Team Leader - Accounts Receivable

• JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY

The Accounts Receivable (AR) Team Leader is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end customer invoicing, collections, and reconciliation processes, ensuring the timely and accurate receipt of payments while maintaining strong financial controls. With a commercial focus, this role plays a critical part in managing profitability tracking, margin reporting, and estimation reviews, supporting strategic decision-making and financial performance optimization.

The AR Team Leader is also responsible for working capital optimization and financial risk management, ensuring effective cash flow management and minimizing credit risk exposure. This role requires strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and the ability to manage high transaction volumes efficiently. Additionally, the position demands excellent communication and collaboration with internal stakeholders, including commercial, sales, operations, and finance teams, as well as external customers to enhance collections performance and customer relationships.

A key part of this role is ensuring compliance with company policies, internal controls, and financial regulations, while also identifying opportunities for process improvements and automation to enhance efficiency and accuracy within AR operations. The ideal candidate will be a proactive leader with strong problem-solving abilities, a strategic mindset, and the capability to drive continuous improvements in AR processes.

• KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Accounts Receivable Operations & Financial Transactions

• Oversee the timely and accurate issuance of invoices, ensuring adherence to company policies, contractual agreements, and regulatory requirements.
• Validate invoices in coordination with commercial teams to confirm accuracy, completeness, and compliance before finalizing.
• Monitor and manage the timely collection of customer payments, following up on overdue accounts and proactively addressing payment-related issues.
• Reconcile customer accounts by identifying and resolving discrepancies, ensuring accurate financial records, and maintaining up-to-date reporting on AR performance.
• Maintain accurate customer account records, ensuring alignment with company policies and compliance with financial and tax regulations.

2. Collaboration & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with commercial, sales, and operations teams to optimize AR strategies, identify process improvements, and implement best practices that enhance efficiency and reduce financial risk.
• Oversee profitability tracking and margin reporting, ensuring financial transparency and performance optimization.
• Work closely with tendering teams to provide financial insights on pricing, contract terms, and payment structures, supporting informed decision-making.
• Attend regular cross-functional meetings to discuss AR strategies, address concerns, and collaborate on solutions that improve receivables management.
• Collaborate with teams to analyze AR processes, identifying bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for automation to enhance overall operational effectiveness.
• Establish and track key AR performance metrics, such as Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and collections efficiency, ensuring continuous improvement.
• Gather customer, sales, and operations feedback to refine AR processes, improve customer relationships, and enhance overall collections strategies.

3. Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure that all financial and operational activities comply with local laws, tax regulations, industry standards, and customs mandates, mitigating legal and financial risks.
• Enforce the Delegation of Authority (DOA) framework, ensuring all financial transactions align with company policies and approval hierarchies.
• Conduct internal audits, compliance checks, and risk assessments to identify control gaps, prevent violations, and enhance transparency in financial reporting.
• Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory bodies, tax authorities, auditors, and internal teams, ensuring timely compliance reporting and issue resolution.
• Promote a culture of compliance, providing employees with training on regulatory requirements, company policies, and ethical business practices to prevent non-compliance.

4. Audit & Internal Controls:

• Maintain well-organized, up-to-date financial documentation for all AR transactions, ensuring audit readiness at all times.
• Regularly review and enforce internal control policies, ensuring compliance with financial governance, fraud prevention, and risk mitigation frameworks.
• Prepare for internal and external audits by compiling necessary financial records, process documentation, and compliance reports.
• Act as the key contact for auditors, facilitating inquiries, resolving discrepancies, and ensuring a smooth audit process.
• Analyze audit findings, implement corrective actions, and continuously refine financial processes to enhance compliance and financial integrity.

5. Process Optimization & System Enhancements:

• Assess AR workflows, invoicing processes, and receivables management cycles to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
• Integrate AR automation tools with existing ERP, treasury management, and financial systems, enabling real-time data synchronization and process transparency.
• Assist in system upgrades, ensuring smooth implementation with minimal disruption to ongoing financial operations.
• Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and security across all AR records, maintaining well-documented and up-to-date financial databases.
• Work closely with key stakeholders to provide updates, feedback, and recommendations on AR-related projects, system enhancements, and reporting improvements.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

Minimum Qualifications:(Education/Certification/Licensure/Professional Membership)

• Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy, Finance, Commerce, or a related field. A Master’s degree (MBA/Finance) is preferred.
• Professional certification such as CMA, CA, ACCA, or CPA is mandatory.
• Additional certifications in credit management, treasury management, or financial risk management (FRM) are advantageous.

Minimum Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience in accounts receivable, credit control, or financial operations, with a strong background in invoice management, collections, reconciliation, and financial risk mitigation.
• 1 to 3 years of experience in a leadership, supervisory, or managerial role within finance, demonstrating the ability to lead teams, improve processes, and implement automation solutions.
• Experience in a fast-paced corporate environment, preferably within a multinational company or regulated industry.

Job Specific Competencies:

1. Leadership and Team Management: Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing AR team, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and continuous improvement in accounts receivable operations.
2. Financial Analysis and Accounting: Strong understanding of accounting principles, financial analysis, and AR processes, enabling effective decision-making and financial reporting.
3. Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with customers, sales teams, and other stakeholders, ensuring smooth collections and dispute resolution.
4. Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze complex AR issues, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions, improving operational efficiency and reducing outstanding receivables.
5. Accounts Receivable Process: Full responsibility for AR operations, customer invoicing, reconciliations, and financial assets and liabilities, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
6. ERP & Accounting Systems: Proficiency in SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks, or similar ERP systems, enabling efficient AR automation, reporting, and financial integration.
7. Internal Controls & Auditing: Experience in implementing fraud prevention measures, maintaining financial compliance, and ensuring adherence to internal audit requirements to safeguard financial integrity.
8. Treasury & Working Capital Management: Expertise in optimizing cash flow, funding strategies, and financial risk management, ensuring financial stability and efficient receivables management.
9. Project & Cost-Saving Initiatives: Ability to lead projects focused on efficiency improvements, cost reductions, and financial performance enhancements within AR operations.
10. Contract Administration: Ability to lead the contract administration process, ensuring compliance with financial agreements and billing accuracy, mitigating financial risks and discrepancies.
11. Leadership & Coaching: Strong capability to train, mentor, and develop the AR team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.
12. Strategic Thinking & Decision-Making: Ability to align AR processes with broader financial strategies, ensuring consistency with corporate financial goals and long-term sustainability.
13. Adaptability & Change Management: Skilled in managing process improvements, implementing system upgrades, and adapting to regulatory changes, ensuring AR operations remain efficient and compliant.