Job Title: Collections Team Lead

Location: Remote - South Africa

Hours: Night Shift (16h00 - 00:30)

Prodigy Finance - who are we?

Founded in 2007, Prodigy Finance is an international student lender that has helped over 43,000+ international master's students attend the world’s top universities. To date, Prodigy has disbursed over $2.3 billion in funding to students from more than 150 countries.

Prodigy Finance is fueled by impact investors and other privately qualified entities who invest in tomorrow's leaders while earning a financial and social return. Prodigy’s borderless lending model enables students to apply for a loan based on their future earning potential and not just their current circumstances and credit history.

What is the Purpose of the Role?

As the Collections Team Lead at Prodigy Finance, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing post-default collections and forbearance processes. Reporting to the Collections Operations Manager, you will lead a team of agents, driving their performance to maximise recoveries while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. You will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, implementing strategies that enhance efficiency, customer experience, and business outcomes.

Key Accountabilities and Associated Activities:

1. Team Leadership & Performance Management
   • Provide motivation, guidance, and support to a team of collection agents.
   • Monitor team and individual performance against set KPIs.
   • Foster a high-performance culture through coaching, development, and role modeling.
   • Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and team check-ins.
2. Collections Strategy & Optimisation
   • Develop and implement effective post-default collection strategies and campaigns.
   • Utilise data insights to refine and optimise collection efforts.
   • Ensure adherence to SLAs and compliance with all regulatory requirements.
3. Stakeholder Collaboration & Process Enhancement
   • Work closely with credit risk, legal, and other internal teams to refine processes.
   • Engage with service providers to align on collection strategies and execution.
   • Handle complex customer issues and escalate process gaps to relevant departments.
4. Operational Excellence & Compliance
   • Maintain and update post-default collections SOPs and student FAQs.
   • Ensure processes are aligned with regulatory and policy changes.
   • Manage escalations and analyse root causes to drive quality improvements.
5. Reporting & Data Analysis
   • Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly performance reports.
   • Track collection rates, customer interactions, and repayment success.
   • Identify trends and develop actionable insights for process improvement.
6. Training & Recruitment
   • Support the onboarding and continuous training of collection agents.
   • Ensure SOPs are rolled out in a structured and version-controlled manner.
   • Assist in hiring for vacancies as needed.
7. Customer Engagement & Complaint Handling
   • Ensure quality and efficiency in borrower interactions.
   • Negotiate favorable repayment plans with defaulted borrowers.
   • Handle complaints effectively, ensuring compliance with the escalation process.

Qualifications Required:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in finance, business, or a related field.

Experience Required:

• Proven experience in post-default collections within the financial services sector.
• Experience as a people manager or team lead in a financial services or regulated environment.
• A track record of leading high-performing teams in a dynamic, target-driven setting.
• Experience in omni-channel operations, working with SLAs and performance metrics.
• Hands-on experience in driving process improvements and change initiatives.

Knowledge, Technical Competency, and Skills:

• Strong understanding of collections strategies, financial regulations, and compliance.
• Proficiency in data analytics and reporting to drive decision-making.
• Familiarity with CRM and collections management systems.
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities.
• Ability to handle high-pressure situations with sound judgment.
• Knowledge of best practices in financial services operations.

Behavioural Competencies

• Customer-centric approach with a problem-solving mindset.
• Leadership and team-building capabilities.
• Adaptability in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking.
• Effective collaboration and stakeholder management.
• Detail-oriented with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Proactive and self-motivated with a results-driven attitude.

Performance Drivers:

• Achievement of set KPIs for collections and team performance.
• Compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies.
• Maximisation of post-default collections and successful repayment negotiations.
• Quality and frequency of borrower interactions.
• Effective management of team engagement, coaching, and professional development.
• Contribute to process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Customer satisfaction scores and successful complaint resolution.

Why join Prodigy Finance?

• Be a part of a pioneering global growth company.
• Experience the excitement and learn from being part of an incredibly fast-growing young company.
• Be pivotal in scaling the business by identifying smart solutions and partnering with tech at the heart of it.
• Enjoy the agility and flexibility offered by a startup culture. A sociable, relaxed and friendly work environment.
• We will help you make your mark. Make a real impact on the business and experience a steep learning curve with huge opportunities to grow and develop.
• Gain an inside perspective on the functioning of a venture-backed Fintech startup, backed by top VCs, learn day-to-day management and build functional expertise.
• Build a platform that helps to make a very real difference in the world.

The purpose, values and behaviours that drive our culture:

Our Purpose:

• To provide equal access to life-changing education globally

Our Values:

• We are doing something big here: We are doing something life-changing in the world. Something that changes the status quo.
• Bigger than us: Our work here is bigger than us as individuals and our own egos. It’s about doing the best work of our lives in service of the greater good.
• Grow bravely together: We have a relentless desire to continuously improve and work together to evolve our business and ourselves. We are open to the new and always stay curious.
• Keep pushing forward: What we are doing is not always easy. We embrace the challenge. We never give up at the first hurdle. We always keep moving forward.

Our Behaviours:

• Judgement: Applying sound judgement to solve problems and prioritise opportunities leads to the best outcomes. We identify key issues, compare data, and choose effective solutions based on facts, constraints, and consequences. We focus on fewer, high-impact actions.
• Accountability: At Prodigy, accountability is personal. We take responsibility for our actions, decisions, and outcomes—both positive and negative. We own mistakes, refocus when needed, and hold ourselves and others accountable for achieving goals.
• Collaboration: We work effectively across teams, fostering learning and cooperation to achieve exceptional results. We listen actively, maintain strong relationships, and align personal contributions with team goals. Collaboration does not mean consensus-building.
• Leadership: Leadership exists at all levels. We influence our thoughts and behaviours to achieve both personal and company goals. We take collective responsibility, act as role models, and embody Prodigy’s values.
• Biased to Focus Action: We prioritise doing the right things with urgency and decisiveness. Data and customer focus guide our actions. We embrace uncertainty, accelerate decision-making, and drive execution, learning, and momentum.
• Communication: Clear, effective communication is key. We proactively share relevant information, focus on desired outcomes, and use data to support our message. We articulate ideas well and listen actively.
• Continuous Improvement: We believe in constant progress. Every employee seeks ways to improve themselves, our product, and our processes. We favour rapid, incremental improvements over perfect design.
• Learning and Experimentation: Openness, curiosity, and a learning mindset drive success. Experimentation fuels discovery, helping us learn, adapt, and prepare for future challenges.

Join Prodigy Finance and play a pivotal role in driving financial sustainability, optimising collections, and empowering students worldwide to achieve their educational dreams—all while leading, innovating, and excelling in a dynamic fintech environment.