Credit and Collections Team Lead

Onyx-Fire Protection Services Inc.; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family-oriented environment

Growth opportunities

Best in class benefits

Job summary

Onyx-Fire Protection Services Inc. in Mississauga seeks a Collection Team Lead to oversee an assigned portfolio of accounts, coach Collection Specialists, and escalate issues to the Collection Manager.

The role emphasizes discipline, timely follow-up, and accurate documentation in line with company policies. You will drive aging reductions, support dispute resolution, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure cash flow targets and customer service standards are met.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of collections, accounts receivable, credit, or related finance experience.
• Leadership/supervisory or senior collector experience preferred.
• Experience managing complex customer portfolios and collection escalations.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily guidance, coaching, and support to Collection Specialists.
• Monitor portfolio reviews, strategy discussions, and productivity.
• Onboard and train new team members; manage performance development.
• Resolve disputes; ensure timely documentation of notes and communications.
• Lead implementation of collection initiatives and process improvements.
• Collaborate with Operations, Billing, Sales to resolve disputes and aging.
• Lead regional collection activities to meet cash targets and CEI metrics.

Skills

Team Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Negotiation

Analytics

ERP/CRM tools

Microsoft Office

CCP Certification

Education

Post-secondary education in Accounting/Finance/Business

Tools

ERP systems

Collection management tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Collection Team Lead is a working leadership role responsible for managing an assigned portfolio of customer accounts while providing day-to-day leadership, coaching, and operational support to Collection Specialists within the region. The role is responsible for driving collections performance, reducing aged receivables, supporting dispute resolution, strengthening customer account management, and ensuring consistent execution of collection processes. The Collection Team Lead serves as the first point of escalation for collectors and supports the Collection Manager in achieving cash flow, working capital, and customer service objectives. The role aligns with the proposed East/West collections structure designed to improve accountability, coaching, and operational support across the collections function.

Reporting Relationship

Reports To: Eastern Canada Collection Manager or Western Canada Collection Manager.

Direct Reports: Collection Specialists assigned to the respective region.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Coaching

• Provide daily guidance, coaching, and support to Collection Specialists.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews and collection strategy discussions.
• Monitor collector productivity, workload, and compliance with collection procedures.
• Assist with onboarding and training of new team members.
• Support performance management and development initiatives.
• Promote accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Act as the first point of escalation for collectors requiring assistance with customer accounts or collection issues.
• Manage an assigned portfolio of customer accounts and perform collection activities in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Maintain responsibility for collecting overdue balances, securing payments, and reducing aged receivables within the assigned portfolio.
• Develop and execute collection strategies for complex, high-value, or high-risk accounts.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships while balancing collection objectives and customer service requirements.
• Conduct account reviews and proactively identify collection risks.
• Ensure collection notes, promises to pay, disputes, and customer communications are documented accurately and timely.
• Lead by example by demonstrating best practices in collections, customer communication, and account management.
• Balance personal collection responsibilities with leadership and coaching responsibilities.

Collections Operations

• Support achievement of regional and company cash collection targets.
• Monitor aging trends and prioritize collection efforts to reduce delinquent balances.
• Review high-balance and high-risk customer accounts with collectors.
• Ensure timely customer follow-up and escalation of collection issues.
• Support implementation of collection initiatives, policies, and process improvements.
• Assist Collection Managers in executing strategic collection plans and working capital initiatives.
• Monitor dispute aging and ensure timely follow-up.
• Coordinate with Operations, Billing, Sales, and other departments to resolve customer disputes.
• Maintain oversight of dispute tracking and resolution activities.
• Ensure disputes do not remain unresolved beyond established timelines.
• Escalate material or aging disputes to the Collection Manager where appropriate. The proposed structure identifies dispute resolution as a key improvement area requiring greater accountability and management focus.

Credit & Customer Onboarding Support

• Assist with customer credit reviews and credit limit recommendations.
• Support collection and review of vendor and trade references.
• Participate in customer onboarding reviews and risk assessments.
• Ensure compliance with credit policies, approval authorities, and documentation requirements.
• Support continuous improvement of credit review and onboarding processes. The proposed structure specifically calls for stronger ownership of credit reviews and customer onboarding activities.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Review collector scorecards and collection performance metrics.
• Monitor cash collections, aging trends, dispute aging, and collection effectiveness.
• Prepare weekly and monthly performance reporting as required.
• Identify performance challenges and recommend corrective actions.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to the Collection Manager on team performance and process improvements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Reduction in AR over 90 days.
• Achievement of cash collection targets.
• Collection Effectiveness Index (CEI).
• Aging trend improvements within assigned portfolios.
• Dispute resolution turnaround times.
• Promise-to-pay follow-up compliance.
• Collector productivity and portfolio performance.
• Credit review and onboarding turnaround times.
• Accuracy and completeness of collection documentation.

Qualifications

Experience

• 5+ years of collections, accounts receivable, credit, or related finance experience.
• Previous leadership, supervisory, mentoring, or senior collector experience preferred.
• Experience managing complex customer portfolios and collection escalations.

Skills

• Strong knowledge of collections, credit, accounts receivable, and dispute resolution processes.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and customer relationship management skills.
• Ability to coach, motivate, and develop team members.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to prioritize competing responsibilities and manage multiple deadlines.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, collection management tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Post-secondary education in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline.
• CCP designation or other related certifications are an asset.

Success in the Role

• Success in this role will be demonstrated through:
• Reduced AR aging and improved cash collections.
• Increased accountability and consistency across the collection team.
• Faster dispute resolution and improved customer account management.
• Strong coaching and development of Collection Specialists.
• Effective management of both an assigned collection portfolio and team leadership responsibilities.
• Improved support for Collection Managers, allowing increased focus on strategy, escalations, credit governance, and performance improvement initiatives. These objectives align with the business case presented for the proposed collections restructuring.

What We Offer:

• A family-oriented and collaborative work environment.
• Room for professional growth within a rapidly expanding company.
• Best in class benefits package.

Why Join Onyx-Fire Protection Services?

We’re more than just a company—we’re a community. With our headquarters in Mississauga and branches across Canada, we’re trusted by clients nationwide. We’re proud of our high-performance culture and are committed to helping our people grow and succeed.

Onyx-Fire Protection Services is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair and respectful treatment of all individuals. We value diversity as a strength and strive to create an inclusive workplace. In accordance with provincial legislation and our Accommodation Policy, we welcome accommodation requests throughout the hiring process.