Position Overview
The Debtors Manager is responsible for the effective management of the institution’s student and corporate debtor portfolios, ensuring the accurate billing, collection, and reconciliation of all revenue streams. This role safeguards the institution’s financial sustainability by maximizing fee collections, minimizing bad debt exposure, and maintaining strong relationships with
Key Responsibilities
- Billing and Account Management
- Oversee the accurate and timely generation of student and corporate invoices, statements, and account reconciliations.
- Ensure tuition fees, registration deposits, accommodation costs, short-course fees, and ancillary charges are correctly billed.
- Verify and process bursaries, scholarships, sponsorships, corporate funding, and financial aid allocations.
- Work closely with Admissions, Academic Administration, Corporate Business, and Operations teams to ensure enrolments, withdrawals, programme changes, and contract amendments are accurately reflected in billing systems.
- Ensure all corporate contracts and funding agreements are invoiced according to agreed commercial terms.
- Credit Control and Collections
- Develop and implement effective collection strategies for student, sponsor, and corporate accounts.
- Manage payment plans, debit orders, sponsorship arrangements, and repayment agreements.
- Monitor aged debtors and proactively follow up on outstanding accounts through calls, emails, and formal collection processes.
- Engage with corporate clients and sponsoring organisations to ensure compliance with contractual payment terms.
- Manage escalations to debt collection agencies, attorneys, or legal representatives where required.
- Reduce debtor days and minimise bad debt while maintaining positive stakeholder relationships.
- Stakeholder Relationship Management
- Resolve complex account queries related to billing, payments, sponsorships, and outstanding balances.
- Provide professional financial guidance to students, parents, sponsors, and corporate clients.
- Negotiate practical payment solutions that balance student success with institutional cash-flow requirements.
- Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal departments and external funding partners.
- Financial Reporting and Compliance
- Perform monthly debtor reconciliations and ensure alignment with the General Ledger.
- Monitor debt provisions and recommend write-offs in accordance with institutional policies.
- Prepare weekly and monthly debtor reports, age analyses, collection performance reports, and cash-flow forecasts.
- Support internal and external audit processes.
- Ensure compliance with financial regulations, institutional policies, contractual obligations, and POPIA requirements.
- Identify collection risks and recommend corrective actions to management.
- Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop the Credit Control and Debtors team.
- Establish performance targets and collection KPIs.
- Monitor team productivity and implement process improvements to enhance operational effectiveness.
- Foster a culture of accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with Finance, Corporate Business, Student Services, and Executive Management to achieve revenue and collection objectives.
Qualifications and Experience
Minimum Requirements
- Degree in Finance, Accounting, Credit Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in debtors, credit control, or accounts receivable management.
- At least 3 years’ experience managing a finance or collections team.
- Experience within higher education, training, professional education, or a service-driven environment.
- Experience managing both student and corporate debtors will be advantageous.