Assistant Vice President – Collections

James Douglas Middle East; Ras Al Khaimah; On-site; AED 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

James Douglas Middle East is seeking an Assistant Vice President - Collections to lead end-to-end collections across its UAE property portfolio. The role reports to the CFO and will manage a team of 7-8, focusing on cash flow maximisation, delinquency reduction and credit governance while upholding high service standards.

The candidate will drive strategy, governance and performance metrics, working closely with Sales, Leasing and Finance to optimise recovery outcomes and ensure compliance with

Qualifications

• 12–15 years in collections or credit control, preferably in real estate or property development.
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role managing large portfolios.
• Strong working knowledge of the UAE real estate market, payment structures and legal frameworks.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP or equivalent), MS Office and reporting tools.
• Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong financial acumen, analytical mindset and high professional integrity.
• Professional-level fluency in English.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a collections strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Lead, mentor and scale the collections team to improve performance and accountability.
• Establish KPIs for collections efficiency, recovery rates and aging targets.
• Oversee the full receivables lifecycle including invoicing follow-ups, payment plans and recovery actions.
• Monitor aging reports and act proactively on overdue accounts.
• Drive down DSO and delinquency rates.
• Manage high-value and sensitive accounts, including settlement and restructuring negotiations.
• Partner with Sales, Leasing, Property Management and Finance to stay aligned.
• Maintain professional, on-brand customer communication throughout.
• Establish and enforce credit control policies, procedures and approval frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulations and internal governance standards.
• Work closely with Legal on escalations, disputes and litigation.
• Report to senior management on collections performance, risks and forecasts.
• Use data analytics to spot trends, predict risk and sharpen collection strategy.
• Build dashboards and automation for better visibility and control.
• Drive automation across collections processes through ERP and CRM integration.
• Re-engineer processes to lift operational efficiency.
• Introduce industry best practice and benchmarks.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or Business Administration

Master's degree

Tools

SAP

MS Office

Reporting tools

Job description

About the role

Our client, a confidential UAE real estate developer, is seeking an Assistant Vice President - Collections to lead and optimise the end-to-end collections strategy across its property portfolio. Reporting to the CFO and leading a team of 7-8, the role owns cash flow maximisation, delinquency reduction and credit governance, while preserving strong customer relationships in line with the company's service standards.

Key responsibilities

Collections strategy and leadership

• Develop and implement a collections strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Lead, mentor and scale the collections team to improve performance and accountability.
• Establish KPIs for collections efficiency, recovery rates and aging targets.

Receivables and recovery

• Oversee the full receivables lifecycle including invoicing follow-ups, payment plans and recovery actions.
• Monitor aging reports and act proactively on overdue accounts.
• Drive down DSO and delinquency rates.

Customer and stakeholder management

• Manage high-value and sensitive accounts, including settlement and restructuring negotiations.
• Partner with Sales, Leasing, Property Management and Finance to stay aligned.
• Maintain professional, on-brand customer communication throughout.

Policy, compliance and risk

• Establish and enforce credit control policies, procedures and approval frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulations and internal governance standards.
• Work closely with Legal on escalations, disputes and litigation.

Reporting and analytics

• Report to senior management on collections performance, risks and forecasts.
• Use data analytics to spot trends, predict risk and sharpen collection strategy.
• Build dashboards and automation for better visibility and control.

Process improvement and digitisation

• Drive automation across collections processes through ERP and CRM integration.
• Re-engineer processes to lift operational efficiency.
• Introduce industry best practice and benchmarks.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or Business Administration; Master's an advantage.
• 12-15 years in collections or credit control, preferably in real estate or property development.
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role managing large portfolios.
• Strong working knowledge of the UAE real estate market, payment structures and legal frameworks.
• Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP or equivalent), MS Office and reporting tools.
• Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong financial acumen, analytical mindset and a high standard of professional integrity.
• Professional-level fluency in English.