Debt Escalation & Enforcement Manager

This opportunity has a base salary to £55,000, plus a generous 10% pension & up to 10% bonus - £65,000 package.

Anthony Cole Associates are pleased to be partnering with a nationwide Property / Real Estate organisation that supply essential services to the country. To provide further depth to the Debt Management team, they are looking to hire a Debt Escalation & Enforcement Manager to join asap. This will be a challenging but highly rewarding role that will be mainly REMOTE BASED, however the ability to travel to the client’s main offices in London / The Midlands / The Northwest or one of the 300 buildings located nationally 2 days a week is required.

The successful candidate will be a member of the Debt Management team ensuring that all aspects of debt enforcement are conducted in accordance with the debt management policy and take responsibility for managing the day-to-day escalation process ensuring it is undertaken in a professional and timely manner. You will be required to engage effectively at all levels both internally and externally, manage complex and challenging matters relating to the debt enforcement process and be able to complete related tasks and produce the required debt related reporting in the agreed time limits.

As a member of the Finance team the post holder will also be required to assist in other daily finance functions as required, provide line management and support to the wider debt management team roles, and will act up to cover in the absence of the Head of Debt Management.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Debt Escalation Process

• Identify escalation cases create and manage a regular pipeline of potential enforcement actions with recommendations for recovery of aged debt.
• Manage and report on the dunning letter process with the Credit Control team.
• Identifying gaps and poor payment performance trends.
• Reviewing aged debt and engagement with the Credit Controllers and RPFM's.
• Producing final payment requests (Stage 3 - pre LBA).
• Engage in debt settlement negotiations with tenants in arrears.
• Contribute to innovate and pragmatic collection strategies including the recovery of historic delinquent debt.

Legal Enforcement

• Preparing cases for legal action through completion of due diligence and working with the Property and Lease support teams.
• Requirement to attend Court and or Mediation meetings as required.
• Attend monthly meetings with the Debt Review Group.
• Attend Escalation Panels with the wider Community.
• Prepare papers for the submission of potential legal action to the Assurance Panel and manage the debt through the same process.

Meetings

• Take ownership and drive the monthly Regional Top debt review meetings.
• Manage the monthly pipeline case reviews.
• Support regular legal action progress reviews and consider / discuss alternative strategies on a case-by-case basis.

Engagement & Reporting

• Reporting on a summary of enforcement progress month on month.
• Consolidated enforcement report to be shared with appropriate internal and external stakeholders.
• Contact with the wider community.
• Direct Tenant Engagement, Teams & F2F.
• Excel & Sage reports.
• Support case preparation & presentations.

Other

• Taking responsibility and providing responsibility in the absence of the Head of Debt Management.
• Line Management, mentoring and providing support to the wider Debt Management team.

Communication

• Communicating proactively within the finance team and the wider company, as necessary.
• Interacting with other departments as required.
• Interact with our internal and external customers.
• Participate in finance team events as required (along with other team members).

Development

• Participate in all aspects of continuous improvement to processes.
• Develop and maintain a fit for purpose control environment.
• Maintain strong working relationships across the finance community.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Credit Management Qualification (CICM qualified or equivalent).
• Experience of litigation processes and procedures.
• Experience of managing a legal case load with Solicitors.
• Skilled presenter with the ability to engage and connect at Senior Management and Director levels.
• Experienced in writing business case papers with the ability to demonstrate effective delivery at senior levels of engagement.
• Ability to present to wider external finance teams.
• Strong time management & organisational skills.
• Competent excel user (Pivot tables, v-lookups etc).
• Any experience within the Real Estate / Property Management or similar industry would be preferred, though not essential.