International Collections Specialist EMEA

Job Summary

This individual will manage 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. The qualified candidate will be required to converse and communicate in English as a minimum in relation to the portfolio coverage and other languages could be beneficial. 

In addition they will work closely with franchisees and Field Operations, as well as internal departments mainly Finance and Legal, ensuring that franchisees' and 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 perform withholding and VAT (where applicable) adjustments and other miscellaneous write-offs.  

The individual will also be required to complete the daily identification and application of payments and special projects. 

They require an understanding of withholding tax implications. Additionally, they are required to identify and resolve financial issues, as well as communicate such issues to Senior Finance management on a timely basis.  

Responsibilities

• Deputise for the Manager and supervise the team in their absence for their tasks and areas of responsibility within the team. 
• 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 the A/R aging, improving 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 position has autonomy to process and reconcile withholding tax for individual accounts.  
• Withholding tax write-offs processed by the Specialist 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. This position provides expertise in developing settlement arrangements for collection.  
• The Specialist will also determine the collectability of receivables and make write-off recommendations. The position is expected to work without routine supervision.  
• The position is expected to provide valuable insights for senior management to use to make decisions for achieving the financial goals of the organisation.

Scope/ Financial Responsibility

• The individual 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 the 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 individual oversees the collection process and ensures accurate collection measures are being taken to reduce the overall company liability and exposure.

Abilities/ Key Competencies/ Skills

• Must speak and write in English (German plus an additional language is advantageous)
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel
• Motivated and detail-oriented person who is able to work independently in a fast paced environment
• Well-developed negotiation skills
• Heavy phone usage/ volume
• Must be persistent with excellent follow up skills 
• Good problem-solving and decision making skills
• Must be results driven and results oriented 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Good organisational and planning skills
• Must work well with others and be able to contribute to a team
• Proficient with computers is required
• Customer focused with excellent customer service skills
• Able to read and understand operational stats
• Understand impact of market conditions and hotel industry challenges

Experience/ Certificates/ Education

• University degree
• Demonstrable professional experience in Collections, Finance or an analytical role
• Highly proficient in Excel, especially Pivot Tables and VLOOKUP 
• Hotel experience is a plus