Director - Credit and Collections

Airgas•Independence, OH

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director - Credit & Collections is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the North Division Collection team in order to maximize receivables turnover and minimize risk of loss of the Accounts Receivable portfolio. While safeguarding the health of Accounts Receivable, the Director must also provide support to the Regional Companies in order to help effectively maximize sales growth and profitability. The Director is responsible for effective coordination of the daily activities related to the collection function, providing leadership to the AR Managers on regional, national and small balance customer accounts, as well as the effective execution of the duties of the Customer Support team with respect to dispute management and routine customer service and the Special Handle Billing and EDI/Digital teams. The Director must also successfully solve problems with other internal departments, including Corporate Complex Collections, Corporate Credit, GBS, other divisional departments such as Cylinder Control, BPI and Digital Integration. A knowledge of bankruptcy protocol is required, as strategic management of the bankruptcy process can significantly mitigate the loss. The position will require a seasoned professional with the ability to lead a collaborative work effort and balance financial goals with support for the regional organizations. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the unique perspectives of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders, and cultures across the world. We believe that a variety of backgrounds makes our team stronger and more innovative.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance/business administration or related field or equivalent business management experience, a CPA and/or MBA is a plus.
Certified credit executive designation and/or successive accreditation efforts.
Minimum of ten years credit management experience in positions of increasing responsibility, including leadership positions, preferably with multi-industry knowledge and exposure.
Exposure to and working knowledge of contract law, secured transactions and bankruptcy issues.
Knowledge of external financing and financial markets.
Management experience including people development skills and leadership qualities.
Experience with ERP system development/implementation is a plus.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and juggle between Divisional, local and Corporate management demands.
Established and proven track record of success in prior senior credit and collection roles.
An ability to see the credit operation as a financially oriented customer service function which balances cost control with support for the business.
The successful candidate must have a strong “client service” mindset and the ability to use collaborative and non-adversarial approaches in achieving diverse goals.
Strong mentoring and staff development skills are required.
Strong organizational, team-building and people skills.
The ability to work and navigate within a complex matrixed organization.
Strong communication and leadership skills and the ability to assume increasing responsibilities in a rapidly-changing environment.
Ability to understand the impact on new technologies on processes and costs.
Experience integrating new technologies into day-to-day operations.
Vision, creativity and a quality mindset.

Nice To Haves

a CPA and/or MBA is a plus
Certified credit executive designation and/or successive accreditation efforts.
preferably with multi-industry knowledge and exposure.
Experience with ERP system development/implementation is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership in maximizing cash collections and appropriate handling of the accounts receivable portfolio to ensure integrity of the investment.
Establish annual accounts receivable goals, measure and monitor receivable performance and provide reporting to Division and Corporate management.
Identify positive or negative trends, enhancing or decreasing as needed.
Interpret and communicate Accounts Receivable policies and procedures to collections associates with a view towards supporting the sales function while safeguarding receivable assets.
Investigate methods of improving the capabilities of the organization through changes in structure, technology or method.
Represent Accounts Receivable interests in working with internal stakeholders.
Develop and maintain close working relationships with the Regional Company Presidents, AVPs, sales leadership, and other region personnel.
Work closely with the Corporate and Division departments, Total Access, GBS.
Present and explain the monthly problem accounts to the Division CFO for inclusion in the AR Reserve calculation.
Continue development of the Division collections organization through goal-setting, evaluations, positive feedback, discipline, and on-going coaching ensuring activities are performed within department and Company policy.
Other duties as assigned.