The Role
The Credit Control Manager is responsible for leading a team which manages the recovery of monies from Occupiers on behalf of Client(s).
The primary objective of the role is to ensure that tenant debts are recovered in an effective and timely manner in accordance with client requirements.
The Credit Control Manager supports the Associate Director (Transactional Services) by:
- Ensuring demands are raised with purchase order numbers if appropriate, arrears are collected (and where relevant tax receipts are issued) on behalf of Client(s) in accordance with the Clients’ debt recovery policies;
- Taking responsibility for the debt recovery strategy and ensuring contractual compliance, including SLAs and KPIs are achieved on behalf of BNPPRE;
- Advising surveyors, clients and team members on the most appropriate actions to recover debts and managing escalation of debt recovery through third party specialists or client specific procedures;
- Maintaining complete and up to date records of actions to settle arrears and monitoring and reporting on collection performance;
- Managing and leading activities within the credit control team to ensure a high performing, efficient and effective Credit Control function and being responsible overall for the full service;
- Continuously improving processes for arrears collection to ensure monies are collected in an efficient manner in accordance with all relevant legislation; and
- Contributing to the fee generation and cost savings of the Client Finance team.
Key deliverables
People
Effective People leadership is considered critical to the success of the department, to ensuring we attract and retain high performing talent. As a member of the Management team, it is key that this role will:
- Lead the credit control team, ensuring employees are of appropriate calibre, well trained and motivated, and organised effectively to meet client requirements;
- Oversee recruitment, retention and career development of employees to develop committed, client focussed teams;
- Establishing and implementing departmental and team targets, setting objectives for the team, ensuring that they are communicated clearly and effectively, and that individual performance by team members against these objectives is monitored, measured and managed;
- Implement the company’s performance management programme, adhering to and promoting internal performance standards, and ensuring areas for development and improvement are identified and addressed; and
- Act as a mentor and role model to Credit Controllers in their day to day activities. Provide coaching and support to members of the credit control team to ensure appropriate levels of performance and technical skills are maintained.
Processes
Processes are seen as essential to the operations of the team, department and wider internal stakeholders. As a member of the Management team, it is key that this role will:
- Develop, implement and continuously improve processes and procedures to ensure service delivery standards for internal and external clients are met;
- Design and implement the departmental control framework and delegation policy relevant to their areas;
- Work with internal audit and compliance to ensure that all compliance and control requirements are met; and
- Participate in and monitor the effectiveness of controls of activities performed by the team.
Service Delivery
The Client Finance department is a critical part of service delivery to many of the BNP Paribas Clients and the Credit Control function is considered to be market leading. As a member of the Management team, it is key that this role will:
- Work with the SMT team and other members of Client Finance to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and control of credit control operations;
- Liaise with team members, surveyors, client accountants and Clients to ensure that debt collection issues are resolved in a timely manner, and that risks of non-recovery are reported and mitigated;
- Ensure accurate and complete records of debtor payment performance, conversations and actions agreed are maintained and that payment reminders are issued to poor payers
- Allocate work to Credit Controllers and Senior Credit Controllers to ensure arrears are collected on behalf of clients in accordance with clients’ debt recovery policies for the methods and timescales to be employed in escalating recoveries;
- Co-ordinate provision of ad hoc and monthly credit control reports and aged debtor analyses;
- Ensure that all tenant queries are actioned within 24 hours, liaising with surveyors and client accountants as required;
- Actioning Client voids along with the Client Accountants to ensure recovery of monies from Clients are appropriate;
- Oversee the identification and clearance of unallocated cash in a timely manner and ensure the Credit Control team are operating within BNPPRE’s timescales; and
- Maintain appropriate and accurate measures of collection performance and report agreed KPIs to management at least monthly; and
- Maintain records of any tenant disputes and/or complaints and manage their resolution in conjunction with the surveyor and client accountant responsible;
Person specification
- Must be highly numerate and accurate, with a strong attention to detail;
- Experience of leading a credit control / rent collection team within in a property management or similar environment. Qualification or part qualification in credit control and debt management or a related accounting discipline is preferred;
- Tenacious, presentable, assertive, adaptable, self-aware and self-motivated with excellent verbal and written communication skills and a professional telephone manner;
- Conscientious and highly focussed, with detailed understanding of credit control and debt collection procedures and an appreciation of data protection issues;
- Understanding of accounting techniques, including sales ledger transactions would be an advantage;
- Good people management, interpersonal and mentoring skills, with demonstrable experience of leading teams;
- Committed to the provision of excellent customer service and to meeting deadlines;
- Commercially astute, innovative and solutions oriented;
- Organised and methodical, able to work to tight deadlines and manage time effectively, whilst also able to manage multiple projects; and
- Good skills in Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, and Outlook). Experience of property management and accounting packages for managing agents (ideally Trace Tramps, or similar packages such as Yardi Propware / Voyager, Qube Horizon) would be a distinct advantage.
We are proud to offer award-winning benefits to support and reward our employees:
- Heath & Leisure: Private medical cover, 25 days annual leave + public holidays (the option of purchasing up to 5 additional days via flex benefits), health screening, gym discounts, wellbeing support, volunteering opportunities, cycle to work scheme, eye care voucher, travel & retail discounts, travel insurance, concierge service, kids pass, open fairways golf card, great company culture and social events (including sports teams, charity events, art pass), perks at work
- Financial: Pension, life assurance at 8 x basic salary, group income protection (long term disability insurance), interest free season ticket loan, bonus scheme - you will be eligible to participate in the Company’s Bonus Scheme, share incentive plan, financial and mortgage advice
BNP Paribas Real Estate is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal employment opportunity without regard to race, colour, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status.
