Head of Student Collections

ABOUT US

HyperionDev is one of the largest providers of accelerated tech education in EMEA, the largest such provider in Southern Africa, and one of the oldest providers of 'coding bootcamps' in the world. We work with top universities such as Imperial College London, The London School of Economics, The University of Edinburgh, and Stellenbosch University to deliver structured technical courses and bootcamps that accelerate people into fulfilling tech careers. We have been recognised as one of the top education technology scaleups in the world and gained the financial backing of Meta (previously Facebook) which recognised us as  the most socially impactful startup operating in Africa, where we initially started our work.

We are dedicated to closing the global tech skills gap and we achieve this by integrating tech education with human mentorship and expert code review powered by a workforce in Southern Africa, which lowers the cost of an accessible education in technology. This model has been successful, allowing us to reach millions of learners a year from over 60 countries. We have also partnered with government bodies such as the UK's Department for Education who provide scholarships for students to study on our bootcamps and gain employment at companies such as AstraZeneca and the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS).

We're backed by nearly 2000 investors, having raised the largest crowdfunding round of funding for an edtech company in history. As a primarily bootstrapped, profitable, and scale up tech business join us as we play our part in making the world a more stable, safer, and fair place.  

ABOUT THE ROLE 

Reporting to the VP of Revenue the Head of Student Collections will form part of the revenue leadership team. The role will see you work as both a player and a coach focused on optimising revenue recovery while maintaining positive student relationships. This is an opportunity to shape and build a team, with the potential to grow quickly as the department expands. This role requires someone who can balance commercial objectives with the empathetic student-first approach that defines our mission to make tech education accessible. You will develop and execute comprehensive collections strategies across our global markets (UK, US, South Africa). As HyperionDev continues to scale as one of the largest providers of accelerated tech education in the world, this role is critical to maintaining healthy cash flow while supporting students through financial challenges. You will work collaboratively across Revenue, Legal, Student Support, and Education Operations teams to create innovative solutions that help students succeed while protecting the company's financial interests.

As well as experience in debt collections and finance, we are looking for someone with experience in building and leading successful business development teams in a high-growth, high-performance workplace.

RESPONSIBILITIES

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Lead and develop a high-performing collections team of specialists and consultants across multiple time zones and jurisdictions.

• Design and implement comprehensive collections strategies that optimise recovery rates while preserving student relationships and brand reputation

• Set clear performance objectives and KPIs for the collections team, including overall collections revenue targets, recovery rates, and customer satisfaction metrics

• Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and performance management to direct reports, fostering professional development and career progression

• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Admissions, Student Success, Legal, and Finance teams to create holistic student support solutions.

OPERATIONS AND PROCESS EXCELLENCE

• Oversee end-to-end collections processes from initial payment reminders through to debt recovery and write-off procedures

• Manage relationships with external collection agencies and financing partners, ensuring alignment with company policies and student-centric approach

• Implement technology solutions and automation to improve efficiency while maintaining personal touch in student communications

• Create comprehensive reporting frameworks providing insights into payment behaviors, collection effectiveness, and revenue forecasting

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS

• Develop accurate revenue forecasts for installment payments and collection recovery across all student cohorts

• Analyse payment patterns and student behaviour data to identify trends and optimise collection strategies

• Prepare comprehensive management reports on collections performance, recovery rates, and financial impact for senior leadership

• Contribute to budgeting and financial planning processes related to student financing and revenue recognition

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum

• Minimum 5+ years of collections or debt recovery management experience, preferably in education, fintech, or financial services
• Minimum 3+ years of team leadership experience managing collections specialists or similar customer-facing teams
• Proven track record of achieving collection targets and improving recovery rates while maintaining customer satisfaction
• Experience with student financing products, including instalment plans, and third-party lending partnerships
• Extremely strong business acumen
• Highly skilled at strategic analysis, problem-solving, negotiation and conflict resolution
• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Undergraduate degree in business, management, law or a relevant field

Preferred 

• Experience in education technology or online learning environments
• Background working with bootcamp or alternative education models
• Experience with international collections and cross-border payment processing
• Prior experience in a high-growth, tech-focused environment

BENEFITS

Equity: As a leadership role within the company, you may be eligible for direct ownership in the business through our stock option scheme.  The company has been approached for acquisition by a number of billion dollar leaders in the tech education space, is backed by investors from the US, UK and South Africa, and we want you to directly share in the success of the business.

Flexible & remote working: We are a remote-friendly organisation and offer flexible work options.

Bootcamp: We offer our employees the opportunity to enrol part-time in our Coding Bootcamps.

Annual leave, life cover and medical benefits: We provide 19 annual leave days as part of our leave policy along with two half-days that can be taken at your discretion. We also provide health insurance/medical aid contributions and group life cover for our team.

Join the heart of tech in Africa, the US, and Europe: You'll work with the best of the best in edtech and developer education. Join one of the most ambitious and highest performing tech companies in the space, with a founding team that draws their former experience from companies such as Google, Amazon, GetSmarter/2U, and Yoco. 

Life-changing work: Solve real problems that make education and tech careers accessible to those who need it most: you're allowed to brag about it.

OUR VALUES

We're a people-forward company with a purpose that underlines everything we do. We're obsessed with the potential in people and challenge them to do their best work. We embrace a culture of growth and learning to deliver on our vision and ours is a relentless quest for improvement.