Operational Controls Manager

Department: Debt Recovery

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Derby, UK

Description

We are seeking an Operational Controls Manager to lead the first-line Operational Controls and Quality Assurance function across Debt Services and FSR Litigation, ensuring controls, quality standards, client requirements, governance obligations, risk management processes and customer outcome expectations are designed, embedded, monitored and evidenced. The role operates independently from the operational management structure, while remaining part of the first-line control environment.

The role is full time, permanent and reports to the Head of Debt Servcies.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Function Management

• Lead, manage and develop the Quality Assurance and Operational Controls function, setting clear objectives, workloads and standards.
• Ensure audits, control reviews, attestations, feedback and reporting are accurate, consistent, timely and evidence-based.
• Coach and develop team members through regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, calibration and learning activity.
• Maintain constructive working relationships with Operational Managers, Team Leaders, Compliance, Technology and other stakeholders while preserving objective oversight.

Operational Controls and Attestations

• Own, maintain and continually develop the Debt Services Operational Controls Framework.
• Oversee the operation of departmental controls and attestations, ensuring completion is timely, accurate and supported by appropriate evidence.
• Maintain a controls calendar covering management checks, quality reviews, client-specific requirements, attestation cycles, risk reviews and escalation points.
• Challenge incomplete or unsupported control evidence and escalate recurring failures, overdue actions or emerging risks to the Head of Debt Services.
• Support the development of new controls where client requirements, process changes, technology or risk profile require additional assurance.

Quality Governance and First-Line Oversight

• Own the Debt Services Quality Assurance Framework, including QA methodology, scorecards, review standards and reporting outputs.
• Ensure QA activity covers files, calls, colleague performance, client requirements, complaints, risk themes and customer outcomes.
• Provide objective first-line oversight and constructive challenge while operating independently from the operational management reporting structure.
• Produce regular dashboards, thematic reviews and recommendations for the Head of Debt Services, Operational Managers and senior stakeholders.
• Ensure findings are converted into clear action plans with owners, target dates, evidence requirements and follow-up validation.

Relationship with Operational Managers and Action Tracking

• Work with Operational Managers as peer stakeholders, providing insight, analysis and recommendations to support operational decision-making.
• Support Operational Managers and Team Leaders in implementing remedial actions arising from QA, controls, complaints, client feedback and thematic reviews.
• Track agreed actions, validate whether actions have delivered the intended outcome and escalate ineffective or recurring issues.
• Ensure the role supports operational improvement without assuming line management responsibility for Operational Managers, Team Leaders or fee earners.

Client Assurance and Outcome-Based Quality

• Maintain oversight of client-specific quality, control and assurance requirements across Debt Services and FSR Litigation.
• Coordinate client quality governance, assurance reporting, audit responses, control reviews and client-specific action plans.
• Support client calibration sessions and ensure customer outcome expectations are reflected in QA activity.
• Assess not only process compliance but also customer engagement, tone, accuracy, vulnerability identification, complaint prevention, escalation handling and fairness of outcomes.

Risk Management, Governance and Capacity

• Maintain a QA and Operational Controls risk register capturing key themes, emerging risks, control weaknesses, recurring issues and material exceptions.
• Provide risk-based reporting focused on operational, client, customer, conduct and control risks.
• Forecast QA volumes, control testing requirements, attestation cycles, client obligations, calibration activity and ad hoc assurance requirements.
• Identify resource gaps, skills gaps or capacity constraints and recommend prioritisation, coverage and future capability requirements.

Calibration and Consistency

• Lead internal calibration across QA colleagues to ensure consistent scoring, feedback, evidence standards and interpretation of quality requirements.
• Facilitate calibration with Team Leaders and Operational Managers and support client calibration where required.
• Maintain documented calibration outputs, learning points and agreed changes to QA standards.
• Use calibration findings to inform training, coaching, guidance notes, control enhancements and QA methodology updates.

Operational Intelligence, 100% AI-Enabled QA and Colleague Enablement

• Lead the development of technology-enabled quality assurance, operational intelligence and controls capability across Debt Services and FSR Litigation.
• Act as the business owner for AI-enabled quality assurance, automated monitoring and operational intelligence solutions.
• Design the roadmap for moving from traditional sample-based QA to risk-based, exception-led and 100% AI-enabled interaction monitoring.
• Define quality criteria, control measures, risk indicators, customer outcome measures, escalation thresholds and exception rules used within automated monitoring.
• Establish governance, validation, calibration and human oversight processes to ensure AI-generated QA outputs are accurate, reliable, explainable, evidence-based and aligned to client and business requirements.
• Design the exception-based human review model for higher-risk interactions, vulnerable customer indicators, complaint triggers, customer outcome concerns and operational control breaches.
• Use automated monitoring and analytics to identify conduct risks, customer outcome risks, vulnerabilities, quality failures, process deviations, training needs, coaching opportunities and emerging operational risks.
• Provide feedback into the design, testing and optimisation of AI-powered colleague assistance, including guidance, prompts, recommended actions, workflow support and knowledge resources.
• Monitor whether AI-assisted colleague support improves quality scores, complaint reduction, vulnerability management, operational efficiency, client compliance, customer outcomes and colleague capability.
• Ensure AI-supported guidance and monitoring tools enhance human judgement, coaching and operational decision-making rather than replacing professional accountability

FSR Litigation, FCA Regulation and Consumer Duty

• Support the operational control, QA and governance requirements of FSR Litigation, ensuring relevant regulatory, client and business requirements are monitored and evidenced.
• Maintain a working knowledge of FCA expectations, Consumer Duty and applicable regulatory obligations relevant to FSR Litigation.
• Ensure QA activity within FCA-regulated workstreams considers procedural compliance, customer support, vulnerability, affordability where applicable, complaint handling, foreseeable harm and fair customer outcomes.
• Provide reporting and thematic insight on FCA-related trends, conduct risks and Consumer Duty matters where relevant, escalating concerns through established governance processes.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience managing QA, Operational Controls, Risk, Compliance Monitoring, Audit, Governance or Quality Control in debt services, legal services, financial services or another regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of debt services processes, client expectations, operational controls and QA methodologies.
• Experience designing or overseeing control frameworks, attestations, management checks or assurance programmes.
• Strong analytical, reporting, stakeholder management, coaching and constructive challenge skills.
• Ability to interpret operational data, quality findings, AI-enabled monitoring outputs and control outcomes.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Benefits

What we offer?

• Competitive salary
• Bonus potential
• Life insurance
• Great working environment at our Derby head offices
• Car parking is provided by the firm
• Career development opportunities
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Options to buy & sell 1 week's holiday
• 1 week's holiday carry over
• Extra day off for your birthday
• Staff card discount scheme for local shops
• Social days and evenings on the firm
• Staff discounts on legal services