Key Responsibilities

Billing Management

• Manage the entire billing cycle to ensure accurate and timely invoicing.
• Review billing data, contracts, pricing and customer records prior to issuing invoices.
• Ensure invoices comply with customer requirements, contracts, tax legislation and internal policies.
• Monitor billing cut-off dates to record revenue in the appropriate financial period.
• Supervise credit notes, debit notes, invoice reversals and billing adjustments.
• Investigate recurring billing issues and implement effective corrective actions.
• Ensure invoices and statements are dispatched via suitable channels.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Customer Service and Finance teams to resolve billing discrepancies.
• Maintain billing schedules for recurring, project-based, usage-based or contractual charges.
• Identify opportunities to automate and streamline billing processes.

Accounts Receivable Management

• Manage the debtors ledger, ensuring customer accounts are accurate and current.
• Monitor outstanding balances, overdue accounts and collection performance diligently.
• Review debtor ageing reports and apply appropriate collection measures.
• Ensure prompt and accurate allocation of customer payments.
• Investigate and resolve unidentified receipts, short payments, overpayments and unallocated cash.
• Review customer account reconciliations and address reconciling items.
• Administer customer refunds in accordance with approved policies and delegated authority.
• Regularly review and reconcile suspense and clearing accounts.
• Monitor disputed invoices and ensure timely resolution within agreed service levels.
• Maintain detailed records of collection activities and customer commitments.

Credit Control and Collections

• Develop and implement effective collection strategies.
• Maintain proactive communication with customers before and after invoice due dates.
• Monitor payment arrangements and promptly follow up on missed commitments.
• Escalate high-risk, long-overdue or disputed accounts to relevant stakeholders.
• Recommend suspension of services or accounts for customers who consistently fail to meet obligations.
• Coordinate external debt collection and legal recovery when necessary.
• Review and recommend credit limits and payment terms in accordance with the organisation’s credit policy.
• Monitor customer credit exposure and identify high-risk accounts.
• Negotiate payment plans within authorised limits.
• Support initiatives to reduce overdue debt and days sales outstanding.

Reporting and Financial Control

• Prepare accurate weekly and monthly accounts receivable reports.
• Report on debtor ageing, collections, overdue balances, disputes, cash allocation and billing performance.
• Analyse trends and provide management with clear, insightful commentary on key movements and risks.
• Support monthly, quarterly and annual financial close processes.
• Reconcile the accounts receivable sub-ledger with the general ledger.
• Review bad-debt provisions and expected credit-loss calculations with finance partners.
• Recommend bad-debt write-offs in line with company policy and approval procedures.
• Provide cash collection forecasts, highlighting potential shortfalls.
• Maintain supporting schedules for internal and external audits.
• Ensure accounts receivable and billing controls are fully documented, implemented and regularly reviewed.
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• Customer Enquiry and Stakeholder Management

• Act as the escalation point for complex billing and customer account enquiries.
• Build strong working relationships with key customers and internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional enquiry resolution meetings.
• Ensure customer enquiries are acknowledged, tracked and resolved within agreed service levels.
• Address root causes of disputes rather than merely correcting individual transactions.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with customers regarding invoices, statements, overdue balances and payment arrangements.
• Collaborate with Sales and Operations teams to improve order-to-cash processes.
• Provide management with timely updates on significant customer risks and unresolved issues.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop the Accounts Receivable and Billing team.
• Allocate workloads, clarifying roles, responsibilities and performance expectations.
• Set individual and team objectives aligned with departmental goals.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback.
• Identify training and development needs.
• Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, customer service and continuous improvement.
• Monitor team capacity and recommend staffing or structural changes as necessary.
• Ensure adequate backup arrangements and segregation of duties.
• Manage leave planning to maintain effective workflow coverage.
• Address underperformance in accordance with company policies.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with company policies, delegated authority limits and financial procedures.
• Maintain segregation of duties across billing, collections, cash allocation and account adjustments.
• Protect confidential customer, banking and financial information.
• Ensure customer master data changes are authorised appropriately.
• Identify fraud risks, unusual transactions and control weaknesses.
• Support internal and external audit processes.
• Maintain comprehensive and accessible documentation for transactions and approvals.
• Ensure compliance with relevant accounting, tax, privacy and record-retention regulations.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for billing and accounts receivable activities.

Process Improvement and Systems

• Review end-to-end billing and accounts receivable processes to identify inefficiencies.
• Implement standardised procedures and measurable service levels.
• Enhance the quality, accuracy and availability of accounts receivable data.
• Participate in system implementations, upgrades, testing and process redesign projects.
• Develop dashboards and exception reports to improve management visibility.
• Reduce manual processing and eliminate duplicated work through automation.
• Conduct root-cause analyses of recurring errors, disputes and delayed payments.
• Maintain effective controls when introducing new processes or technology.

Minimum Qualifications

• Matriculation / Grade 12 or equivalent.

• Diploma or equivalent qualification in Accounting, Finance, Credit Management, Business Administration or a related discipline.

• A recognised credit management or accounting qualification is desirable.

Experience

• Minimum of five years’ experience in accounts receivable, billing, credit control or collections.

• At least two years’ supervisory or management experience.

• Experience managing a high-volume debtors ledger.
• Expertise in complex billing and customer account reconciliations.
• Experience in month-end reporting and general ledger reconciliations.
• Proven ability to manage customer disputes and escalated collections.
• Familiarity with enterprise resource planning and financial systems.

• Experience in audits, system implementations or finance transformation projects is advantageous.

Technical Knowledge and Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of accounts receivable and billing principles.
• Understanding of credit control, collections and cash application processes.
• Ability to interpret contracts, pricing schedules and customer agreements accurately.
• Familiarity with financial controls and reconciliation procedures.
• Understanding of bad-debt provisions and expected credit losses.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with financial or ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics or similar.
• Strong reporting, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prepare cash flow forecasts and debtor ageing analyses.
• Exceptional numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.