Vice President - Collections Strategy

Role Overview

Vice President - Collections Strategy at RAK BANK, based in the United Arab Emirates. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for designing and executing the Bank's end-to-end collections strategy across Retail, SME, Business Banking, and Islamic Banking portfolios.

Role Purpose

Lead the transformation of RAK BANK's collections capability into a fully data-driven, digitally enabled, and AI-powered function. Own the design of collections strategies, segmentation models, treatment frameworks, and decisioning logic to drive measurable improvements in portfolio performance, customer outcomes, and loss reduction while maintaining regulatory compliance and fair customer treatment.

Key Responsibilities

Collections Strategy & Portfolio Performance

• Develop and execute the Bank's end-to-end collections strategy across Retail, SME, Business Banking, and Islamic portfolios.
• Design treatment strategies across the entire delinquency lifecycle, from early-stage collections through recoveries and legal escalation.
• Define customer segmentation approaches that optimize recovery outcomes while maintaining fair customer treatment.
• Drive measurable improvements in collections effectiveness, roll rates, cure rates, recoveries, and portfolio performance.
• Balance customer outcomes, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and profitability objectives.

Advanced Analytics, AI & Decision Science

• Lead the development and deployment of collections decision strategies using predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI-driven models.
• Leverage behavioural, transactional, demographic, and external data to improve collections effectiveness.
• Own collections decision trees, customer contact strategies, prioritization logic, and treatment design.
• Continuously challenge and enhance models based on outcomes, testing, and portfolio performance.
• Develop data-driven strategies that deliver better customer outcomes and lower loss rates.

Digital Collections Transformation

• Drive the evolution of digital collections channels including mobile, digital servicing, self-service journeys, automated outreach, and intelligent communications.
• Build customer-centric digital journeys that increase engagement and self-cure rates.
• Partner with Technology and Data teams to maximize value from the Bank's decision engine and collections technology platforms.
• Champion automation and digital-first collections strategies across the portfolio.

Credit Risk & Portfolio Feedback Loop

• Partner closely with Credit Risk, Credit Policy, and Underwriting teams to provide insights from collections performance.
• Identify emerging portfolio risks, underwriting opportunities, and segments requiring enhanced controls.
• Use collections data to influence future lending strategies and portfolio quality improvements.
• Support portfolio forecasting and credit performance analysis.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage external collection agencies, specialist vendors, analytics providers, and technology partners.
• Establish performance scorecards, service standards, governance frameworks, and commercial arrangements.
• Continuously evaluate vendor effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve recovery outcomes.
• Ensure outsourced activities align with customer conduct expectations and regulatory requirements.

Governance, Fairness & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with UAE regulatory requirements, consumer protection regulations, and internal governance standards.
• Partner with Compliance, Legal, and Islamic Banking governance teams to ensure appropriate treatment strategies.
• Maintain strong controls around customer fairness, conduct risk, and complaint management.
• Support regulatory reviews, audits, and board-level reporting requirements.

Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Present portfolio performance, strategic initiatives, and investment cases to senior management and executive committees.
• Deliver portfolio insights, business cases, and recommendations to ExCo and Risk Committees.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Data, and Customer Experience teams.
• Act as the strategic leader for collections optimization and transformation across the Bank.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Master's Degree, MBA, FRM, CFA, Data Science, Analytics, or Risk qualifications are highly desirable.
• 10+ years of experience within Collections Strategy, Credit Risk, Analytics, Portfolio Management, Decision Science, Recoveries, or Consumer Lending.
• Extensive experience developing collections strategies within retail lending and SME portfolios.
• Proven track record of using analytics and technology to improve collections performance and customer outcomes.
• Experience leading transformation initiatives in banking, financial services, fintech, or consumer finance environments.
• Deep understanding of collections strategy, customer segmentation, decision engines, and portfolio analytics.
• Experience across credit cards, personal loans, auto finance, mortgages, SME lending, and Islamic finance products.
• Strong exposure to predictive modelling, machine learning, strategy testing, and treatment optimisation.
• Knowledge of consumer protection regulations, customer conduct requirements, and collections governance.

Skills & Competencies

• Collections Strategy: Deep expertise in collections lifecycle design, recoveries, and customer treatment strategies.
• Analytics & Decision Science: Advanced understanding of predictive analytics, machine learning, segmentation, and strategy optimization.
• Digital Transformation: Experience deploying AI-enabled collections and digital servicing solutions.
• Retail & SME Lending: Strong understanding of consumer and business lending portfolios.
• Risk Management: Ability to balance portfolio performance, customer outcomes, and regulatory requirements.
• Commercial Acumen: Experience improving recoveries, reducing losses, and optimizing cost-to-collect.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to influence senior executives and lead cross-functional initiatives.
• Leadership: Strong capability to lead transformation programmes and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Additional Information

• Competitive, performance-linked compensation.
• Medical coverage for employee and family.
• Comprehensive life insurance.
• Opportunity to lead one of the UAE's most significant collections transformation programmes.
• Ownership of strategy across a diverse retail, SME, and Islamic banking portfolio.
• Exposure to advanced analytics, AI, and decision science initiatives.
• Senior leadership visibility and direct impact on portfolio performance and profitability.
• A collaborative, innovation-focused environment committed to continuous improvement.