Team Leader- Credit Control Department at Reeds Africa Consult

Key Relationships:

Internal – All Credit Department staff, Directors, Line Managers

External – Company Debtors, business partners involved in debt collection

Nature and Purpose:

He/she will be accountable for delivering targeted performance for the Credit Control Department, by way of direct support, review and supervision of allocated team.

He/she will be charged with team leadership to ensure that team efforts are geared towards achievement of the department KPIs.

This post reports to Accounts Receivable Manager and direct reports to Credit Controllers.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive debt collection from key accounts portfolio allocated to you
• Monitor the internal cash tracker system to ensure prompt updates are done by the team on daily basis
• Facilitate recording of received cheque payments and advise Accountant for appropriate allocation
• Review and monitor the Credit Controllers’ performance on monthly basis or as regularly as maybe needed for performance to remain on track
• Offer necessary guidance and support to Credit Controllers to complement efforts towards meeting collection targets
• Handle all account escalation queries in line with internal escalation process
• Liaise as needed with contracted debt collectors and offer required guidance and monitoring
• Monitor accounts at legal escalation level alongside AR Manager for appropriate follow up and action
• Monitor all portfolio accounts to mitigate against debt roll over into longer debt categories, and ensure efforts are put to retain all debt under 0-180 category
• Monitor compliance with the dunning process and guide Credit Controllers accordingly
• Enforce credit policy and assure adherence to accepted standards
• Proactively drive improvements in business processes and procedures, e.g. invoicing, follow up, and query/dispute management
• Spearhead escalations and ensure prompt stop service on inactive accounts
• Improve company cash cycle and enhance cash conversion as per KPIs

Key Competencies

Service

1. Deliver Results

Demonstrable high performance behavior in Credit Control and Management

• Set challenging goals for self and others
• Seek feedback from others in order to plan performance improvement to achieve goals
• Energize others by exceeding set goals
• Develop clear and realistic targets and plans for self and others, to ensure optimum delivery of specific objectives
• Strive to overcome perceived obstacles
• Challenge established ways of doing things to achieve goals more effectively

2. Act Commercially

Ability to gather and make sense of large amounts of information and apply it to make business and customer focused decisions.

Ability to analyze problems thoroughly and make good and timely decisions includes but not limited to:

• Use trends and patterns in business data to develop business plans, actions or processes
• Research the competitive environment to identify opportunities and threats
• Use financial and business information to identify key activities that are linked to high performance
• Review the business processes and activities in order to seek improvement
• Make tough business decisions in light of customer and commercial requirements

Relationships

3. Manage Self

Ability to manage emotions to remain calm, focused, and optimistic while dealing with a constant stream of demands.

• Show awareness of both positive and negative impact on others and how this affects outcomes
• Adapt behavior to positively affect outcomes
• Express a belief to possess the capability to resolve challenging issues
• Ask for feedback from others and uses this to plan development
• Is resolute in sticking to decisions that are beneficial to the business, even if they are not popular

4. Coach and Develop

The encouragement of long term development of others to build capability.

Ability to provide structure and provide consistent feedback.

• Provide specific positive and balanced feedback for developmental purposes
• Give negative feedback focusing on behavior rather than personal terms
• Provide suggestions to others on how to tackle areas for development
• Use the information from the Performance Development Review to identify strengths and areas for development for others
• Celebrate success

Teamwork

5. Work with Others

Builds relationships and collaborates with others (e.g. customers, colleagues, partners & suppliers) to achieve our mission.

• Seek input and opinions from others to help make a specific decision
• Build and maintain positive relationships in the team by valuing others’ contribution and experience
• Demonstrate willingness to learn from others’ experience and contributions
• Work in partnership with others to achieve individual and team objectives
• Take initiative to resolve conflict through listening to all parties

6. Display Leadership:

The ability to inspire others to achieve business objectives whilst holding them accountable for high standards of performance.

Ability to make the team effective and hold individuals to account.

• Create an environment that enables the team to perform at its best (e.g. engaging others in the vision, providing appropriate structure, getting the right people, keeping up morale)
• Effectively delegate responsibility, providing support as required
• Demand high levels of performance, quality of service, and holds people to account by ensuring targets are met
• Must be recognized as the natural ‘go to’ person
• Develop relationships across the teams and inspires others to achieve results

Desired Qualifications / Experience

• At least a degree in a business field acquired from a reputable university.
  Professional diploma course in Credit Management (Certified Credit Professional K is preferred) CPA K will also be considered
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in credit management, debt collection, and business risk management gained from the service industry
• Good customer and negotiation skills
• Effective hands-on team supervisor able to lead a team of not less than 5 staff
• Result oriented, energetic go getter ready to face new challenges
• Ability to lead physical visitation of defaulting customers and ultimate conversion
• A good business understanding of the country.
• Good communication skills