Debtors Supervisor

Job Purpose:

while maintaining compliance with company policies and strong customer relationships. You will manage government, hospital and institutional debtor accounts.

The role is hands-on and requires full operational involvement, strong leadership, and professional engagement with customers and internal stakeholders.

1. Overall Debtors Function Management

• Full accountability for the end-to-end debtors process across all customer categories
• Ensure accurate and timely invoices for private, public sector, and export customers
• Review and approve credit notes, debit notes, and account adjustments
• Ensure accurate allocation of receipts and clearing of unapplied cash
• Perform and review monthly debtor reconciliations
• Maintain clean and accurate debtor ledgers
• Ensure Debit Turbo Journals are cleared timeously
• Manage day-to-day collections for private and commercial customers
• Enforce agreed payment terms, credit limits, and credit control procedures
• Follow up on overdue accounts via calls, emails, and formal notices
• Negotiate payment arrangements within approved credit policies
• Resolve billing disputes relating to pricing, discounts, deliveries, or returns
• Work closely with Sales to manage customer risk and ongoing supply

1. Private (Commercial) Customer Book

• Manage day-to-day collections for private and commercial customers
• Enforce agreed payment terms, credit limits, and credit control procedures
• Follow up on overdue accounts via calls, emails, and formal notices
• Negotiate payment arrangements within approved credit policies
• Resolve billing disputes relating to pricing, discounts, deliveries, or returns
• Work closely with sales to manage customer risk and ongoing supply

1. Public Sector & Institutional Debtors

• Manage government, hospital, and institutional debtor accounts
• Track outstanding payments in line with public sector payment cycles
• Follow up on claims, remittance advice, and proof of delivery documentation
• Liaise internally on tenders, contracts, pricing, and delivery discrepancies
• Maintain detailed audit trails and supporting documentation
• Attend meetings and engage professionally with public sector stakeholders

1. Export Debtors & Foreign Accounts

• Manage export debtor accounts in accordance with contracts and Incoterms
• Ensure correct foreign currency invoicing and compliance with export requirements
• Monitor export debtor ageing and follow up on overdue balances
• Liaise with logistics, clearing agents, and sales to resolve export billing issues
• Vat treatment
• Maintain accurate export documentation for audit and compliance purposes

1. Credit Control & Risk Management

• Monitor debtor ageing daily and weekly (30 / 60 / 90 / 120+ days)
• Identify high-risk accounts and recommend credit limit changes
• Enforce credit control and escalation procedures where required
• Prepare accounts for legal handover and liaise with attorneys
• Assist management with settlement negotiations and payment plans

1. Reporting & Financial Analysis

• Prepare and review monthly debtors age analysis
• Produce cash collection forecasts and variance analysis
• Report on overdue balances, debtor risk, and collection performance
• Provide detailed management commentary on problem accounts
• Support month-end and year-end financial close processes
• Calculation of outstanding days on overall book per controller
• Balance and check debtors value to ledger
• Ad hoc requests from Head Office

1. Team Supervision & Leadership

• Supervise, coach, and mentor debtors/accounts receivable staff
• Allocate workloads and monitor daily output and accuracy
• Review staff work and ensure adherence to policies and procedures
• Conduct performance management and identify training needs
• Foster a culture of accountability, accuracy, and customer service
• Assist controllers to resolve queries

1. Compliance, Controls & Audit

• Ensure compliance with company credit policies and procedures
• Maintain strong internal controls within the debtors function
• Prepare schedules and documentation for internal and external audits
• Ensure adherence to financial reporting and audit requirements

Job Requirement:

• Diploma / Bachelor's Degree in Credit Management / Finance / Accounting
• 5+ years experience in accounts receivable / senior credit control
• At least 2-3 years in a supervisory or team-lead role
• Experience dealing with high-value or complex debtor accounts advantageous
• Experience in the healthcare / pharmaceutical industry is essential
• Experience with local government hospitals and foreign debtors is essential.
• Working knowledge of the GL
• Advanced knowledge of ERP systems (Oracle or similar)
• Advanced Excel skills (age analysis, reconciliations, pivots, reporting)
• Sound knowledge of South African financial reporting standards
• Working knowledge of export documentation, foreign currency billing, and Incoterms

• Professional, firm, and diplomatic communication style
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with customers and stakeholders
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Confident in handling difficult discussions and escalations
• High level of integrity and accountability