Senior Credit Controller

Cera; Colchester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and development for your role

Lifeworks discount platform

Refer a Friend scheme

Job summary

Cera is seeking an experienced Senior Credit Controller for a fixed-term 6-month contract to manage a live portfolio across Local Authorities, the NHS and private clients. You will triage disputed invoices, resolve aged balances and ensure timely payment, working closely with the Invoicing Team and Operations.

The role requires strong credit control experience within Health and Social Care, excellent communication with public sector bodies, and capability to balance analytical and operational

Qualifications

• Significant credit control experience within Health and Social Care finance environments.
• Confident dealing with Local Authority and NHS commissioning/finance contacts.
• Strong analytical skills to triage disputed invoices and drive resolution.

Responsibilities

• Act as a credible point of contact for Local Authority and NHS bodies to support faster resolution of complex queries.
• Communicate with Local Authorities, NHS, private clients and representatives to collect current and historic balances.
• Lead triage of complex disputed invoices and coordinate actions across Operations, Invoicing and Commissioners.
• Process credit notes and amended invoices.
• Monitor unallocated cash to ensure receipts can be allocated.
• Manage Direct Debit and card payment processes.
• Report to Credit Control Manager on key account issues.
• Attend debt meetings with Operational Managers and drive cash collection KPIs.

Skills

Credit control

Local Authority liaison

NHS liaison

Job description

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Health and Social Care finance professional to make a fast, visible impact: taking ownership of a live portfolio, getting to grips with long- standing Contracts, resolving disputed invoices, and using strong Local Authority and NHS relationships to clear a path to payment within a focused 6-month period.

What you'll bring, at a glance:

• Strong Health and Social Care finance / credit control experience
• Confidence dealing directly with Local Authority and NHS bodies
• Sharp analytical skills to triage disputed invoices and resolve them

We are recruiting a Senior Credit Controller on a Fixed Term Contract for 6 months to strengthen the team through a period of focused debt resolution activity. The Senior Credit Controller will work as part of a capable and experienced team, taking responsibility for a customer portfolio and ensuring timely payment for all Local Authority, NHS and Private Client accounts, with particular focus on triaging and resolving disputed and some aged invoices in an allocated portfolio.

A mix of skills and approaches will be required in this team, understanding the differing nature of collecting payment from a local authority, the NHS and a private client. The credit control team is required to work closely with the Invoicing Team to ensure that issues with customer accounts are dealt with promptly and in a consistent manner. The team is charged with providing a professional, responsive and efficient support service to the wider Finance Team and Operations.

Responsibilities:

• Act as a confident and credible point of contact for Local Authority and NHS bodies, building strong working relationships to support faster resolution of higher-value or more complex queries.
• Communicate directly with Local Authorities, NHS, private clients and their relatives or nominated representatives, via letter, email and telephone, to proactively resolve issues to collect current and historic balances.
• Take the lead on triaging complex disputed invoices, identifying the root cause of each dispute and driving the necessary actions across Operations, Invoicing and Commissioners to unblock payment and resolve the query.
• Process credit notes and associated amended invoices,
• Monitor unallocated cash within the portfolio to ensure receipts can be allocated
• Manage Direct Debit and card payment processes for your clients
• Report regularly to the Credit Control Manager on key account issues.
• Host and attend debt meetings with Operational Managers
• Achieve KPIs aimed at maximising cash collection
• Communicate effectively to escape issues for resolution to ensure that they are resolved efficiently.

This list of key responsibilities is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as reasonably required.

Person Specification

• Significant credit control / accounts receivable experience gained within a Health and Social Care, home care, or wider NHS-related finance environment.
• Confident and credible in dealing directly with Local Authority and NHS commissioning and finance contacts, with a strong understanding of their invoicing, funding and query resolution processes.
• Strong finance and analytical skills, with proven ability to reconcile accounts and triage the underlying causes of disputed invoices, and identify the necessary actions to unblock and resolve them.
• Proven track record of managing a complex customer portfolio, reducing aged debt and driving down disputed and unallocated balances.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across Operations, Invoicing and external commissioners.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, quickly getting up to speed within a fixed term, time-limited assignment.
• Confident user of MS Excel and finance/billing systems, comfortable interrogating account data to support query resolution.

You’ll have access to:

• Training and development for your role and future Career with Cera
• Lifeworks discount platform and Employee Assistance Programme
• Refer a Friend scheme

What’s it like to be part of the Cera Team?

Our team is made up of academics, innovators, start-up accelerators and care experts, all connected by a vision to build a better future for care through the combination of best-in-class carers, empowered by technology.

You have the opportunity to join a purpose-driven company at the tipping point of transformation. You’ll play a key part in the evolution of Cera and make a real impact, now and in the future.

We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being to create a workplace where you value yourself and feel proud of who you are. We believe in a world where you have the freedom to explore and express yourself without judgement, no matter who you are or where you’re from. Where individuality is a source of confidence, because difference makes the world a better place. People from cultural or gender diverse backgrounds, women and people with disability are encouraged to apply.