Accounts Receivable & Banking Manager at Flight Centre Travel Group

Purpose:

• The purpose of this role is to manage the debtor’s book, banking process and all related risks, processes, and procedures within the department.
• Own credit control across the corporate businesses, ensuring that the clients’ payment terms are adhered to, and debt owed is collected on time.
• Ensure the client experience from time of billing to receipting of payments is of the highest quality. Queries are to be resolved in a timely fashion and regular feedback to the business on the performance and health of the debtor’s book is essential.
• Identify risks and opportunities within the customer billing, reconciliation, query handling and payment cycles and advise the business of proposed corrective action when required to improve overall processes.
• Keep the business updated through regular reporting and communication on overdue debtors and co-ordinate involvement from all internal stakeholders in the collection strategies.
• Manage and support the offshore team (Cognizant) ensuring productivity, accuracy and timely delivery on all duties performed in the accounts receivable and banking pillars of accounting operations.
• Lead and develop direct reports to ensure an optimal functioning accounts receivable team. Create and drive team strategies in line with company needs.

Primary duties and responsibilities (KRAs)

Financial control

• Managing FCTG’s cash flow by preparing payment files and ensuring clients remain strictly within their credit terms.
• Work alongside the FC to maintain the overall aging targets set by the business (e.g., 95% of the debtor’s book to sit in “current”)
• Assist with cash flow forecasts based on client collection expectations.
• Analyzing open orders and working with the creditors TL and Cognizant to ensure that customers are billed on time.
• Performing the month end closing process - allocation of all customer receipts and ensuring that the GL balances to the full subledger totals
• Responsibility for the daily client bank account reconciliations performed by Cognizant. Ensuring reconciling items are resolved on a timely basis.
• Identify and report on risk areas within the client billing and collection cycle.
• Creation of a One Best Way process within accounts receivable department

Process efficiency

• Seek out opportunities for automation through review and redesign of existing processes and reports.
• Question relevancy of existing procedures and have a strong appetite to embrace change in favour of productivity and risk mitigation.
• Improving the quantity and accuracy of invoices captured per person, per day.
• Ownership of training for all people in this department
• Work in partnership with front end to deliver processes, systems and workflow that improve productivity whilst protecting the business.
• A willingness to get your hands dirty and take accountability, e.g., if you see something isn’t working, resolve it.
• Strong aptitude to learn new systems and understand processes which impact them.
• Become a champion on all systems the accounts receivable team work on

Leadership of team, including setting the direction and culture of the team

• Responsible for onboarding and training of new team members
• Setting up growth and development plans for each staff member
• Daily team meetings (especially starting off)
• Monthly 1-on-1s with direct reports
• Biannual performance reviews
• Driving a vision of process excellence, continual improvement and maintain a team aligned to this vision.
• Coaching & Mentoring

Communication & stakeholder relationship management including query management with all stakeholders ensuring the agreed deliverables and turn-around times are adhered to.

• Ability to present ideas and scenarios succinctly, in writing and verbally

Hierarchy:

• Reports to the Financial Controller, +-5 direct reports locally and an offshore team performing both receipting and bank reconciliations.

Key communication and relationships:

• Internal: Creditors Team leader, accounting operations financial controller, Invoicing team, Operations Team leaders, Direct reports, Debtors & Banking team leader, internal audit, CFO.
• External: Clients & Auditors

Job Requirements

Education and qualification:

Minimum requirements

Added advantage

• Degree in Financial studies

Experience:

• At least 5 years working in a debtors or accounting department (Travel management company experience advantageous)
• Protas experience crucial. Proven leadership track record