Financial Assistance (Collections) Associate

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

5/22/2025

Hello, we're Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We're a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We're a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

Our recruitment process:

Interviewing is a two way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious.

Following your application being reviewed, you can expect the below:

Stage 1 - Introductory call with a Talent Specialist

Stage 2 - In office assessment centre/interview

Closing date: Wednesday 4th June at 5pm

Working hours and training requirements:

Working Hours: Full time rotational shifts between 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday and Saturdays 9am-5.30pm & occasional bank holidays.

Training: This will be conducted in the office over a minimum of 6 weeks, once this is completed you will move to a hybrid way of working. The team will work from the office 10 days a month.

About the role:

As a Financial Assistance (Collections) Associate, you will support customers experiencing varying degrees of financial difficulty, engaging with empathy and professionalism across a range of communication channels. You'll conduct financial assessments, navigate sensitive conversations, and provide tailored solutions that deliver positive outcomes for both the customer and the bank. This role requires strong listening skills, a naturally inquisitive approach and a customer-focused mindset. You will be comfortable working within a contact centre environment and ensuring actions taken adhere to procedural guidelines and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities:

• You will be interacting with customers via a variety of channels, including digital messaging and making and receiving calls within our contact centre
• Demonstrate excellent listening skills and an inquisitive nature to gain an understanding of each customer's individual circumstances
• You will speak with customers and businesses that may be experiencing difficulties, undertaking a financial assessment to better understand their financial position
• You will be confident in having what can often be difficult conversations, showing understanding and empathy in your interactions with customers
• Provide support by signposting customers to internal specialist teams or external organisations when indications of vulnerability are detected
• Identify customers who are dissatisfied with the service received and seek to resolve issues as part of a first-contact resolution approach
• Liaise with third parties and other areas of the bank to obtain information and supporting documentation where required
• Review each customer's situation individually and demonstrate the ability to translate the information obtained into good outcomes for both the customer and the bank
• Accurately update systems in line with procedures, ensuring any commitments made to customers are actioned appropriately
• Be open to feedback from Quality teams and evaluate your own performance to continually strive for high standards of service and support
  
  
  

Requirements

• Experience in Collections, Financial Services, or lending is essential
• Experience working in a customer-focused contact centre environment
• Comfortable asking open questions and, importantly, using listening skills to explore a customer's situation
• Empathetic approach when communicating with all customers, regardless of their situation or circumstances
• It is preferable, but not essential, to have an appreciation for how current regulations such as CONC and Consumer Duty relate to the role
• Ability to create good outcomes and solutions for customers in arrears
• It is preferable, but not essential, that you have knowledge of TEXAS, BRUCE, CARERS, or other vulnerability models
• Confident in handling customer complaints or complex situations
• Resilient when dealing with challenging or difficult conversations
• Highly adaptable and capable of working within a fast-moving fintech environment
• Strong team player with a positive attitude
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to work collaboratively with other departments
  
  
  

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day's holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary & group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Incentives refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing
  
  
  

About us:

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren't sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.We're on a mission to radically reshape banking - and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we're proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.