Credit & Collections Lead

Location:

The Credit & Collections Lead spearheads special projects aimed at improving collections efficiency and effectiveness. This role plays a critical part in optimizing collections strategies and driving performance improvements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Analysis and Strategy

• Collect, analyze, and interpret collections data to identify trends, areas of improvement, and potential risks.

• Identify, prioritize and address high-risk accounts, potential credit problems, disputes and other customer issues.

• Play a key role in the definition and enhancement of collections strategies.

• Identify opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the collections process.

• Consistently provide Supervisor and team with effective ways to significantly reduce past due portfolio below divisional goals.

Customer relationship management

• Manage a portfolio of accounts or projects with high past due balances or delinquency risk.

• Contact customers via phone, email, or mail to discuss outstanding debts and payment options.

• Maintain a professional and empathetic demeanor during interactions.

• Design innovative communication strategies aimed at enhancing customer response.

• Correct account errors, including misapplied payments, reversed late charges and over payments.

• Facilitate meetings as necessary with appropriate Airgas / Customer stakeholders to resolve account receivable related issues.

• Proactively research disputes root cause and billing issues in customer portals such as Ariba, Taulia, Tungsten, etc.

• Collaborate with various Order To Cash actors to eliminate the billing and/or errors before they happen.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate records of all customer interactions, agreements, and payment schedules.

• Update customer account information as needed.

• Ensure compliance with collections policies, regulations, and ethical guidelines.

• Maintain detailed documentation of analysis, improvement initiatives, and project outcomes.

• Prepare and present findings, recommendations, and progress reports to management.

People

• Develop and maintain quality relationships with the sales function to support and accelerate collection efforts.

• Provide training and guidance to collections staff on best practices and new processes.

• Share insights and findings with the team to enhance overall performance.

Required Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business or a related field (in lieu of degree 5 or more years of credit and collection experience will be considered).

Required Length & Type of Experience:

• 5+ years collections or customer service experience

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Customer service mindset

• Analytical and strategic skills

• Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities.

• Ability to work independently and drive change within the department.

• Experience with SAP / other ERP systems a plus

Offers of employment will be conditional upon successful completion of a background check and drug test.

Airgas will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the FCIHO.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Able to talk, hear, and walk sit: use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel or crouch.

• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to focus objects required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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We care about and support our Airgas Families. This is evident not only through our competitive compensation but also through a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision plans, vacation, sick time, floating holidays, and paid holidays for full-time employees.

We provide a progressive parental leave package for our eligible Airgas parents, offering generous paid time off for the birth or placement of children, including 14 weeks of paid child birth benefit for birth mothers on leave, as well as paid parental leave benefits for other associates.

Additionally, we offer our employees a 401k plan with company matching funds, tuition reimbursement, discounted college tuition for employees' dependents, and an Airgas Scholarship Program for dependent children.

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Your differences enhance our performance

At Airgas, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or any other protected characteristic. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Information

We are an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Please click here to view the EEO Know Your Rights poster and here to view the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination poster. Airgas, an Air Liquide Company invites any applicant and/or employee to review the Company's written Affirmative Action Plan or Policy Statement. This plan or policy statement is available for inspection upon request.

Airgas, an Air Liquide Company and its group of companies does not discriminate against qualified applicants with disabilities and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to the known disabilities of such individuals so as to ensure equal access to benefits and privileges of employment. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, please contact us by email at us-accommodationrequest@airgas.com.

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