Receivable Specialist (Customer Service)

The company is looking for a Receivable Representative (m/f) based inJohannesburg , South Africa .

The purpose of the job or role:

Receivable Representatives are the customer facing focal point within The Dow Chemical Company who are responsible for establishing effective relationships with our customers while leading internal and external resolution of all invoicing, payment and accounts receivable issues for the assigned customer base. This role is integral to the success of the Company’s cash flow objectives, attaining Company Percent Current & Days Sales Outstanding targets for accounts receivable and in making payment to The Dow Chemical Company a priority for our customers. This job role operates without day to day supervision of activities. The functional competencies of this role are comparable to a Customer Service Representative with respect to accountability and decision making.

Primary Responsibilities:

Under direction and/or supervision of Sr. Receivable Representative (Work Process Coach) and/or PR&H Team Leader, perform the following:

• Contacts customer for payment information on all due and near-due invoices.
• Researches and resolves customer payment discrepancies; works with customer, Sr. Receivables Representative and business to determine what corrective action(s) are required to eliminate future defects.
• Issues customer sales adjustments according to business standards/agreements and validates that adjustments meet internal control compliance by insuring that legal, financial and auditing requirements are met.
• Manages customer account reconciliations (for example, offsets, manual cash applications, and account reinstatements) in order to deliver accurate financial statements for Dow and the customer. Includes managing complex account receivable scenarios due to customer bankruptcy.
• Proactively identifies expiring payment term agreements with our customers, analyzes customer payment behavior against those terms, and recommends to the business an extension or modification to the terms in order to optimize cash flow.

Critical Success Factors:

• Influencing customer payment behaviors while maintaining effective customer relations.
• Influencing internal partner behavior (Errors from other functions and other work processes cause increased workload for a Receivables Rep. Therefore, it is a continual effort of the Receivables Rep to educate other functions, roles and businesses on the impact that their errors have on the customer receivables balances.)
• Due to Dow’s desire to perform at “World Class” levels relative to collection effectiveness, complexity is magnified when accounts require significant daily intervention on the majority of their transactions. Examples include large corporate accounts with decentralized payable departments, customers under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy requiring daily reconciliation of funds against requested shipments, volatile marketplace pricing scenarios requiring continuous customer dialogue and monitoring of receivables.
• As business cycles change and Dow’s participation in volatile industries continues, the long-term challenge will be in sustaining World Class performance in Collection Effectiveness, Days Sales Outstanding and Percent Current to meet the financial needs of the corporation.

Qualifications

Education/Certification/ Experience Requirements

• The most appropriate minimum education for this position is a Bachelors degree.
• Accounting, Finance, Business Management or Business Administration
• Knowledge, skill and ability to develop and implement payment and collection strategies in collaboration with the business strategy and corporate financial targets.
• Ability to continuously seek opportunities to improve and enhance customer payment behaviors, ensure sales adjustments are properly authorized and issued accurately and timely.
• Proven communication (verbal and written), interpersonal, problem solving and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of payment systems and work processes within the industry in order to effectively interact with customer payable and purchasing departments.
• Possesses effective accounting knowledge, proficient use of SAP, knowledge of Dow’s Ledger Structure, working knowledge of Legal, Financial and ISO Audit requirements, proficient in math, Business Objects reporting skills and proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2015, Dow had annual sales of nearly $49 billion and employed approximately 49,500 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 179 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com .

Dow Offers

• Competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits
• An annual variable pay program that rewards team and individual performance while sharing success across the company
• Employee stock ownership – and the commitment to long-term success that it brings
• On-going learning opportunities within a diverse, inclusive and rewarding work environment
• Career experiences that can span different Dow businesses and functions with opportunities for personal and professional growth
• The chance to work within a global company and interact with colleagues from around the world
• Opportunities that spark your imagination and ignite your passion to help others
• Dow is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer