Credit and Collections Specialist

Belle Aire Creations•Round Lake, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Belle Aire Creations is seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Credit & Collections Specialist to own the full lifecycle of customer credit, accounts receivable (AR), and collections. This role pairs disciplined organization—establishing accurate terms for new and existing customers—with an assertive, timely approach to resolving past-due balances. The ideal candidate moves credit decisions forward without prompting, follows a structured escalation cadence, and partners closely with the Account Executive team and leadership to protect the company’s cash position while preserving customer relationships.

Requirements

Prior hands-on experience in an Accounts Receivable or B2B collections role is required.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to stay professional yet assertive when handling delinquent accounts.
Self-motivated, with a track record of driving processes forward rather than waiting passively for responses.
Able to work seamlessly with sales teams, Account Executives, and executive leadership to align on credit holds and customer outreach.
Disciplined about cadence, documentation, and deadlines—comfortable managing a structured weekly follow-up schedule across many accounts.

Nice To Haves

Experience in specialty chemicals, fragrance, CPG, or contract manufacturing.
Familiarity with ERP / AR systems and credit reporting or reference-checking tools.

Responsibilities

Own the customer credit application process end to end—conducting thorough reviews, checking references, and evaluating creditworthiness to approve terms promptly.
Follow up directly with listed credit references by email and phone to expedite approvals. Where references are unresponsive, coordinate assertively with the customer to obtain alternative information. Do not wait for the customer to ask for terms—drive the process forward.
Ensure every account is established with accurate, approved credit terms before any order is released, eliminating premature or unauthorized approvals.
Generate and distribute regular monthly statements to customers.
Work directly with customers to reconcile account statements, investigate payment discrepancies, resolve invoice disputes, and ensure account balances are accurate and up to date.
Monitor aging closely and, once an account exceeds its terms, execute a disciplined weekly cadence of two touchpoints per week: First notice: notify the customer of their past-due status, request payment, and warn of a pending credit hold. Second notice: typically sent Thursday/Friday, confirming the account will be placed on credit hold effective the following Monday if payment is not received.
Place accounts on credit hold and hold all open and incoming orders when a customer fails to pay, in line with company policy.
For contract manufacturing relationships, look up account overrides and contact the ultimate brand/client directly—communicating that their manufacturer is delinquent and that fragrance supply will be paused until the balance is resolved.
Partner with Account Executives on problem accounts; schedule and join calls—alongside Account Executives and Executive Management—to address severely delinquent balances with customers.
Identify and compile uncollectible accounts for hand-off to the third-party collections agency once internal email and override escalation paths have been exhausted.