AR Manager

The Head Office in East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, offers a marketing role.

Job Purpose: The AR Manager for East Africa will manage performance in the Credit Control Department, focusing on Collections, DSO, bad debt, and dispute management. The role requires strong team management, leadership, coaching skills, and integrity.

Direct Reports: Team Leaders, Credit Controllers, Legal and Dispute Administrator, and AR Accountant.

Areas of Responsibility:

• Review Credit Management process to achieve target DSO and minimize credit risk.
• Advise on debtor asset management and conduct credit analyses.
• Monitor daily KPIs (cash tracker, productivity, disputed accounts) and take necessary actions.
• Drive debt collection strategies to prevent rollover past 90 days.
• Enforce credit policy and improve invoicing and dispute management processes.
• Manage escalations and ensure prompt service stops for non-paying accounts.
• Reduce bad debt provision and enhance company cash cycle as per KPIs.
• Prepare weekly and month-end reports, lead discussions on top debtors.
• Implement governance processes in the EA Region focusing on key controls in Credit Control.
• Minimize fraud risk in debt collections and assist in year-end audits.
• Support team leaders with Onguard utilization and provide training for new staff.
• Manage disputes and analyze root causes; use insights to improve cash flow.
• Maintain debtor database confidentiality and allocate portfolios to Credit Controllers as needed.
• Motivate Credit Control Team and conduct monthly performance reviews.
• Collaborate with other departments to enhance debt collection efforts.
• Monitor collection progress from external debt collectors.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Credit Management
• Diploma in Credit Management is a plus
• Minimum 5 years of experience in Credit Control, with 2 years in a supervisory role
• Strong leadership and team-building skills
• Proficient in financial analysis and report interpretation
• High attention to detail for financial accuracy
• Excellent communication skills for interaction with customers and departments
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and work under pressure

Desirable:

• Strong overcommunication skills to align teams
• Detail-oriented with emphasis on accuracy
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills for AR challenges
• Effective leadership and collaboration abilities
• Able to adapt to changing priorities in a dynamic environment