Collection Assistant - Arabic Speaking Required

Job Overview

The Collection Assistant plays a vital role within the Finance Department, reporting directly to the Finance Manager. The main responsibility is to ensure timely collection of overdue payments from customers, minimizing credit risks and enhancing cash flow. The position involves consistent interaction with customers and internal teams to track and resolve payment-related issues while maintaining comprehensive collection records.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct daily follow-ups with customers for outstanding invoices and overdue payments using calls, emails, WhatsApp messages, and in-person visits when necessary.
• Extract clear payment commitments and scheduled payment dates, persistently tracking until full payment is received.
• Focus on managing critical, high-value, and long-delayed accounts efficiently.
• Develop and adhere to daily and weekly collection plans and schedules.
• Organize on-site visits for urgent collection cases and devise strategies for accounts with long outstanding balances.
• Meet assigned monthly collection targets effectively.
• Maintain an updated ledger of anticipated collections and commitments.
• Regularly review and reconcile accounts receivable documents including invoices, statements, credit notes, receipts, and resolve discrepancies with the finance team.
• Identify and address unidentified payments, shortfalls, disputes, and ensure accurate application of payments.
• Issue regular account statements to customers and verify balances, investigating and documenting any inconsistencies.
• Manage dispute resolution by liaising with sales, logistics, warehouse, customer service, and finance teams; address invoice, delivery, purchase order, return, credit note, or pricing disagreements promptly.
• Escalate unresolved payment issues to higher management ensuring resolution within agreed timelines.
• Maintain meticulous documentation of all collection interactions, payment commitments, receipts, and confirmations, ensuring audit-readiness.
• Generate daily and weekly reports covering collection activity, payment commitments, overdue aging, critical account balances, disputed invoices, returned cheques, unidentified payments, and collection target achievements.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 2 to 3 years of experience in collections, accounts receivable, credit control, or customer account management.
• Previous work experience in the UAE is preferred; knowledge of regional collection practices is advantageous.
• Possession of a valid UAE driving license is required.

Essential Skills and Attributes

• Excellent communication and negotiation capabilities.
• Professional handling of challenging customer interactions.
• Strong persistence in follow-ups and adeptness in problem-solving.
• Comprehensive understanding of accounts receivable processes and customer account reconciliation.
• Competence in preparing and interpreting aging reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with ERP or accounting software systems.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and achieve collection goals.
• High standards of accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality.
• Fluent English communication skills; proficiency in Arabic is a desirable plus.