Job Description
Company Description
Wave Community Bank is a not-for-profit savings and loans cooperative that has been serving the communities of East Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Kent, and Medway since August 2000. Our mission is to offer high-quality, sustainable, and accessible financial services while combating poverty and financial exclusion. We collaborate with local communities and organizations to address issues affecting health, education, employment, and homelessness. We promote economic regeneration by encouraging savings, responsible borrowing, and offering flexible loans. Profits are redistributed to our members, aligning with cooperative principles, and invested to further develop the Community Bank.
Salary £26k p/a
Role Description
This is a full-time role that covers 2 main functions of Loan Support & Membership Services. You will be on-site located in our Hove office.
Loan Support - You will be responsible for assisting with improving the results of the loan support process. You will contact and deal with members who have fallen behind or who show signs of falling behind with their loan repayments - this will be by telephone, email, letter or face to face conversations. You will help assess affordability and negotiate on payment plans.
Membership Services - You will ensure interactions via all channels (email, online, phone & face to face) are dealt with in a professional and timely manner so that members, potential members and stakeholders have a positive experience with WCB. You will process transactions with accuracy on member’s accounts whilst ensuring WCB's policies & procedures are followed and regulatory/legislation requirements are adhered to.
Responsibilities Loan Support
* Interview members using sensitive listening and questioning skills in order to allow members to explain their problem(s) and enable them to continue to repay their liability to the credit union.
* Check all accounts that are in arrears and follow up as required, diarising next action and checking arrangements are kept to.
* Log all actions taken on default accounts onto system and diary.
* When required review original file / paperwork to assist in contacting the member for follow-up.
* Prepare monthly reporting on all accounts in arrears at the beginning of each month for presentation to management and directors as required.
* Review of all accounts in arrears, with the Collections Finance Coordinator to ensure appropriate and best action is being undertake to secure repayment
* Negotiate repayments via third party debt management companies and free advice centres.
* Review and follow up on loans that appear on the bad debt provision listing.
Responsibilities Membership Services
* Processing transactions & recording transaction requests
* Dealing with enquiries via telephone, face to face, email & online
* Processing updates of personal information & requesting supporting documentation
* Processing password reset requests for members online accounts that require manual verification
* Following up on actions so members only need to 'tell us once'
* Process paperwork relating to referrals to a Deposit Guarantee Scheme
* Process membership applications and ensure documents meet KYC requirements and AML procedures are followed.
* Annual processing of dormant accounts
* Set up/amend direct debits
* Open new accounts
* Investigate queries with transactions on accounts
General
* The post holder will undertake such other duties as may be reasonably required and will be expected to work effectively with others in order to make a positive contribution to the work of the organisation.
* Abide by Data Protection Policy and training to ensure members data is secure.
* Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.
* The post holder will be expected to keep under review his/her own training needs and attend training or other developmental activities from time to time as appropriate.
* The organisation is committed to achieving equality of opportunities in both services to the community and in the employment of people. The post holder is expected to understand and promote this and all other policies of the organisation.
Confidentiality
As an employee of this organisation you may gain privileged knowledge of a highly confidential nature relating to private affairs and information affecting members of the public, personal matters concerning staff, commercial confidences of third parties. Such information should not be divulged or passed to any unauthorised person or persons, this must be adhered to with particular regard to the responsibilities of individuals and the Trust under appropriate legislation, notably the Data Protection Act. Failure to comply with this requirement may constitute gross misconduct under the organisation’s Disciplinary Policy which may lead to summary dismissal.
Personnel Checks
A credit check will also be carried out prior to start date.
Qualifications
Education & Experience Requirement - Essential
* 4 GCSE’s including English and Mathematics (or equivalent)
* Credit Control qualifications, training or experience
* Able to check and understand financial data
Education & Experience Requirement - Desirable
* Experience of working in the banking or finance sectors.
* Understanding of Credit Unions or the banking/lending sector.
Knowledge and Skills - Essential
* Competent in the use of computer software packages including Microsoft Word, databases, Excel and email /internet packages.
* Experience of credit control systems/ procedures
* Excellent communication skills to work with members to negotiate on loan payments
* Literacy to the level to be able to draft general correspondence, procedures and reports
* Ability to work to targets
* Ability to work to deadlines and manage own and others’ workload
* Methodical approach to work and attention to detail
Knowledge and Skills - Desirable
Ability to quickly learn new computer systems
Disposition/Attitude Commitment to Customer Service and Equal Opportunities
* Confident on the phone
* Self-motivated, resilient worker and able to work as a member of a team
* Smart appearance