Manager - AR Collections

What do you drive for us?

An ideal candidate will manage timely collections, minimize overdues, prevent bad debts, maintain budgeted DSO, and oversee MIS reports. They will also lead and optimize collections to improve receivables management, protect financial health, foster client relationships, and drive profitability.

What a typical day at work would look like?

• Drive overall overdue reduction by leading collection efforts, engaging business teams, conducting collection calls, proactively identifying risks, and improving collection efficiency.
• Ensure monthly collection targets align with projections.
• Manage overdue accounts to prevent exceeding 90 days at the organizational level.
• Mitigate bad debts through proactive measures and action plans for at-risk accounts.
• Resolve aged and stagnant accounts through legal interventions and direct client engagement.
• Strengthen relationships and address payment delays by conducting regular physical/virtual meetings with the top 100 accounts.
• Lead Collection Compass meetingsdaily within the team, weekly with Business Heads and Client Partners, and monthly with Leadership.
• Collaborate with Legal to minimize the risk of non-payment.
• Provide detailed monthly MIS reports to the Invoicing and ELM teams, outlining reasons for delayed collections.
• Enhance efficiency by automating the dunning process.
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to optimize cash flow, reduce DSO, and improve collection effectiveness.
• Lead a team in client outreach, payment negotiations, and dispute resolution.
• Work cross-functionally to streamline processes and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Provide mentorship, support, and training to empower team members for success.

Your Key Knowledge Areas shall be :-

• Expertise in assessing and mitigating credit risk.
• Skilled in strategic planning and daily/weekly micro-tracking of the collection process.
• Strong financial analysis capabilities, including cash flow forecasting and trend evaluation.
• Proven leadership and team management skills to motivate and enhance performance.
• In-depth knowledge of accounting principles and regulatory compliance.
• Experience in designing and implementing collection strategies to optimize revenue recovery.
• Proactive problem-solver with a results-oriented mindset and the ability to challenge existing practices.

What do you bring with you?

Education Qualifications : A bachelor's or postgraduate degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is preferred.

Experience : A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in credit and collections management or a related field, preferably in a corporate environment. Proven experience in leading teams, driving process improvements, and delivering measurable results is essential.

Proficiency in basic accounting principles, invoicing processes, collection accounting, and client reconciliations.

Strong communication skills, a solid understanding of statutory compliance related to GST, TDS, and labor laws, the ability to collaborate effectively, delight stakeholders and ability to communicate in multiple languages for better client and team interactions.

Your key strengths we look forward to:

• Strong leadership and team management skills, including goal setting, coaching, and fostering collaboration.
• Expertise in developing strategies to enhance client satisfaction and loyalty.
• Effective communication skills for setting expectations, providing feedback, and engaging with clients.
• Problem-solving abilities to address challenges and ensure seamless client interactions.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong client relationships, fostering trust and long-term engagement.
• Commitment to understanding and meeting client needs for a positive experience.
• Analytical skills to assess data, identify trends, and improve client engagement strategies.
• Excellent organizational abilities to manage multiple client interactions and priorities efficiently.

Who do you interact with regularly?

Internal Interactions

• Engage with invoicing, client partners, compliance, client operations, tax teams, business heads, CPHs, and leadership for seamless coordination.
• Collaborate with the finance team to align credit strategies with financial goals and reporting.
• Work with legal counsel to escalate and manage delinquent accounts when needed.
• Update executive leadership on receivables performance, strategic initiatives, and resource requirements.

External Interactions -

• Clients Engage with finance, HR, procurement, and compliance teams, along with their leadership, to ensure smooth payment processes.
• Credit reporting agencies to assess creditworthiness, manage risk, and escalate delinquent accounts when necessary.