Collections Specialist

BlueJack Fire Acquisition, Inc.•Union City, CA

5d•$35 - $39

About The Position

The Accounts Receivable and Collection Specialist manages a high-volume portfolio of customer accounts, focusing on timely collections, account resolution, cash application, and reducing aged accounts receivable. The role involves communicating with customers, resolving payment issues, accurately posting payments, and maintaining complete account records. The specialist prioritizes substantial volumes of accounts and invoices while working toward collection, cash-receipt, productivity, and aging-reduction goals. The position also handles cash application, including researching unapplied, unidentified, or misapplied payments; reviewing remittance information; posting payments in SAGE Intacct or another applicable accounting system; resolving payment discrepancies; and maintaining accurate documentation. A key focus is researching and resolving older receivables, developing action plans for severely aged accounts, and collaborating with internal departments to address billing and account issues. Success is measured by improved collections, reduced aged receivables, accurate account records, and contributions to cash flow and Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) performance.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of experience in accounts receivable and commercial collections, preferably in a high-volume B2B environment.
Experience managing aging reports, large customer portfolios, and outstanding invoice balances.
Working knowledge of accounts receivable processes, commercial collection practices, and account reconciliation.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to prioritize competing demands and meet deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate account documentation.
Ability to research discrepancies, resolve payment issues, and handle difficult customer conversations professionally.
Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with internal teams.
Ability to manage a high volume of accounts and competing collection priorities.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field.
Experience in service, maintenance, facilities, or construction-related industries.
Experience with SAGE Intacct or a comparable ERP or accounting system.

Responsibilities

Manage a high-volume portfolio of customer accounts and pursue outstanding balances.
Contact customers by phone, email, and other appropriate methods to collect past-due invoices and follow up on payment commitments.
Review accounts to identify overdue invoices, disputes, unapplied cash, credits, and other payment obstacles.
Research and resolve account discrepancies with customers and internal departments; reconcile accounts and ensure transactions are accurately recorded and applied.
Obtain documentation or information needed to resolve customer disputes and facilitate payment.
Identify accounts requiring escalation and communicate issues to appropriate departments or management.
Maintain accurate collection notes documenting contacts, commitments, disputes, arrangements, and resolution efforts.
Follow established collection procedures, including applicable escalation and credit-hold requirements.
Review aging reports and prioritize high-risk and severely aged accounts; research historical balances and determine appropriate next steps.
Collaborate with Billing, Customer Service, Operations, Sales, Cash Applications, Accounting, and other departments to resolve collection issues.
Provide updates on collection activity, aging trends, customer issues, and expected cash receipts.
Meet collection, cash-receipt, productivity, and aging-reduction goals while maintaining confidentiality of customer and company financial information.
Research and identify unapplied, unidentified, and misapplied customer payments; review remittance information and account activity to determine appropriate payment application.
Enter and post payments into SAGE Intacct or the applicable accounting system, verifying payment amounts, remittance details, and account information.
Obtain missing remittance information from customers and resolve short pays, deductions, credits, fees, credit balances, and other payment discrepancies.
Correct payment application errors and follow established cash-application controls and approval procedures.
Ensure collection efforts reflect accurate account balances and do not target invoices already paid but not yet applied.
Manage a large daily collection workload, prioritize accounts by age, balance, risk, and likelihood of payment, and track commitments and issues through resolution.
Make a high volume of collection calls and send collection correspondence while maintaining professional customer relationships.
Review aged balances, research historical account activity, identify invalid, duplicate, disputed, or potentially uncollectible balances, and obtain payment commitments on valid balances.
Develop and execute action plans for severely aged accounts and identify accounts requiring credit holds, escalation, additional research, or potential write-off consideration.
Contribute to reducing aged accounts receivable and improving cash flow and DSO performance.
Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.