Collection & Recovery Officer

Role Overview

This position owns a designated book of overdue loans and works directly with borrowers to restore payment. The recovery officer balances firmness with practical repayment solutions, using phone outreach, field visits, and skip tracing to reconnect with customers who have fallen behind. The work protects the lender’s capital and keeps delinquency within acceptable limits while preserving the customer relationship wherever possible.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor assigned delinquent accounts, prioritise them by risk, age, and outstanding balance, and keep recovery records accurate and current.
• Contact defaulting borrowers by phone, message, and in-person visit to discuss overdue balances and agree on realistic repayment schedules.
• Assess each customer’s financial circumstances and negotiate settlements or instalment arrangements within approved limits.
• Trace customers who cannot be reached using skip-tracing tools, references, guarantors, and field intelligence.
• Prepare case files for repossession, coordinate with auctioneers, and support legal teams on collateral recovery where required.
• Document every interaction, promise to pay, and payment arrangement in the collections system or CRM.
• Produce regular portfolio reports on recovery performance, aging, and next actions using Excel and internal reporting tools.
• Escalate high-risk or stalled accounts and recommend further action to management.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or a closely related discipline.
• At least two years’ experience in collections, loan recovery, or debt restructuring, preferably within microfinance or banking.
• Proven ability to negotiate repayment directly with customers, including difficult or sensitive conversations.
• Strong verbal and written communication, active listening, and interpersonal skills for working with borrowers, guarantors, auctioneers, and legal contacts.
• Practical knowledge of skip tracing, field recovery, and repossession or collateral processes.
• Comfort using collections software or CRM systems, plus MS Excel for tracking, reporting, and portfolio analysis.
• Self-directed, organised, and able to manage a busy field-and-office schedule with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to conduct field visits and travel locally to meet borrowers, guarantors, and other contacts.