International Collections Specialist EMEA

Job Summary

The International Collections Specialist EMEA manages specific finance functions related to the collections of delinquent receivables for a portfolio of accounts in the EMEA region in order to maintain the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WHR) cash flow. They are required to converse and communicate in Turkish and English as a minimum in relation to the portfolio coverage while other languages could be beneficial. 

They work closely with franchisees and the Field Operations team, as well as other internal departments such as Finance and Legal, to ensure that the franchisees'/ hotels' financial obligations to WHR are met in a satisfactory manner. Areas of responsibility mainly include but are not limited to collection and missing withholding tax receipt calls, resolving past due accounts, negotiating payment arrangements, reviewing financial statements, fielding incoming calls, recommending accounts for next collection steps, account reconciliations including submitting write-offs and payment processing details, reconciling withholding tax receipts and VAT (where applicable), and performing withholding and VAT (where applicable) adjustments and other miscellaneous write-offs.  

The Specialist is required to complete the daily identification and application of payments and special projects. They also require an understanding of withholding tax implications, and the ability to identify and resolve financial issues, as well as communicate such issues to Senior Finance management in a timely manner.  

Responsibilities

• Identification, analysis, reconciliation, and application of international payments, including reconciliation of foreign exchange differences.
• Reconcile withholding tax receipts and VAT, and process necessary adjustments.
• Pursue outstanding receivables to maintain WHR cash flow, including but not limited to conducting all means necessary to improve A/R aging and DSO, obtaining and processing withholding tax receipts, and maintaining overall A/R integrity.  
• Facilitate payments from past due accounts or recommend accounts for next steps in the collection process.

Complexity

The International Collections Specialist EMEA has autonomy to process and reconcile withholding tax for individual accounts. Withholding tax write-offs processed by them are prepared independent of direction but require final management approval. Cash applications are performed without supervision and no review prior to processing. The Specialist works to resolve outstanding accounts in a way that directly impacts WHR cash flow. They provide expertise in developing settlement arrangements for collection. They also determine the collectability of receivables and make write-off recommendations. They are expected to work without routine supervision as well as provide valuable insights for senior management to make decisions for achieving the financial goals of the organisation.

Scope/ Financial Responsibility

The International Collections Specialist EMEA has a high level of impact on EMEA cash flow. They are critical to timely processing of payments and write-offs, ensuring accounts reflect accurate amounts due, in turn impacting the collectability of monies. Failure to accurately and efficiently perform their job responsibilities will have a negative impact on cash collections, outstanding withholding tax and VAT (where applicable), unapplied cash, and levels of customer service as issues with accounts will rise. Incorrectly processing tax adjustments has potential tax implications. This position has a measurable impact on the company’s financial performance as it has a direct impact on collections (cash flow) and pursuit/ resolution of outstanding accounts (reduction of bad debt). The role is responsible for improving the A/R aging, improving DSO, obtaining, and processing withholding tax receipts, and maintaining overall A/R integrity. The Specialist oversees the collection process and ensures accurate collection measures are being taken to reduce the overall company liability and exposure.

Abilities/ Key Competencies/ Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Customer focused, with excellent customer service skills
• Heavy phone usage/ volume
• Motivated and persistent, with excellent follow up and negotiation skills
• Detail-oriented and results-driven
• Good organisational and planning skills
• Good problem-solving and decision making skills
• Able to work independently and as part of a team in a fast paced environment
• Able to read and understand operational stats
• Able to understand the impact of market conditions and hotel industry challenges

Experience/ Certificates/ Education

• University degree
• Demonstrable professional experience in Collections, Finance or analytical related role(s)
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, especially Pivot Tables and VLOOKUP 
• Fluent in Turkish and English (other languages are an advantage)
• Hotel experience is a plus.

Organisational Relationships

The International Collections Specialist EMEA reports to the Senior International Collections Specialist EMEA, also taking direction from the Manager, Financial Services, Collections & Reporting EMEA.