Director - Collections & Recovery

The Director of Collections & Recovery is a senior leader responsible for designing, executing, and continuously optimizing the organization's end-to-end collections strategy. This includes oversight of early-stage, high-risk, late-stage, and outsourced agency operations. The role ensures strong portfolio performance, adherence to all federal and state regulations, and delivery of a best-in-class customer experience throughout the repayment lifecycle. This position partners closely with Risk, Customer Service, Operations, Compliance, and Finance to reduce delinquency, maximize recoveries, modernize processes, and support sustainable portfolio growth. The Director will lead collections teams and vendor partners, manage dialer strategies, oversee quality monitoring, and implement omni-channel communication frameworks to drive efficiency and results.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute companywide collections strategy to reduce delinquency, improve cure rates, and optimize recoveries across all risk segments; Monitor portfolio performance trends and proactively adjust tactics, staffing, dialer strategy, and outreach channels; Review KPI dashboards (e.g., roll rates, PTP kept, DPD trends, liquidation rates, call productivity) to guide daily operations and long-term decision-making; Partner with Credit Risk to align underwriting strategy and collections policies with emerging trends; Lead early-stage, high-risk, late-stage, and specialty queue operations to ensure consistent execution and compliance; Oversee outbound dialing strategies, text/email communication workflows, and channel optimization to maximize contact rates; Drive process improvement initiatives to reduce operational friction, improve agent efficiency, and enhance customer experience; Implement and maintain SOPs, call guides, and QA frameworks to ensure consistent performance; Lead, develop, and mentor collections managers and supervisors to build a high-performing, data-driven culture; Establish clear performance expectations, conduct regular coaching sessions, and ensure ongoing leadership development; Facilitate workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, and succession planning for the Collections department; Ensure full compliance with FDCPA, Reg F, UDAAP, TCPA, state regulations, SCRA, and company policies; Partner with Compliance and Legal to monitor regulatory changes and update processes accordingly; Oversee QA monitoring, complaint resolution, and root-cause analysis to mitigate risk and prevent recurrence; Ensure proper documentation and audit readiness for all collections processes and vendor relationships; Manage relationships with third-party collection agencies, skip-trace providers, and technology vendors; Evaluate agency performance, set liquidation targets, negotiate contracts, and ensure adherence to compliance requirements; Implement agency scorecards, regular performance reviews, and accountability structures; Collaborate with IT and Operations to optimize dialer configuration, segmentation logic, and automation; Evaluate and implement tools such as AI-assisted QA, predictive analytics, and omni-channel communication platforms; Lead digital transformation efforts within the collections function to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs

Requirements

7+ years of experience in consumer lending, financial services collections/recovery, or a related credit risk function, including at least 3 years leading collections staff, cross-functional teams, or strategic vendor/technology initiatives within a regulated lending environment; Working knowledge of FDCPA, Reg F, UDAAP, TCPA, and state collection laws, with the ability to build deep regulatory fluency quickly; Demonstrated success improving portfolio performance through strategy, analytics, and operational execution, or through leading vendor and technology transformation initiatives that materially improved recovery outcomes; Strategic Thinking & Decision Making; Portfolio Performance Management; Compliance & Regulatory Discipline; Operational Optimization; Change Leadership; Cross-Functional Collaboration; Data Interpretation & Storytelling; Coaching & Talent Development; Vendor & Technology-Enabled Transformation Leadership

Nice to have

Hands-on compliance experience in a collections environment