Senior Manager – Credit and Accounts Receivable

Our Memphis office is looking for an experienced finance leader to lead our Credit and Accounts Receivable team. The Senior Manager reports to the Director of Finance in Memphis. This position provides leadership to the Credit and Accounts Receivable functions in the Service Center to help drive the realization of West Fraser’s finance transformation strategy. The transformation is the ongoing development, implementation, and optimization of the Finance operating model for West Fraser. The new operating model is aimed at always positioning West Fraser for sustainable growth and delivering significant operational and enterprise benefits.

The Service Center serves as the first point of contact to provide AP, Expense, AR, Credit, and Collections-related transactional services to West Fraser employees and suppliers. It supports routine inquiries, core transactional processing, administrative support, and data and records management.

The Senior Manager position leads the customer credit and cash collections team, and the Accounts Receivable team. The Credit role is responsible for balancing risk management with commercial objectives, fostering a continuous improvement culture, deploying technology-enabled solutions to the credit and cash collections process, and building constructive business partnerships with sales and marketing. The Accounts Receivable role ensures that customer payments are accurately applied and reconciled, customer account transactions are accounted for and problems are resolved. The Credit team and the Accounts Receivable team are located in various offices in the company.

The Senior Manager will have experience with SOX internal control processes and design. They will work with our internal audit department to assess our process flows and ensure they are appropriately designed, documented, and implemented. You will ensure the team follows our accounting policies and procedures and will have a strong understanding of finance and accounting.

We are looking for a self-starter, creative problem solver, and strong communicator who thrives on new challenges and has an achievement-oriented mindset. You will have a keen interest in continuous improvement, bringing innovation and automation to the financial process, and have strong analytical skills.

Key Duties:

Credit-Related Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of credit and collections professionals in the effective and timely management of our Credit function. Set team goals and measure successes, conduct Performance Feedback Sessions, develop team members, salary reviews, and adjustment recommendations, recommend staff changes as required, and coach to manage workload requirements.
• Develop and implement a centralized model for credit and collections that support the operating footprint of the company and its customers.
• Complete assigned end-of-month/quarter/financial year reporting of Credit metrics and analyses in a timely and accurate manner.
• Compile and review customer financial statement analyses, and risk ratings, and deploy credit monitoring tools to establish credit limits for new and existing customers.
• Manage a global portfolio of customer accounts with the intent to increase volume, minimize losses and work with customers on alternative financial/credit options for facilitating orders.
• Responsible for annual portfolio maintenance including requesting annual financial statements for all borrowers and LOC renewals, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Treasury and Risk Management on the use of credit insurance.
• Interact with key internal sales and sales support personnel regarding investment limits, customer results, and expectations.
• Manage customer accounts receivable and aid the Collections Associates as needed with difficult collection efforts.
• Recommend amounts for bad debt reserves and recommend write-offs of uncollectible items or accounts.
• Lead a monthly credit committee review with cross-functional executives review of credit risks and exposures.
• Communicate with customers and Sales management to understand customers’ business plans and credit needs. Ensure customer compliance with terms and conditions.

Accounts Receivable-Related Responsibilities

• Accountable for the cash application function and team and works with AR Supervisor to establish ways to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Supports internal and external audit activities and ensures that month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close happen in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensure that processes are designed and implemented to accurately apply customer payments, reconcile customer account transactions, and resolve problems.
• Assists the AR and Credit teams in consulting with strategic customers to resolve complaints about financial and credit transactions.
• Identifies and ensures the development, use, and communication of AR metrics reports.

Other Responsibilities:

• Establish a strategic agenda for improvement and management of the order-to-cash process, aligning with key stakeholders in other teams to identify best practices and ensure strategic implementation of priorities.
• Lead best practices and trends relevant to services delivery and related technologies, identifies and pursue process improvement and automation opportunities.
• Be a champion of process improvement, participate in process change initiatives, and eliminate/reduce non-value-added work.
• Working with the IT and Finance Transformation teams in the identification, prioritization, and selection of systems and technologies to support leading practice Credit and AR processes and activities.
• Support SOX guidelines and assist to meet audit requirements.
• Serve as the key relationship liaison with Sales organization leadership.
• Mentor and lead Credit and AR teams in their professional development plans and building career progression pathways and opportunities.

Experience and Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting required
• CPA professional designation preferred
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience required
• Prior experience managing the Credit and AR functions and leading teams
• CCE designation through National Association of Credit Management (NACM) or willingness to pursue required
• Exceptional analytical, quantitative, and statistical skills
• Advanced quantitative and analytical skills
• Strong finance skills, along with an understanding of financial reporting and cash flow information
• Must be detail-oriented and able to balance multiple responsibilities and tasks while meeting deadlines
• Solid computer skills with proficiency in MS Excel and working with large ERP/Financial Systems (preferably Oracle EBS and JD Edwards)
• Ability to act and operate independently with minimal daily direction to accomplish objectives
• Ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, and outside parties to maximize performance, creativity, problem-solving, and results

• Must be able to travel via car and air when required

Outstanding benefits package including:

Benefits starting Day 1
Competitive starting pay
On-the-job training
A culture that strongly believes in promoting from within
Medical
Dental
Vision
401K with company matching & additional retirement contribution
Employee Share Savings Plan
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Paid vacations and holidays

Apply:

If you are ready to build your career in a company that thrives on growth, a safe work environment, rewarding work, challenge, and opportunity, come build your career with us at West Fraser: www.westfraser.com/careers.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Please apply through our online application process. Be sure to attach your resume to your online profile as resumes will not be accepted at the site. No phone inquiries, please.

West Fraser is a diversified wood products company producing lumber, OSB, LVL, MDF, plywood, pulp, newsprint, wood chips, and energy with over 60 facilities in Canada, the United States, and Europe. We are the largest lumber producer in North America, a leading global manufacturer of wood-based panels, and the world’s largest producer of oriented strand board (OSB).

We are a growing company, believe strongly in promoting from within, and pride ourselves on providing a challenging environment with continuous development. The successful candidate should be interested in future growth opportunities within the company

West Fraser believes inclusive, diverse teams build a more vibrant workforce, safer operations, and a stronger company overall. We strive to create workplaces and leadership teams that are reflective of the diverse communities we are a part of. We will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or any other protected legal characteristic.

West Fraser is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D & Drug-Free Workplace