Director of Credit and Collections

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the corporate credit and collections function, ensuring consistent execution across multiple business units and operating locations.
• Develop, implement, and continuously enhance credit policies, procedures, internal controls, and customer onboarding processes to strengthen governance and support scalable growth.
• Evaluate customer creditworthiness through financial statement analysis, commercial credit reports, trade references, payment history, and other risk assessment tools to establish appropriate credit limits and payment terms.
• Lead enterprise collections activities by proactively managing accounts receivable aging, reducing delinquency, minimizing bad debt exposure, and improving cash conversion.
• Partner closely with Finance and Treasury to support working capital initiatives through payment forecasting, credit risk analysis, and collection strategies.
• Manage the organization's credit insurance programs, including policy administration, insured credit limits, claims coordination, and carrier compliance.
• Oversee customer onboarding and credit automation initiatives, including digital credit applications, approval workflows, bureau integrations, and ongoing customer monitoring.
• Lead, mentor, and develop credit and collections teams across a decentralized organization, providing coaching, performance management, and operational guidance to both direct and indirect team members.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, Operations, and Finance to resolve credit-related issues while balancing risk management with exceptional customer service.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of customer credit data, payment terms, credit holds, and reporting across multiple ERP and financial systems.
• Cook up legal collections, bankruptcy proceedings, and third-party recovery efforts in partnership with internal stakeholders and external legal counsel.
• Establish, monitor, and communicate key performance metrics, including DSO, aging trends, collection effectiveness, bad debt exposure, credit risk, and working capital performance.
• Support internal and external audits while ensuring compliance with corporate policies, regulatory requirements, financing agreements, and accounts receivable securitization obligations.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, leverage technology, strengthen internal controls, and improve operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in commercial credit, collections, or accounts receivable management within a manufacturing, distribution, industrial, or B2B environment.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise credit and collections operations across multi-site or decentralized organizations.
• Strong expertise in commercial credit analysis, financial statement review, customer risk assessment, and working capital optimization.
• Proven experience designing and implementing credit policies, governance frameworks, internal controls, and customer onboarding processes.
• Solid understanding of credit insurance programs, collection strategies, bankruptcy procedures, lien rights, and creditor protection practices.
• Experience supporting accounts receivable securitization reporting, documentation, and compliance requirements.
• Hands-on experience with ERP platforms and credit management technologies; experience with Bectran or similar credit automation solutions is highly preferred.
• Ability to analyze and interpret commercial credit reports from providers such as Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, Creditsafe, and similar business credit agencies.
• Strong leadership capabilities with experience developing high-performing teams and partnering effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience using data analytics to develop KPIs, identify trends, and support executive decision-making.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, lead organizational change, and drive process improvements in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.