Director of Credit & Accounts Receivable

Position Summary:

Join the Vallen team as the Director of Credit & Accounts Receivable. This role will be responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership of the Credit & Collections and Cash Application departments. This role oversees all activities related to collection activities and credit management to ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficient cash flow. The Director partners with cross-functional leaders to drive process improvement, maintain strong customer relationships, and achieve financial objectives.

Essential Duties and Job Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop the Credit & Collection and Cash Application teams, setting performance goals and providing coaching and training to support professional growth.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee Accounts Receivable (AR) activities including collections, deductions, customer maintenance and cash application to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Oversee and ensure adherence to the company's credit policy; recommend changes as needed based on market or customer conditions.
• Establish and enforce policies and procedures for credit approvals, collections, and dispute resolution.
• Manage investigations of delinquent accounts, and legal actions for uncollected debts.
• Monitor and manage key metrics such as Daily Sales Outstanding (DSO), aging trends, and bad debt reserves, providing executive-level reporting and analysis.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Sales, Customer Service, Operations) to resolve billing issues and ensure smooth end-to-end order-to-cash processes.
• Implement process improvements and automation solutions to increase efficiency and reduce risk.
• Review and analyze customer credit risk, setting appropriate terms and limits in line with company policies.
• Support audit and compliance requirements by ensuring accurate and complete documentation and adherence to internal controls.
• Drive continuous improvement through data-driven decisions, KPIs, and proactive cash management strategies.
• Maintain strong communication channels with internal teams, customers, and executive leadership to ensure accuracy and timely resolution of issues.
• Provide executive-level reporting and insights on AR performance, collections, and credit exposure.
• Collaborate with Finance leadership on cash flow forecasting, working capital management, and policy compliance.
• Other duties assigned by departmental leadership.

Required Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field required.
• 15+ years of progressive Accounts Receivable, Credit, or Finance experience with 5+ years in a management or leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated success leading large AR teams across multiple departments or locations.
• Proven ability to operate and adapt in a fast-paced, high expectation environment.
• Strong understanding of credit risk, collections strategy, and order-to-cash processes.
• Proficiency with ERP systems and data analysis/reporting tools.
• Exceptional leadership, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to present complex financial data clearly to executive leadership.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive measurable performance improvement.
• Strong natural curiosity and drive to mentor team to achieve success.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience within distribution, manufacturing, or industrial services industries.
• Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, and data analytics capabilities.
• Strong background in process automation or ERP implementation projects.
• Experience managing shared services or centralized AR operations.
• Proven success driving KPI improvements, such as reducing DSO and improving working capital efficiency.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

Reasonable accommodations will be evaluated and may be implemented to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of this position.

• Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, etc.
• Regularly required to talk and hear.
• Frequently required to sit.
• Occasionally required to stand and walk.
• Must be able to get self to and from various work locations. This typically requires a valid driver's license to operate a moving vehicle (personal, company, and/or rental).
• May be required to wear various forms of protective equipment (shoes, gloves, protective eyewear, etc.) when making sales calls and/or visiting warehouse, manufacturing, customer and/or supplier facilities.
• May be exposed to facilities subject to seasonal temperature fluctuations (hot in summer, cold in winter) and conditions (dirt, smoke, concrete surfaces, etc.) when viewing and/or demonstrating products.
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Long periods of time working on a computer and performing repetitive key-boarding activities is required.