Join the WilSon Energy Team as a Residential Credit Controller & Debt Recovery Officer

Take the next step in your career with WilSon Energy Limited – one of the UK’s leading providers of fully integrated Heating, Metering and Billing Services.

The Opportunity

WilSon Energy is seeking a Residential Credit Controller & Debt Recovery Officer to manage customer arrears across our residential metering and billing portfolio.

The successful candidate will be responsible for proactively contacting customers with outstanding balances, understanding the reasons for non-payment and working with customers to achieve appropriate and sustainable payment solutions.

The role requires a professional, confident and empathetic approach. While achieving effective debt recovery is an important objective, particular emphasis will be placed on treating customers fairly, recognising vulnerability and financial difficulty, and delivering positive customer outcomes.

The role will predominantly involve residential customers receiving heating, hot water and other utility services through communal or heat network arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage an allocated portfolio of residential customer accounts with outstanding balances and arrears.
• Proactively contact customers by telephone, email, letter and other approved communication channels.
• Investigate outstanding balances and establish the reason for non-payment.
• Agree realistic and sustainable repayment arrangements within agreed company and client parameters.
• Monitor payment arrangements and follow up promptly where payments are missed.
• Undertake structured multi-stage debt recovery activity for both current and historic arrears.
• Maintain accurate records of all customer communications, promises to pay, payment arrangements and recovery actions.
• Identify customers experiencing financial difficulty and ensure the appropriate support processes are followed.
• Recognise and appropriately manage customers in vulnerable circumstances, including customers recorded on or eligible for the Priority Services Register (PSR).
• Signpost customers to appropriate independent debt, energy and financial-support organisations where required.
• Consider affordability and individual customer circumstances when discussing repayment arrangements.
• Escalate accounts appropriately where reasonable attempts to secure payment have been unsuccessful.
• Liaise with clients, housing providers, managing agents and internal departments where necessary to resolve account queries or disputed balances.
• Handle customer information confidentially and in accordance with GDPR and WilSon Energy’s data-protection requirements.
• Follow company complaints and escalation procedures and ensure dissatisfied customers are treated fairly and professionally.
• Work towards agreed collection, arrears-reduction and customer-service KPIs without compromising appropriate customer outcomes.
• Undertake other reasonable duties associated with residential credit control, billing and debt management.

Regulatory & Customer Responsibilities

The role operates within WilSon Energy’s regulated heat-network billing environment. The successful candidate will therefore be expected to follow the company’s procedures relating to Ofgem heat-network consumer protection requirements, vulnerability, affordability, debt management, complaints and customer communications, together with applicable Heat Trust standards.

Training will be provided where required, but the postholder must demonstrate a strong commitment to treating customers fairly and recognising that customers experiencing payment difficulty may require additional support.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Previous experience is not necessary as full training will be provided.
• Confident telephone manner with the ability to conduct sometimes difficult conversations professionally.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Ability to remain calm and professional when dealing with challenging or distressed customers.
• Good numerical skills and ability to understand account balances and payment histories.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage and prioritise a portfolio of accounts.
• Accurate record keeping and good attention to detail.
• Competent IT skills and confidence using customer/account management systems.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a wider billing and customer-service team.

Desirable

Experience within utilities, energy, heat networks, housing, property management or residential services would be advantageous, as would previous experience of vulnerable-customer processes, payment plans, affordability discussions, regulated collections or working with housing associations and managing agents.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for somebody who is:

• Confident and persistent without being confrontational.
• Empathetic and able to adapt their communication style to individual customers.
• Commercially aware while remaining customer-focused.
• Comfortable discussing money and outstanding debt.
• A good listener who can identify the underlying cause of non-payment.
• Solutions-focused and able to negotiate practical outcomes.
• Resilient when dealing with difficult conversations.
• Reliable, organised and accountable for their own workload.
• Able to exercise judgement and recognise when an account requires escalation or additional support.

Key Measures of Performance

Performance would be assessed through a balanced range of measures, including reduction in aged debt, collection levels, successful repayment arrangements, adherence to agreed recovery processes, accuracy of customer records, resolution of account queries, customer-service standards, appropriate treatment of vulnerable customers and regulatory compliance.

Package and benefits:

• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: £26-28K + phone + laptop
• Office based from Newark on Trent HQ
• Full training provided

Please send your CV and covering letter to Andy@wilsonenergy.co.uk.