Credit and Collections Manager

CBSL Transportation•Chicago, IL

2h•Onsite

About The Position

CBSL Transportation Service, Inc. is seeking a highly capable and hands-on Credit & Collections Manager to lead and modernize the company's credit, collections, and accounts receivable follow-up processes. This role is responsible for improving cash flow, reducing DSO, strengthening credit controls, driving collection accountability, and creating a more disciplined, efficient, and technology-enabled collections function. The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of improving DSO, reducing aged receivables, resolving collection bottlenecks, strengthening customer credit controls, and implementing practical process improvements. This position requires strong leadership, professional customer communication, analytical thinking, system discipline, and the ability to partner with Billing, Operations, Sales, Accounting, and executive leadership to address the root causes of collection delays. A key priority for this role will be modernizing the current collections process by leveraging available technology, automation, reporting dashboards, collection tools, and customer communication enhancements to improve follow-up consistency, reduce manual work, accelerate dispute resolution, and improve overall AR performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and progressive credit, collections, accounts receivable, or financial operations experience may be considered.
Minimum of 5-7 years of credit, collections, accounts receivable, or customer account management experience preferred.
Proven track record of improving DSO, reducing aged receivables, strengthening credit controls, resolving collection bottlenecks, and implementing process improvements within the credit and collection’s function.
Experience managing AR aging, credit holds, customer disputes, payment terms, credit limits, collection escalation, customer account setup, and cash application coordination.
Experience identifying and implementing process improvements, automation opportunities, reporting tools, or technology solutions within credit, collections, accounts receivable, or financial operations.
Strong Excel, Outlook, reporting, analytical, and written communication skills required.
Experience with ERP/ accounting systems; Sage Intacct, Lockstep, customer portals, or transportation/logistics systems preferred.
Able to work independently, lead meetings, follow through on action items, meet reporting deadlines, and collaborate across departments.

Responsibilities

Oversee the customer credit review and approval process, including credit applications, credit checks, customer questionnaires, W-9 documentation, tax exemption certificates, vendor forms, billing requirements, and required customer setup documentation.
Review customer credit information, payment history, credit reports, credit risk indicators, and account status before recommending or approving customer credit terms and limits.
Maintain and enforce credit policies, including credit limits, payment terms, credit holds, watch lists, credit terminations, inactive account reviews, and account risk monitoring.
Conduct periodic and annual credit reviews to determine whether credit limits, terms, or account status should be adjusted based on payment trends, aging history, customer activity, and risk exposure.
Partner with Sales, Billing, Operations, Accounting, and leadership to ensure credit risks, billing requirements, customer requirements, and account issues are clearly communicated and properly documented.
Oversee customer account setup and maintenance in CBSL systems.
Ensure customer master data is accurate and complete, including billing addresses, contacts, email distribution lists, payment terms, credit status, portal requirements, billing requirements, and supporting documentation.
Lead the collections process to ensure timely payment, reduce delinquency, improve cash flow, and minimize outstanding past-due balances.
Proactively manage AR aging, customer follow-up, payment commitments, short payments, disputes, deductions, unapplied cash issues, and high-risk accounts.
Drive measurable improvement in DSO, with a goal of returning DSO to below 45 days and maintaining disciplined collection performance.
Contact customers regarding overdue invoices, missing documentation, rejected invoices, portal issues, payment status, remittance details, and payment commitments in a professional and solution-focused manner.
Escalate high-risk accounts, severely past-due balances, non-responsive customers, recurring disputes, potential credit holds, and write-off concerns to executive leadership timely.
Lead weekly collections meetings, prepare aging reports, identify priority accounts, document action items, capture executive comments, and ensure same-week follow-up on assigned directives.
Coordinate with Billing and Operations to resolve invoice delays caused by missing purchase orders, incorrect rates, missing backup documentation, proof of delivery, BOLs, tickets, customer portals, or other customer-specific billing requirements.
Maintain complete, accurate, and timely collection notes, customer communication history, dispute status, payment promises, follow-up dates, and action items in Lockstep or any future designated system.
Lead the modernization of the credit and collections process by evaluating and implementing available technology, automation, reporting dashboards, workflow improvements, customer communication enhancements, and system functionality.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual work, improve follow-up consistency, automate repetitive collection activities, improve customer statement processes, enhance portal tracking, and strengthen collection accountability.
Use collection data, aging trends, customer payment behavior, dispute root causes, and reporting tools to identify bottlenecks and recommend process improvements.
Develop or improve reporting and dashboards that give management visibility into DSO, aging, collection progress, disputed invoices, credit holds, customer risk, payment commitments, and collection team performance.
Prepare and review weekly aging reports, monthly DSO analysis, collection performance updates, customer risk trends, and other AR-related reports requested by management.
Track and analyze collection performance, customer payment behavior, recurring disputes, billing delays, and process gaps.
Provide clear status updates to executive leadership regarding major collection issues, high-risk accounts, action plans, and progress toward AR performance goals.
Ensure the department maintains professional communication, confidentiality, accurate documentation, and compliance with company policies and internal control expectations.