Strategic Leadership

• Drive the overall strategy for customer operations and agent-led collections in Australia and New Zealand,  ensuring alignment with InDebted’s performance goals and growth objectives.
• Set the strategy in consultation with both the Chief Operating Officer and the Managing Director of ANZ. 
• Collaborate closely with the Global Head of Excellence to develop scalable, efficient processes to support a growing portfolio of clients and increasing customer volumes.
• Partner with Directors of other markets to share learnings and drive best practice for Customer operations at InDebted globally. 

Operational Leadership

• Lead and oversee inbound and outbound customer contact operations across all channels (email, SMS, live chat, and voice).
• Drive the execution of strategies to achieve collections, revenue and margins targets while delivering outstanding customer experiences.
• Efficiently manage omnichannel customer contact operations, implementing best practices for digital communications and voice teams based on the specific requirements of each channel.
• Build and manage specialised teams tailored to skillsets, specialisation, and strategic needs, ensuring resources are optimally aligned with business goals.

Performance Management

• Lead and develop high-performing teams, from Agents to Team Leaders and Operations Managers, fostering a culture of excellence and high performance.
• Design and implement agent, team leader and operations manager performance programs and incentive schemes to maximise agent and leader effectiveness, engagement, efficiency, and results.
• Set clear performance expectations, KPIs and targets for all levels, including Agents, Team Leaders and Operations Managers. 
• Monitor and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the operation, teams and individuals including productivity measures, first response time (FRT), average handle time (AHT), right-party contact (RPC) rates, payment conversion rates, payment conversion quality, first contact resolution rates (FCR), cure rates, agent ROI, CSAT, cost per contact, query backlog rate and establish benchmarks for success.
• Interpret data, identify trends, and make actionable recommendations to improve collections performance to ensure we are the #1 performer.

Analytical Excellence

• Define and design reporting, and generate analysis to track and analyse operational performance and KPIs.
• Use data-driven insights to identify trends, diagnose issues, and recommend strategies for performance and efficiency improvement.
• Analyse and understand the leading indicators of performance and pinpoint the key opportunity areas, making recommendations to the leadership on strategy changes and opportunities.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to continuously refine and optimise reporting tools and processes.

Workforce Planning, Resource Management & Operational Excellence

• Leverage workforce planning expertise to optimise staffing levels, forecast demand, and ensure effective resource utilisation for maximised collection rates and optimal gross margins.
• Manage and scale both onshore and offshore teams based on business, client and operational needs, ensuring seamless integration and alignment across locations.
• Ensure the agent workforce is equipped to handle high volumes of inbound communications and volume fluctuations efficiently, inline with internal and client SLAs.
• Continually optimise agent capacity thresholds to balance workloads and achieve operational efficiency.
• Partner with our Data team to ensure outbound dialer campaigns are resourced effectively and run efficiently to drive the best outcomes for voice campaigns.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the regional representative of InDebted’s customer leadership, building strong relationships with clients and representing the organisation in client meetings as needed.
• Provide data-driven insights and updates to senior leaders and clients, ensuring transparency and trust.
• Build relationships with financial counsellors and supporting bodies, engaging them directly to enhance InDebted’s reputation as a leading customer advocate in the debt collection space and ensure our processes support both financial counsellors and vulnerable customers.

Technology and Process Optimisation

• Leverage technology and automation to enhance operational efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including R&D to identify and implement tools that streamline workflows, improve agent performance, and drive results.

Compliance and Process Adherence

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective Line 1 controls, including preventative, detective, and corrective measures, to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and operational standards while proactively identifying and addressing potential risks.
• Continuously review and enhance control frameworks to adapt to evolving regulatory and business requirements.
• Maintain clear documentation and reporting for all controls to ensure audit readiness and operational transparency.
• Establish processes to maximise agent productivity across inbound and outbound operations, ensuring the team delivers efficient, effective, and compliant responses to customer queries.
• Ensure all operations adhere to local regulatory requirements and InDebted’s internal compliance standards and policies.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure processes are optimised for operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Act as a key liaison between regional operations and global leadership, sharing best practices and driving process improvements.

Acquisition Support and Integration

• Assist with due diligence on the operational aspects of acquisition targets, evaluating their processes, systems, and workforce capabilities.
• Develop and execute integration plans to seamlessly onboard customer operations from acquired businesses into InDebted’s frameworks, integrating distinct customer teams into one unified customer organisation.  
• Ensure acquired teams are aligned with InDebted’s operational standards, compliance requirements, and performance goals.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimise processes and tools for a smooth integration experience.

Key Competencies and Experience

• Operational Expertise: Proven experience in customer operations or collections leadership, ideally in high-growth, fast-paced environments.
• Deep knowledge of leading indicators of collections performance and their impact on revenue outcomes.
• Experience scaling onshore and offshore workforces, including designing and implementing effective workforce planning strategies.
• Analytical & Financial: Strong analytical skills with the ability to define, design, and build custom reports and dashboards using data sets.
• Proven experience using data insights to drive operational improvements and inform strategic decisions.
• Familiarity with advanced analytics tools and techniques is a plus.
• Experienced in financial management, operating within budget  and resource optimisation.
• Leadership & Team Development: Demonstrated ability to hire, lead and inspire high-performing teams, from agents to team leaders and operations managers.
• Experience designing, rolling out and tracking performance improvement programs, incentive schemes, training initiatives, and agent incentive schemes, aligned to business objectives.
• Strong focus on continuous improvement, with a track record of developing scalable systems and processes.
• Technology and Innovation: Demonstrated ability to leverage technology to improve operational efficiency, scalability, and performance outcomes.
• Experience implementing or optimising systems and tools for customer operations.
• Client EngagementAbility to manage relationships with multiple clients across diverse verticals, understanding and adapting to their unique needs.
• Comfortable presenting to and building rapport with senior leaders, clients, and stakeholders.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to represent InDebted’s values and vision.

Additional Qualifications

• Intimate understanding of the regulatory environment for collections and compliance standards in Australia. Bonus points for knowledge around New Zealand, the UK or UAE.
• Familiarity with omnichannel customer contact operations, including email, SMS, live chat, and voice. 
• Experience working with global teams in a matrixed organisational structure. 
• Ability to travel for client visits where necessary