Credit & Collections Manager

Responsibilities

• Lead daily collection activities and drive efforts to improve cash flow and reduce past-due accounts.
• Personally manage key and high-risk customer accounts, conducting collection calls, sending correspondence, and negotiating payment resolutions.
• Develop and execute collection strategies based on account aging, payment trends, dispute activity, and customer risk profiles.
• Review customer payment behavior and proactively identify collection risks.
• Escalate delinquent accounts and recommend appropriate actions, including credit holds, payment plans, or third-party collections.
• Maintain productive customer relationships while ensuring accountability for timely payment.
• Monitor collection performance and implement process improvements to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Evaluate new customer credit applications and establish appropriate credit limits and payment terms.
• Conduct ongoing reviews of customer creditworthiness using financial information, payment history, trade references, and credit reporting tools.
• Monitor customer accounts for signs of deteriorating credit risk and recommend changes to credit exposure as needed.
• Partner with Sales and Finance to balance business growth objectives with prudent credit risk management; assisting Sales Reps with setting terms and conditions with customers.
• Maintain and enforce company credit policies and procedures.
• Manage customer deductions, rebates, credits, and pricing claims to ensure timely review and resolution.
• Investigate disputed invoices and payment shortfalls by coordinating with Sales, Customer Service, and Accounting.
• Reconcile rebate programs, promotional allowances, and customer credits to ensure accuracy and compliance with company policies.
• Ensure all deductions and credits are properly documented, approved, and resolved promptly.
• Identify recurring causes of disputes and deductions and recommend corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.
• Review aging reports and prioritize collection activity to maximize cash recovery.
• Monitor account balances and resolve payment discrepancies impacting collections.
• Partner with internal teams to address invoice, billing, pricing, shipping, or documentation issues that delay payment.
• Support resolution of unapplied cash and customer payment discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate customer account records and collection notes.
• Manage, supervise, coach, and develop Collections team members as assigned.
• Establish collection goals, monitor performance metrics, and drive accountability.
• Share best practices for customer communication, negotiation, and dispute resolution.
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused collections culture.
• Monitor and report key collections metrics including DSO (day sales outstanding), aging performance, past-due balances, dispute resolution, and collection effectiveness.
• Analyze collection trends and recommend actions to improve cash flow and reduce risk exposure.
• Maintain reporting related to customer credit limits, credit risk, and collection activities.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and internal controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in credit and collections, commercial collections, or accounts receivable management.
• Strong experience evaluating customer creditworthiness, establishing credit limits, and managing credit risk.
• Experience negotiating payment plans and resolving delinquent accounts.
• Experience managing customer deductions, rebates, chargebacks, credits, and dispute resolution.
• Prior management, supervisory or team lead experience preferred.
• Experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or industrial environment preferred.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems, Microsoft Excel, and credit reporting tools.
• Strong understanding of commercial credit practices, collection techniques, and aging analysis.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and customer relationship management skills.
• Ability to influence customers and internal stakeholders to drive timely resolution of payment issues.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Able to work independently while managing multiple priorities and leading others.