Head Manager: Performance

About This Role

Head Manager: Performance is a Senior Operational Leader responsible for creating, leading, and embedding Nutun's High-Performance Centre (HPC) across Agency and Hybrid Operations. The Head Manager Performance will translate data and operational diagnostics into repeatable performance interventions that uplift client scorecards, operational efficiency, workforce capability, and financial outcomes. This role is strategic in nature, it requires deep collections and Call Centre experience, with a firm understanding of the full credit lifecycle, including origination, secured lending, recoveries and legal, exceptional stakeholder influence, and the ability to design scalable playbooks across early-stage, late-stage and post-write-off collections environments.

Role Purpose

• Act as the internal engine for operational excellence, bringing structure and measurement to performance improvement initiatives.
• Deliver sustained uplift in productivity, quality, and client satisfaction by converting insight into action across the value chain.
• Build and lead multidisciplinary teams comprising performance coaches, analysts, and data & insights practitioners to execute interventions.
• Provide operational oversight and governance on specialised portfolios, ensuring compliance and recoveries targets are met.
• Influence leadership decisions and client-facing narratives by presenting evidence-based recommendations and measurable business cases.

Key Accountability Areas

• Design, implement and continuously improve the High-Performance Centre (HPC) framework, playbooks, and operating cadence.
• Set, monitor, and report on performance benchmarks (productivity, quality, compliance, conversion and recovery outcomes) across portfolios.
• Conduct comparative analysis and benchmarking of Agency vs Hybrid models to determine operating efficiency and scalability levers.
• Lead performance diagnostics: root cause analysis, production lever identification, pilot design, and scaled roll-out of interventions.
• Own delivery of client scorecard improvements by aligning operational activities, measurement, and client governance.
• Design workforce capability programmes: coaching curricula, management development, succession planning, and talent pipelines.
• Collaborate with Finance to translate operational changes into margin, revenue, and cash-flow impact (Net working capital, Revenue, Gross profit implications).
• Partner with Risk & Compliance to embed controls, maintain regulatory adherence and manage reputational risk related to collections.
• Create and maintain enterprise risk registers relevant to operations, and drive remediation plans with measurable milestones.
• Advise on litigation and recovery strategies where post-write-off and legal interventions are required, work with legal counsel on escalation.
• Report to executive leadership and clients on performance trends, intervention outcomes, return on investment, and scalability opportunities.

Stakeholder Management & Influence

• Interface with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Building trusted relationships with client leadership, internal Business unit Heads, Finance, Legal, Risk and HR.
• Escalating and resolving cross-functional issues quickly and professionally, while maintaining the client relationship.

Client-Facing Responsibilities

• Translate operational research and diagnostics into balanced client performance scorecards and improvement roadmaps.
• Demonstrate deep working knowledge of compliance standards and laws relevant to collections & recovery.
• Manage client governance forums, presenting clear, evidence-based progress updates and next steps.

Financial Acumen & Responsibility

• Understand and articulate the financial implications of operational change.
• Work with Finance to read and interpret income statements and balance sheets to anticipate margin optimisation opportunities.
• Own budgetary responsibility for HPC initiatives and track return on investment for pilots and scaled programmes.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Embed strong compliance practices across all collection activities in line with relevant legislation and client requirements.
• Create and maintain enterprise risk registers for operational, technology, compliance,  control, process, and reputational risks.
• Influence and attain target patent rates across technology, compliance, and process to reduce operational and reputational exposure.

Minimum Requirements (Qualifications and Experience)

• Postgraduate qualification in Commerce, Economics, Law or equivalent (preferred).
• Minimum 10 years' experience in collections, debt recoveries, or sales within Financial Services or BPO environments.
• Minimum 5+ years in mid- to senior-management roles with proven leadership of multi-functional operational teams.
• Experience managing Call-Centre Operations and delivering measurable performance improvement.
• Practical exposure to originations including secured asset recovery, early-stage, late-stage and post-write-off collections, including litigation and recovery pathways.

Core Competencies Required

·       Operational Leadership & Execution

·       Analytical Rigor & Data Fluency

·       Strategic Thinking

·       Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

·       Problem Solving & Scale Orientation

·       People Leadership & Coaching

·       Regulatory aligned Performance Delivery

·       Commercial Acumen