The Director of Collections and Recovery is a hands-on strategic leader responsible for building and managing the collections operation in Panama while overseeing collections and recovery performance across Belize and Barbados. This individual will directly manage the Panama operation, provide leadership and direction to the Collections Managers in Belize and Barbados, and ensure that each market meets its recovery targets while maintaining cost-effective operations. The role requires strong expertise in consumer credit collections, late-stage and legal recovery, operational development, and data-driven performance management. Working closely with Credit, Customer Service, Sales, Finance, Legal and Compliance, and other business units, the Director will establish consistent collections standards, develop and execute group-wide strategies, and ensure accountability for recovery performance and costs across all markets.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Build and establish the collections operation in Panama, including hiring and training the team, defining operational processes, and implementing recovery procedures from the first missed payment through legal enforcement.

• Directly manage the day-to-day collections operation in Panama, ensuring the achievement of recovery targets and efficient operational performance.

• Establish and implement effective legal recovery procedures for small unsecured consumer loans through the Panamanian court system.

• Select, manage, and evaluate attorneys, collection agencies, and other external service providers supporting collections and recovery activities in Panama.

• Lead and develop the Collections Managers in Belize and Barbados, ensuring accountability for recovery performance, operational execution, and market-specific results.

• Advise the Performance Committee on recovery targets for each market and collaborate with country Collections Managers to develop and execute actionable plans to achieve them.

• Conduct weekly performance reviews with country Collections Managers, supported by comprehensive monthly reviews, identifying performance gaps and implementing corrective actions where required.

• Travel to Belize and Barbados for approximately one week per country each quarter to oversee operations, support country leadership, and ensure alignment with group objectives.

• Develop and execute the group-wide collections and recovery strategy in collaboration with country Collections Managers, ensuring consistent implementation across all markets.

• Establish standardized collections KPIs, reporting definitions, and performance measurement frameworks to ensure consistent and comparable reporting across countries.

• Develop and maintain consistent operational standards and collections practices across the group, identifying successful approaches in individual markets and implementing them across other locations.

• Prepare and present monthly collections performance reports and recovery forecasts to the Senior Director of Credit and executive leadership.

• Define and optimize organizational structures, staffing levels, and incentive plans for collections teams across all markets.

• Establish and oversee account recovery strategies, including the criteria for transferring accounts between internal collections teams, external agencies, legal proceedings, settlements, and charge-offs, based on net recovery after costs.

• Develop and implement strategies to reduce the time between default and legal filing, as well as between court judgment and actual recovery of funds.

• Oversee the performance, fees, and recovery effectiveness of attorneys, bailiffs, and collection agencies across all markets.

• Analyze collections performance across customer segments, products, loan amounts, and repayment terms, providing actionable feedback to the Credit department to support adjustments to lending policies and criteria.

• Assess and advise on the potential collections and recovery implications of new products, lending limits, and credit policies before implementation.

• Analyze portfolio performance and team productivity data to identify recovery gaps, improve operational effectiveness, and test potential improvements before implementing them across markets.

• Translate collections strategies and recovery objectives into measurable weekly targets, ensuring consistent execution and accountability across country teams.

• Ensure collections operations in Panama, Belize, and Barbados consistently meet recovery objectives, operate under standardized practices, and report performance using aligned metrics.

Professional Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements that follow are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required.

Work Experience

• 10+ years of experience in consumer credit collections, including at least 5 years of experience leading managers.

• Proven experience building or rebuilding a collections operation, including hiring and developing teams, establishing processes, and implementing operational structures.

• Demonstrated track record of recovering small unsecured consumer loans through court proceedings, with working knowledge of debt recovery laws and legal enforcement processes in Panama.

• Experience managing collections and recovery operations, including the use of internal teams, external agencies, attorneys, and legal recovery channels.

• Experience overseeing collections performance through country or departmental managers, ensuring accountability for operational results.

• Experience developing and implementing collections strategies, performance targets, and operational improvements across teams or markets.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong knowledge of: Consumer credit collections, debt recovery strategies, late-stage collections, legal proceedings, enforcement processes, and recovery of small unsecured balances.

• Knowledge of Panamanian debt recovery law: Understanding of the legal processes for recovering unsecured consumer loans through courts, including the commercial viability of pursuing legal claims.

• Operational development: Ability to establish a collections operation from the ground up, including team structures, staffing, processes, and external service provider arrangements.

• Collections strategy and execution: Ability to develop group-wide recovery strategies, translate objectives into weekly targets, and ensure consistent execution across markets.

• Data analysis and performance management: Strong analytical skills to interpret portfolio and team performance data, identify recovery gaps, evaluate recovery costs, and test operational improvements before wider implementation.

• Financial and recovery analysis: Ability to evaluate recovery effectiveness based on amounts recovered, associated costs, and the financial viability of different recovery channels.

• Leadership and people management: Proven ability to develop, guide, and hold country Collections Managers accountable for results while enabling them to manage their respective operations independently.

• Legal recovery management: Ability to oversee attorneys, bailiffs, and collection agencies, evaluate their costs and effectiveness, and optimize recovery timelines.

• Operational standardization: Ability to establish consistent collections procedures, KPI definitions, reporting standards, staffing frameworks, and incentive structures across multiple markets.

• Strategic collaboration: Ability to work closely with Credit to identify problematic customer segments, loan products, lending limits, and repayment terms, providing recommendations to improve lending decisions and recovery outcomes.

• Communication and stakeholder management: Excellent communication skills to collaborate with the executive team, country Collections Managers, Customer Service, Sales, Operations Support, Finance, Legal and Compliance, Technology and Data teams, and external recovery providers.

• Language proficiency: Fluency in both Spanish and English.

• Travel requirements: Must be based in Panama and available to travel to Belize and Barbados every quarter, spending approximately one week on-site in each country.

Type of Traits

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability, with a hands-on approach to building and managing collections operations.

• Builder's mindset, with the ability to establish new operations, develop teams, and implement effective recovery processes from the ground up.

• Results-driven and performance-focused, with a strong commitment to meeting recovery targets and managing associated costs.

• Data-driven decision-maker who relies on portfolio analysis, operational metrics, and measurable outcomes to guide strategies and improvements.

• Strong execution discipline, with the ability to translate agreed strategies into actionable plans and ensure consistent follow-through.

• Collaborative leader who develops country Collections Managers, establishes clear expectations, and holds teams accountable without taking over their responsibilities.

• Strategic thinker who works closely with country teams to develop practical solutions while maintaining consistent standards and accountability.

• Decisive and commercially minded, with the ability to evaluate recovery options, make sound financial decisions, and prioritize actions based on results.

• Adaptable and resourceful, capable of managing a newly established operation while overseeing existing teams across multiple countries.

• Detail-oriented and organized, with strong planning, performance management, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Culturally aware and effective at leading and collaborating with teams across international markets.

Additional Information

Quickstop is committed to offering competitive, fair, and commensurate compensation based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and education