Credit and Collections Manager

AI Job Summary

• Experience leading end-to-end credit, collections, hardship, and vulnerable customer management.
• Experience leading and developing a collaborative, performance-driven collections team.

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Role Type

• Permanent
• Full-time
• Mid-level Senior

TITLE

Credit and Collections Manager

DEPARTMENT

Credit and Collections, Operations

LOCATION

Melbourne

REPORTS TO

Head of Operations

Energy Locals Values

Customer obsessed

Hungry for growth

Commercially grounded

Put teamwork first

Communicate with clarity

Purpose of Role (Why does this role exist, what is it designed to achieve?)

The Credit and Collections Manager leads the end-to-end credit, collections, hardship and vulnerable customer management functions, ensuring timely and effective recovery of customer payments while maintaining positive customer relationships.

This role manages credit risk and credit policy, leads the collections team, and oversees the segmentation and management of hardship and vulnerable customer cohorts to deliver sustainable payment solutions and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements in the energy industry.

The Credit and Collections Manager also manages and develops key external relationships (including external collections agencies, financial counsellors and government support agencies), and partners closely with cross-functional teams to minimise bad debt, enhance cash flow and support the organisation’s financial stability.

This role is classified as a Administrative Grade 7 under the Electrical Power Industry Award 2020.

Type of person most suited to this role

The Credit and Collections Manager will:

• plan and conduct work without detailed supervision, escalating and seeking guidance on unusual or high-risk matters;
• plan, direct, coordinate and supervise the work of other employees, building a collaborative, performance-driven team culture;
• be highly organised and detail-oriented, with a strong focus on accuracy, continuous improvement and controls;
• bring strong credit risk and collections capability, with proven experience minimising bad debt and improving cash flow outcomes;
• be customer-outcome focused, able to maintain positive relationships while confidently managing difficult conversations and disputes;
• demonstrate sound judgement and empathy when working with customers experiencing payment difficulty, hardship or vulnerability;
• effectively manage and monitor hardship customer cohorts, ensuring sustainable payment solutions and appropriate escalation pathways;
• effectively manage and monitor vulnerable customer cohorts, applying a consistent approach to identification, support and case management;
• possess a strong working knowledge of relevant regulatory and compliance obligations impacting collections, hardship and vulnerable customers in the energy sector;
• be a confident negotiator and influencer, able to partner with internal stakeholders to balance financial objectives with compliance and customer care;
• manage and develop external relationships (including external collections agencies, financial counsellors, and government support agencies) to support compliant and effective customer outcomes; and
• be comfortable using billing/collections systems and reporting to analyse cohort performance and drive operational decisions (including strong Excel capability).

Working Environment

• Dynamic
• Fast-paced
• Positive
• Friendly
• Collaborative

Key Areas of Responsibility (Over what areas does this role have responsibility?)

Performance Indicators (How will success be measured?)

Credit Risk Management

Develop and implement credit policies and procedures to assess customer creditworthiness and manage credit risk. Success is measured by the effective minimisation of credit exposure and bad debt write-offs.

Collections Management

Lead and oversee the collections team to ensure timely recovery of overdue payments, while adhering to regulatory guidelines (including pathways for hardship/vulnerable customers). Success is reflected in high internal and agency collection rates, reduced overdue balances, and positive customer interactions.

Hardship Customer Cohort Management

Hardship cohorts are actively managed and monitored (entry/exit, ageing, sustainability of plans); payment arrangements are appropriate, sustainable and compliant; hardship outcomes improve (e.g., reduced re-default, improved arrears resolution); reporting provides clear cohort visibility and trends.

Vulnerable Customer Cohort Management

Vulnerable customer identification and support pathways are implemented and consistently applied; case management outcomes demonstrate improved customer support and reduced escalation/complaints; staff capability and adherence to vulnerability processes and regulations are maintained.

External Relationship Management

Strong, productive relationships with external collections agencies, financial counsellors and government support agencies; clear engagement protocols; measurable improvements in customer outcomes and/or recovery performance; regular reviews and documented performance management.

Customer Dispute Resolution

Oversee the resolution of customer billing and payment disputes, ensuring they are handled efficiently and in line with customer service standards. Success is shown by the quick resolution of disputes and minimised escalations to regulatory bodies. complex disputes involving hardship/vulnerability are handled appropriately and documented.

Regulatory Compliance

Ensure that all credit and collections, hardship and vulnerability obligation activities comply with industry regulations, including energy-specific requirements. Success is demonstrated by full adherence to compliance standards and successful audits.

Team Leadership

Lead, mentor, and develop the credit and collections team, ensuring high performance and alignment with company goals. Success is measured by team engagement, performance, adherence to compliance frameworks and achievement of key targets.

Process Improvement

Identify and implement improvements to credit and collections, hardship and vulnerable customer processes, leveraging technology and best practices to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Success is reflected in optimised workflows and improved collection outcomes.

Stakeholder Collaboration

Work closely with other departments, such as Customer Service, Finance, and Legal, to align credit and collections activities with broader business objectives. Success is shown by effective cross-functional collaboration and seamless integration of credit, hardship and vulnerable customer policies.