Company Background
Sportsafe offers inspection, installation, service and supply of sports and fitness equipment to more than 10,000 customers from the Shetland Isles to the South Coast in the including primary and secondary schools, private schools, sports centres, care homes and more than 120 county councils and fire, police and NHS authorities. The company is ISO 9001; ISO 14001, 45001, Constructionline Gold, Safecontractor, CHAS and AFPE accredited.
Core Values – Our culture makes us different from our competitors
Trust - in colleagues
Integrity - with all colleagues & customers,
Respect - for all colleagues & customer,
Operational excellence - Attention to detail
Quality - right first time
Enjoyment/Passion - a great working environment
Pride - in what we do and how we do it
The Role
The role is essential to ensure that we are providing a robust credit control function within Sportsafe as part of the wider Finance function which comprises of 8 staff covering different accounts/finance roles and responsibilities. The Credit Controller will be required to meet performance targets in order to achieve optimum cash flow through maximising debt collections. Additionally, the role will act as a pivotal link for credit control issues and after sales service between the Accounts and Service Department.
Responsibilities
The Credit Controller will be responsible for reviewing existing procedures and implementing tighter controls on aged debt and customer queries. Develop positive and effective relationships with external customers, Service and Sales departments.
- Perform regular reviews of Sales Ledger and take full accountability for the integrity and accuracy of information and data.
- Actively focus on driving down aged debt to agreed KPI’s.
- Act as first point of contact for queries and complaints (including proactively identifying issues) and ensure Service and Sales deal with issues in accordance with our policy.
- Issue statements and debtors letters in accordance with processes and controls.
- Negotiate with late payers and use experience and authority to obtain payment. Escalate process to 3rd party debt collection if needed.
- Support credit account checking and payment plans before agreeing with Sales to accept orders.
- Create and maintain good working relationships with Local Authorities, Blue Lamp and Management Companies.
- Circulate ‘query report’ to all relevant departments on a weekly basis.
- Produce a monthly report for the Senior Leadership Team on all outstanding balances by contract, sector and queries outstanding.
Daily or weekly mandatory task to include, but not limited to: -
- Remittance posting.
- Accurately post all incoming BACS remittances from all banking streams onto Access Dimensions.
- Process all inbound cheques received onto Access Dimensions and ensure they are banked on a weekly basis.
- Ensure that bank is reconciled daily.
- Review and regularly correspond with all overdue aged debtors and resolve account disputes to ensure timely settlement of debts to the company. Liaise with Service and Sales department to ensure that queries and outstanding issues are resolved promptly.
- Ensure that all credit control and system records are accurate and up to date at all times.
- Support the company culture
- To ensure that you support the Company’s culture of ensuring that customer satisfaction is given to all customers no matter how large or small.
- Provide support to all colleagues within the Accounts Department (and the wider Company) where necessary, as instructed.
- Operational standards
- Responsible for developing and producing weekly and monthly KPI reporting to enable increased visibility of queries and outstanding debt.
- Follow company procedures correctly including record keeping and updating
- Carry out all reasonable tasks, requests or projects as requested
- Be a pivotal member of the Accounts team enabling the department to reach and exceed clearly all qualitative and quantitative targets.
Key Skills, Characteristics and Experience
- Proven experience of managing a credit control function.
- Experience and knowledge of Access Dimensions (not essential but advantageous)
- Solid understanding of basic accounting collection regulations.
- Tenacity to pursue debts with excellent customer negotiation skills.
- Highly meticulous and pragmatic
- High degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communicator at all levels with both internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to develop robust working relationships
- Strong team player
- Commercially focused with a clear understanding of business impact.
- Proactive approach, results driven
- Ability to work to tight deadlines
- Self-motivated with the energy, drive and passion to make a difference, positively challenge and innovate.
- Preferred to be a driver, hold a UK driving licence and access to vehicle as this role will be responsible for banking in cheques
Location
Colchester, Essex (Office Based Full Time)
Hours
Mon - Fri - 8.30am – 5.00pm (40 hours per week)
We can only consider applicants who hold eligible and valid Right to Work in the UK, no UK Visa Sponsorship can be provided for this job role)