Purpose of this role

To lead, develop and motivate a team of Credit Controllers to deliver excellent customer outcomes, achieve departmental objectives, and minimise bad debt exposure.

The role is responsible for creating a high-performing culture through effective leadership, coaching, performance management, and employee development. The postholder will provide clear direction, support and guidance to the team, ensuring that customer accounts are managed effectively, collection strategies are executed consistently, and performance standards are maintained.

The Credit Control Team Leader will lead by example, demonstrating the company's values and behaviours while fostering a positive, collaborative and customer-focused environment. They will champion continuous improvement, drive engagement, and support team members in achieving their full potential.

Your key responsibilities are

Leadership and People Management

Lead, motivate and develop the Credit Control team to achieve departmental and business objectives.

Create a positive, high-performing culture through effective leadership, coaching and regular feedback.

Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, objective setting and performance reviews to ensure team members are supported and accountable for their performance.

Proactively manage performance, attendance and conduct issues in line with company policies and procedures.
Identify training and development needs and support team members in developing their skills, knowledge and career aspirations.
Promote employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion, ensuring appropriate support is provided when required.
Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement across the team.
Operational Management
Manage the day-to-day activities, workload allocation and prioritisation of the Credit Control function to ensure service levels and collection targets are achieved.
Monitor team performance through the use of key performance indicators, ensuring appropriate action is taken where standards are not met.
Ensure customer accounts are managed effectively and in accordance with company policies, regulatory requirements and internal procedures.
Support Credit Controllers with complex account issues, escalated customer complaints, disputed balances and challenging debt recovery cases.
Provide guidance and decision-making support for high-risk accounts and complex collection activities.
Oversee the progression of legal recovery actions where appropriate, ensuring all actions are proportionate, compliant and aimed at minimising bad debt.
Ensure customer queries and disputes that prevent payment are investigated and resolved promptly to maximise collections performance.
Identify trends, risks and opportunities within the debt portfolio and implement appropriate actions to improve outcomes.
Stakeholder Management and Continuous Improvement
Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Attend meetings and provide regular updates on team performance, collections activity, risks and opportunities.
Contribute to departmental and business improvement initiatives, helping to identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and customer outcomes.
Support the development and implementation of policies, procedures and best practices relating to Credit Control activities.
Assist with recruitment, onboarding and induction activities to ensure successful integration of new team members.
Undertake project work and additional duties as required by management.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 2 or equivalent standard of education.

Experience/Knowledge

Demonstrable experience of leading, developing and motivating a team.
Experience of managing individual and team performance against defined objectives and targets.
Strong understanding of credit control, debt recovery and customer account management processes.
Experience of coaching, mentoring and developing employees to improve performance and capability.
Ability to manage complex customer situations, complaints and escalated cases.
Experience of working with stakeholders at all levels of an organisation.
Understanding of HR policies, procedures and good people management practices.

Abilities/Skills

Strong leadership and people management skills.
Ability to motivate and influence others to deliver high levels of performance.
Excellent coaching, mentoring and performance management capabilities.
Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Highly organised with the ability to prioritise workloads effectively.
Resilient and able to perform under pressure while maintaining a positive attitude.
Customer-focused whilst balancing commercial objectives and risk management.
Proactive, accountable and results-driven.
Collaborative and committed to developing strong working relationships across the business.
Committed to continuous improvement and delivering operational excellence.

Desirable

CICM, ILM, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent professional qualification.

Experience within the utilities sector or other regulated customer service environment.
Experience of supporting change initiatives and continuous improvement activities.
Previous involvement in recruitment, onboarding and training activities.