Accounts Receivable Lead

National Society for Black Engineers; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Accounts Receivables Tower Lead to enhance operational efficiency within its global finance function. This role involves managing the entire AR process, from invoicing to collections, while fostering a high-performance team environment. The ideal candidate will leverage data analytics to drive improvements and ensure compliance with financial controls. This position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the APAC region, collaborating closely with various stakeholders to resolve issues and optimize processes. If you're passionate about finance and looking to lead a dynamic team, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of AR processes and financial controls.

Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end AR process, including invoicing and collections.
• Lead a team of AR professionals and ensure operational efficiency.

Skills

Leadership

Accounts Receivable Management

Problem Solving

Communication

Data Analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Professional accounting certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA)

Tools

ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP)

Power BI

Excel

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

As the lead for AR within the GBSC, this position will collaborate closely with the APAC Accounting Director to manage financial reporting and help with cash flow forecasting. The Accounts Receivables Tower Lead will be a key liaison between the finance function and the broader organization, ensuring smooth communication and prompt resolution of any financial issues that arise in the accounts receivables process.

This position offers an exciting opportunity for someone looking to make an impact on the operational efficiency of a global finance function, particularly in the APAC region, and to contribute to the overall success of the company's financial operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational Management
- Manage the end-to-end AR process, including invoicing, cash application, collections, deductions, and dispute resolution.
- Ensure timely and accurate application of customer payments against outstanding invoices.
- Collaborate with customers, commercial teams, and internal stakeholders to resolve disputes and discrepancies.
- Oversee the collection process, from sending reminders to customers with overdue balances to making direct contact for resolution and ensuring collections targets are met.
- Support country Business Controllers in the review of customer payment terms and credit limits.
- Review AR aging reports to identify overdue accounts and take action to mitigate risk of bad debt.
- Collaborate with the APAC Accounting Director to align AR forecasting with broader financial planning and ensure liquidity requirements are met.
- Act as the key contact for regional finance teams, business units, and auditors on AR-related issues.

People Management
- Lead and guide a team of AR professionals, ensuring the efficient and accurate execution of daily AR functions within the SSC.
- Foster a collaborative and high-performance team environment by providing leadership, training, coaching, and performance feedback.
- Ensure adequate staffing levels and allocate tasks to meet operational deadlines and close calendar requirements.
- Promote continuous learning and development opportunities to enhance the team's skillset and capabilities.

Reporting & Analytics
- Track and report key AR metrics, such as DSO (Days Sales Outstanding), unapplied cash, overdue balances, and collection efficiency.
- Provide regular performance updates to senior management, highlighting achievements, risks, and mitigation plans.
- Leverage data analytics to identify trends, improve collection strategies, and reduce overdue debt.

Process Improvement and Automation
- Identify and implement process improvement initiatives to drive efficiency, reduce manual work, and increase automation.
- Support implementation of new AR tools and systems, including RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and system upgrades.
- Drive standardization of AR processes across regions and ensure adherence to global templates and best practices.

Governance, Controls and Compliance
- Ensure AR processes are compliant with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements and internal control frameworks.
- Support internal and external audit requests related to AR, providing documentation and responses in a timely manner.
- Ensure the AR team operates in accordance with global finance policies and local statutory requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
- Work closely with commercial, sales, and customer service teams to address customer-related AR issues.
- Build strong relationships with key customers to improve payment behaviors and address recurring issues.
- Collaborate with Order-to-Cash (O2C), FP&A, IT, and Treasury teams to drive cross-functional initiatives.

Any other projects or duties assigned by APAC Accounting Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field. Professional accounting certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA) is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team to achieve performance goals, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of AR processes, ERP systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP), and financial controls.
• Ability to resolve complex AR issues and disputes with a focus on root cause analysis.
• Proficiency in reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Excel) for AR performance tracking and analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for stakeholder engagement and customer interactions.
• Experience working in a GBSC environment is preferred.
• Strong ability to find out current/future risks to prevent accounting/process deficiencies and strong problem solving and project management skills.
• Good English proficiency and Japanese capabilities to support other APAC markets.
• Collaboration/teamwork/respect-each-other mindset in a humble/friendly way.
• Strong ethics as a finance professional.