Collections Officer at Centum

Principle Accountabilities:

The Collections Officer is responsible for all aspects of managing payment collections, recovering arrears, and ensuring cash is collected as it falls due. The Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing practical plans to enhance cash flows, reduce arrears while constantly monitoring collections and maintaining high level of customer retention.

The collections officer scope will cover the following aspects within our real estate portfolio in Nairobi and Vipingo:

• Collects cash owed by sending arrears reminders and statements to home buyers with missed payments.
• Agree on payment plans with the respective home buyers and further introduce them to banks where Centum Real Estate has organized customer funding packages for mortgage and unsecured funding.
• Follows up with the home buyers and the bank to ensure that customers complete the process by providing documentation to the bank or release the homes back to the market following non-payment by the buyer.
• Analyzes and monitors all receivable balances and proactively works to achieve weekly reduction in outstanding balances as per the agreed payment schedule.
• Prepares arrears cash collection targets for inclusion in weekly cash flow forecast. Coordinates weekly collections & credit control meetings.
• Prepares arrears reports on a regular basis and keeps record of action taken complemented with constant follow up with the home buyer.
• Oversees and initiates collection calls to home buyers in arrears while resolving past and payment due with a primary view of unlocking payment.
• Updates the Customer Relationship Management system with collections received and units that are offered back to the market following the lapse of payment timelines agreed upon with the home buyer.
• Prepares weekly and monthly full arrears reports highlighting both potential and serious arrears with recommended management action.
• Notifies the sales team about units that should be offered back to the market following continued non-payment by the buyers.
• Works in close liaison with home buyers, internal stakeholders, and reports to management on outstanding issues, while highlighting potential payments problems.
• Manages the legal process for the recovery of debt, actively chases arrears accounts and takes the lead in reviewing the overdue customer accounts.
• Updates procedures and policies that ensure timely payments while maintaining a high level of customer retention
• Complies with Data Protection laws in respect of all customer data.

Minimum Requirements

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA- K) or equivalent.
• 3 years’ relevant experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting or related fields from a recognized institution.
• The job holder should have a demonstrable track record and prior experience working within a busy and effective collections, credit control, or debt recovery function in a bank or real estate firm.
• Practical collections and debt recovery experience.
• In-depth knowledge of legal procedures to recover debts.
• Good working knowledge of general ledger, credit monitoring and accounts receivable systems.
• Entrepreneur who executes with speed and understands commercial realities of real estate housing business.
• Ability to generate consistent & sustainable results in a high-performance environment.
• Ability to simplify processes and challenges and identify opportunities.
• Competently negotiates with home buyers, focusing on a solution and maintaining a positive relationship.
• Leadership capability.