity to work directly within the asset finance sector and gain exposure to legal/workouts processes.
• A supportive team environment with mentorship from experienced collections and legal professionals.
• Ongoing training in collections best practices, negotiation and regulatory compliance.