Head of Collections

Ambition has no passport. That belief is why LemFi exists. We're the financial engine for people the world wasn't built to serve, the millions who move countries to build something better and find the financial system hasn't caught up with them yet. We started with remittances: the money people send home to the people they love. Now we run multi-currency accounts, Savings, eSIMs and Credit. Because staying connected to home and building somewhere new are not two separate things. They never were.

LemFi is building the financial infrastructure for the world's migrants and underserved communities, and credit is one of our fastest-growing bets. As Collections Manager you will sit at the intersection of strategy and operations, designing the frameworks that determine how we recover debt fairly and efficiently, then rolling your sleeves up to make sure those frameworks actually work in the field.

This is a Head of Collections role in a function that's still early. You'll set the strategy, but there's no large team or finished playbook underneath you yet, so you'll build as much as you direct.

You'll own collections end to end: policy, strategy, operations and the team, reporting into senior leadership. One day you're making the case for our risk appetite at board level. The next you're in the data working out why a workflow is breaking, and fixing it yourself. If you only want to work at one of those levels, this isn't the role for you.

What you'll build and own

Design and continuously refine the end-to-end collections strategy across all product lines, balancing recovery rates with a genuinely customer-first approach.

Set and own portfolio-level targets (roll rates, recovery rates, cure rates, cost per recovery) and hold the team accountable to them through clear, data-driven governance.

Build and iterate operational playbooks for each stage of the collections journey, from early arrears contact through to legal escalation, using AI tools to accelerate cycle times and personalise outreach.

Lead, coach and grow a collections team, creating clear prioritisation frameworks so the right problems get worked first and critical tasks never fall through the cracks.

Work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Legal and Finance to embed collections logic into product decisions and ensure regulatory compliance across every market we operate in.

Identify and integrate third-party debt collection agencies, legal partners and credit bureaus where appropriate, managing those relationships for performance and conduct.

Report portfolio health and strategic recommendations to senior leadership in plain language, turning data into decisions rather than decks for their own sake.

Your experience

Significant experience in consumer (B2C) collections or credit risk.

Proven track record spanning both strategy design and hands-on operational delivery, not just one or the other.

Experience managing or building a collections team, with clear examples of setting priorities, developing people and holding performance to account.

Working knowledge of FCA CONC 7 (Arrears, Default and Recovery) and Consumer Duty obligations is required, you should be able to speak fluently to how these shape treatment paths, forbearance, and vulnerable customer handling, not just cite them.

Demonstrable ability to use data to diagnose portfolio problems, model scenarios and drive decisions, comfortable with SQL, BI tools or equivalent, and willing to bring AI into your workflow.

Experience working in a high-growth or fast-moving environment where processes were incomplete and you had to build as you flew.

Strong judgement about what to prioritise: able to distinguish between the problems that matter today and the noise, and able to instil that discipline in a team.

Nice to have

Experience across multiple geographies or emerging markets, particularly in Africa, South Asia or the diaspora corridor.

Background in a fintech, neobank or digital lender where collections was built from a relatively early stage.

Familiarity with collections-specific tooling (e.g. collections management systems, dialler platforms, predictive scoring models).

Why join LemFi?

Your work here puts money back into families' pockets. That's the reward, and the weight of it. You'll take on some of the hardest problems in finance alongside people who do their best work when the stakes are real. We move fast and we expect a lot, because our customers can't afford for us to do otherwise. In return you get room to own real problems, global impact you can see, and a team that won't slow you down.

Bring grit and ownership and there's a place for them here. Ambition belongs here, come and show us yours.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram and if you haven't already, download the app on the App Store or Google Play.

Don't feel that you're right for this role, but want to submit your interest in working for LemFi? You can join our talent community to stay in touch for future opportunities.

Recruitment agencies notice

LemFi does not accept unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies. We work only with agencies on our preferred supplier list, and only when we’ve asked them for their support. Any CVs sent to us outside this arrangement will not incur a fee.

AI in hiring at LemFi

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