Collections Team Lead

Job Purpose

The Collections Team Lead will be responsible for coordinating and managing the day-to-day operations and activities of the collections team. This includes managing a team which will execute collections activities for multiple entities, delivering global services. You should be able to work with and understand Order-to-Cash (O2C) components of ERP systems and have strong knowledge of various collection processes and treatment strategies.

In this role you will report to the Collections Manager to ensure accurate and timely delivery of collections activities. You will support the collections team, share feedback on the team’s performance, provide guidance and expertise on collections escalations and making decisions for the collections team where required. 

About Group Finance

In joining RWS’s Finance team you will be a critical part of supporting a listed world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content, and intellectual property services. RWS has growing revenues of over £750m through a combination of value accretive acquisitions and organic growth. Group finance, led by our Group CFO; Stephen Lamb, includes diverse teams across the globe operating in functions including business partnering, operational finance, specialist, and group functions. We cover a footprint of over 100 legal entities in 43 different countries worldwide.  

It’s a very exciting time to join RWS Finance for an individual who enjoys change and making an impact! As part of the overall RWS business strategy we are making a significant investment in upgrading our financial systems and processes to deliver enhanced reporting and control, more efficient processing enabling great value through enhanced business partnering and decision support. 

Job Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Review and provide input on collection team activities
  • Ensure customer account balances are reviewed and overdue invoices/outstanding payments are flagged
  • Monitor collections process to ensure timely and accurate collections in line with the agreed timeline
  • Correspond and negotiate with customers on issues and disputes related to collections
  • Investigate, resolve, or escalate customer issues and disputes as appropriate
  • Oversee the write-off process for uncollectible balances in line with collections policies and treatment strategies
  • Review root cause analysis for disputed collections and identify areas for process improvement
  • Support with queries from regulatory authorities and external auditors
  • Set and manage overall team goals and objectives

• Supervise collections functional team across multiple levels
  • Establish strong working relationships with direct reports to ensure satisfaction and talent retention
  • Mentor and guide direct reports, sharing expertise and knowledge to foster their growth and development
  • Conduct and prepare performance reviews of direct reports in a timely manner and identify areas of development
  • Ensure collections team are meeting performance targets and investigate when not achieve
  • Ensure direct reports maintain Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results within management expectations where necessary
  • Foster adoption of the company culture and values and mindset shift to one SSC team
  • Monitor collections team’s required training to ensure adherence to company compliance policies and procedures

• Ensure Collections teams compliance
  • Ensure all prescribed collections activities adhere to defined policies and treatment strategies.
  • Guarantee collections activities during period-end close comply with the fiscal close calendar.
  • Adhere to O2C controls, documenting procedures appropriately.
  • Inform colleagues and stakeholders about procedural and regulatory requirements.
  • Work on the implementation of risk management processes and associated controls

• Take active part in continuous improvement of the O2C processes in the SSC
  • Collaborate with the O2C Delivery Lead to execute Order-to-Cash (O2C) process strategy.
  • Identify errors and suggest improvements to enhance system and process efficiency.
  • Ensure performance targets are met and proactively address issues impacting efficiency.
  • Demonstrate and advocate process expertise, supporting O2C Global Process Owners (GPO) initiatives.

• Collaborate with other teams
  • Establish relationships and credibility within the team and cross-functional teams.
  • Work with customers to address collections-related queries and issues.
  • Partner with the Master Data team for required data points, best practices, and data standards.
  • Liaise with other SSC process delivery teams to exchange information to accelerate process improvement.
  • Effectively collaborate with external auditors and oversee requests from third-party collections and dunning agents/agencies.

Skills & Experience

• 3-5 years general management service delivery experience in O2C collections SSC operations, with a track record of managing team
• 1-2 years of people management experience with the ability to effectively direct and prioritise work of others
• Strong English language skills
• Advanced MS Excel skills with a proven aptitude to interpret vendor/supplier and financial data
• Working knowledge of core finance and specifically collection tools, ERP and related specialty functional systems, frameworks, and functionality
• Deep understanding and enforcement of finance business processes, collections policies, and statutory accounting principles to ensure compliant SSC operations
• Applied experience in collection processes and ability to identify root causes of disputes
• Experience performing and/or leading teams performing collections tasks/procedures at a moderately difficult to considerably difficult level
• Examines issues and makes informed recommendations related to closing cycles
• Demonstrate logical thought process to simplify complex issues and technical concepts, and to facilitate issue resolution
• Ability to interact with company stakeholders to ensure a high quality of service, while balancing expectations and realisations
• Ability to work in a fast-moving environment with a proactive approach, accustomed to working towards tight deadlines whilst maintaining quality of work

Life at RWS

Life at RWS - If you like the idea of working with smart people who are passionate about growing the value of ideas, data and content by making sure organizations are understood, then you’ll love life at RWS. 

Our purpose is to unlock global understanding. This means our work fundamentally recognizes the value of every language and culture. So, we celebrate difference, we are inclusive and believe that diversity makes us strong. We want every employee to grow as an individual and excel in their career. 

In return, we expect all our people to live by the values that unite us: to partner, putting clients fist and winning together, to pioneer, innovating fearlessly and leading with vision and courage, to progress, aiming high and growing through actions and to deliver, owning the outcome and building trust with our colleagues and clients.

RWS embraces DEI and promotes equal opportunity, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. RWS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at RWS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. RWS will not tolerate discrimination based on any of these characteristics. 

RWS Values 

Get the 3Ps right – Partner, Pioneer, Progress – and we´ll Deliver together as RWS.

Recruitment Agencies: RWS Holdings PLC does not accept agency resumes.  Please do not forward any unsolicited resumes to any RWS employees.  Any unsolicited resume received will be treated as the property of RWS and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such resume will be considered null and void.

#LI-ZS1

 #LI-Hybrid