Credit & Collections Manager – Food Distribution

Credit & Collections Manager – Food Distribution (1700827)     $70-90k per year

Chicago, IL
Direct Hire- Full-time - Days

Job Summary

This role is an opportunity for an experienced Credit and Collections professional to support a dynamic food manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, and retail organization. 

This role requires a strategic thinker with leadership skills, risk management expertise, and a proactive approach to credit and collections.

Join a successful 4th generation family-owned business with well-established family values. The ideal candidate is hardworking, cooperative, detail-oriented yet efficient, and has a positive attitude in the workplace.

The position focuses on optimizing credit and collections processes and ensuring efficient accounts receivable management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee and collaborate with the AR Team to ensure the effective management, reconciliation, and collection of accounts receivable.
• Continuously improve invoicing, collection, risk management, customer communications, and interdepartmental processes.
• Review credit applications, set credit limits & terms, and collaborate with Sales and Finance to balance risk and reward.
• Research customers’ creditworthiness and establish trade credit thresholds to manage the Company’s total credit exposure to an acceptable level.
• Personally investigate the largest customer credit applications.
• Maintain credit files, payment history, and credit scores for ongoing monitoring of customer creditworthiness. Identify deteriorating credit or improving credit and adjust trade credit caps accordingly.
• Manage the collection letter, call, and other reminder notices.
• Handle invoice disputes and drive collections while maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Develop KPI reports and dashboards to monitor departmental performance.
• Identify opportunities to automate, streamline, and reduce risk.
• Routinely present team performance updates to Accounting, Operations, and Executive leadership.
• Ensure adequate staff, resources, and training are available to guarantee the proper, effective, and efficient execution of all departmental tasks and workload.
• Set collection goals and implement strategies to reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).
• Find and recommend improvements to the credit and collection policies and procedures to senior management and the Executive Leadership Team.
• Work closely with the accounting team to establish cash flow projections of customer payments.
• Manage and lead the AR and billing team to ensure timely completion of departmental tasks including billing, collections, and reporting according to company policies and procedures.

 Qualifications and Skills:

• 10+ years of credit and collections experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting or similar.
• Experience with establishing credit worthiness, i.e. credit scoring systems.
• Strong knowledge of credit-related laws.
• Experience with customer negotiations.
• Experience managing staff and departmental performance.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, QuickBooks Enterprise, NetSuite, CRM, and ERP systems.
• EDI (Electronic, Data, Interchange) Processing
• Excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to multitask.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially for negotiations.
• Ability to multitask, work independently, and lead a team effectively.
• Bilingual Spanish would be helpful, not required.
• Experienced in email and phone communications with Food distribution to big box grocery stores.
• Extensive background in Billing/Credit/Collections within the distribution industry.

UPON APPLYING: 

You’ll likely receive a chatbot with basic questions, then upon receiving your timely answers it’s possible that you’ll receive additional outreach of emails, texts and/or telephone calls from our recruiting firm if you’re being considered for this or another similar position.  Upon their recommendations after having discussed the position with you, it can lead to phone, virtual, and face-to-face conversations, and interviews with hiring managers at the company.

If the job description, location, and compensation, align with your qualifications, we encourage you to apply. To explore additional opportunities, visit our website job board: confidentsearchconsultants.com 

Confident Search Consultants, a division of Confident Staffing, specializes in connecting engineers and qualified professionals with exceptional career opportunities across the United States.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Employees and applicants are provided a full and fair opportunity for employment, career advancement, and access to programs without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), sex, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, or parental status, and will not be discriminated against for any other legally protected group or status.