Credit Management Specialist - Durban at Unilever

• The Credit Management Specialist role sits within the Order To Cash Team which will work with our internal stakeholders and selected Partner, Capgemini, to deliver value across the collections and claims pillar. The team will focus on ensuring end to end processes, enabled by key technologies and ways of working across this eco-system to deliver better business outcomes.

Main purpose of job:

• This role will work closely with the Credit Management Lead to simplify and harmonise collections and credit management process where recurring issues/inefficiencies are identified & addressed. Focus on driving efficiencies with our business partner, Capgemini, and with customers, always ensuring collaboration.

Key accountabilities:

• Deliver workplan and targets through Capgemini, ensuring all customer payments and deductions are recorded timeously
• Support Capgemini to investigate all unmatched payments and resolve within acceptable timeframes to avoid ageing.
• Assist Credit Management Lead to ensure that all customers have a credit risk category and credit limits following signing of an agreement with internal authorized stakeholders (except Unilever intercompany customers).
• All credit limits and risk categories must be approved as per agreed local schedule of authority (SOA). Country NFD is responsible for approving changes in credit limits and risk categories
• Check and confirm that SAP Master Data is complete: risk categories and credit limits are assigned correctly
• Where available, use a 3rd party external database (Experian) to assess creditworthiness of customers.
• Assess internal, external risk information and credit limit recommendations before proposing credit limits or risk categories.
• Completion of new customer account creation on CRETA
• Ensure orders resulting in customers exceeding their credit limits are blocked (except intercompany customers)
• If credit limit is exceeded or category risk is high, customer orders must be blocked, reviewed, and approved before release for processing.
• All blocked orders must be reviewed and approved according to the SOA before being released. Criteria to release credit blocked orders must be defined in the local credit policy
• Ensure all transactions are audit compliant and approvals must be recorded for traceability.
• Analyse customer behaviour, ways of working and assess whether they are compliant or not to Unilever standard operating procedures.
• Identify and report recurring issues (process, people, system and compliance). Recommend and/or implement process improvements or solutions.
• Support release of orders for Africa countries when Credit Management Specialist Africa is not available.
• Be available to support on Saturdays, Public holidays, and some evenings to release Africa orders.
• Roles & responsibilities may change based on line manager discretion.

Experience and qualifications required:

• Business acumen and customer centric mindset
• E2E function agnostic integrator (non-silo mentality)
• Demonstrable Agile mindset and capabilities
• Ability to drive change
• Strong personal accountability for delivery
• Ability to work effectively in both independent and diverse multi-task team environments. 
• Experienced in working with virtual teams and driving performance across a diverse mixture of cultures.
• Strong English language skills written and spoken
• Understanding and excellent application of Analytical tools. SAP, PEGA and CRETA capability would be highly desirable

Key interfaces:

The role will interface with the following key stakeholders amongst others:

• Collections & Claims Manager
• Customer Development Finance Team
• Finance Teams
• Selected Partners: Capgemini