Reporting to the Director-Corporate Credit, the role is responsible for the credit management and collections activity for the Kohler Businesses in EMEA. The EMEA Credit Manager is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the financial controls, providing support for decision-making and building relationships across the region’s businesses. A key to the success in this position is to provide the various managed businesses with full credit support within the parameters of prudent risk exposure, profitability, and acceptable accounts receivable turnover rates.

The role must maintain the highest level of integrity and candor to all key management levels of our external customers and Kohler Co businesses. In addition, assist in overseeing policy, procedure, people and process development.

• Develop, mentor and provide direction to associates reporting to this role.
• Provide leadership to associates both onsite and remote and foster team development and learning to help secure succession planning for the company.
• Manage the credit granting and collections of accounts receivable of the assigned business portfolio within established policies and procedures.
• Provide credit support concerning the customer base within these groups.
• Serve as the main contact point for inquiries from the groups concerning credit issues.
• Determine if circumstances warrant a customer credit analysis outside of the established timetable due to changing circumstances and ensure that the analysis is completed in a timely manner.
• Ensure full compliance to global corporate credit policies for all sales activities and credit risk coverage
• Ensure that security and collateral are obtained, maintained, and properly filed with agencies, banks, or other institutions. All security instruments are reviewed for completeness and to ensure they meet all legal requirements to guarantee any payment due under the security instrument will be paid.
• Consult with the Director-Corporate Credit on all larger magnitude high-risk clients to ensure adequate control is maintained.
• Develop and maintain a strong knowledge of the business units supported and industries, as well as worldwide conditions that may affect our regional credit and collections.
• Maintain state-of-the-art credit and collections knowledge and expertise
• Monitor, consolidate, analyze and report monthly credit and collection performance; monitor and approve bad debt provision and ensure that all credit losses are provided for.
• Prepare and execute cross functional / business governance meetings; assist in the review of credit exposure, credit limits, insured limits and uncovered limits.
• Build and develop relationships across the business as well as different functional areas.
• Responsible for maintaining and enhancing the system of internal controls for the Order to Cash process for the region’s businesses.
• Use feedback from internal and external auditors to identify internal control weaknesses.
• Liaise with internal customers and external customers to ensure any issues are resolved in a timely basis and service delivery targets are met.
• Manage the transition of new business into the Regional Credit COE, with an adherence to company policy and a focus on standardization of processes.
• Responsible for continuously improving the businesses financial processes from a quality and productivity perspective
• Use benchmarking and best practice information to gain perspective.
• Recommend, develop and implement new technology and systems to drive forward continuous improvement.
• Travel to support businesses and customers is expected of this role whenever necessary to ensure corporate expectations are met.
• Hybrid working – with a minimum of 3 days per week working from our office in Quedgeley, Gloucester

Core Competencies

• In addition to exhibiting the management level Core Competencies of: Build Trust, Drive Continuous Improvement, Focus on the End Customer, and Set High Standards of Performance, this person must exhibit competency in:
• Communication & Influencing Skills
• Motivating and Developing Others
• Decision Making
• Highly motivated to deliver excellent Customer Service
• Professional Knowledge and Skill
• Resilient and flexible in a changing environment

Skills/Requirements

• European Credit experience is essential.
• A strong proven management background within a multinational/global organization is preferred
• Shared Services experience beneficial
• Language skills such as German or Dutch highly desirable
• Proven supervisory skills and demonstrated ability to work with Senior Leadership
• Depth of Management of Credit function is essential
• Bachelor degree is preferred
• Recognized Credit Management or Accountancy Qualification is desirable.
• CICM Qualification preferred
• Exposure to other finance areas (General Accounting, Treasury and Payroll) is a plus.