Credit Officer

Job description / Role

An exciting opportunity to work with a leading Regional Marketing Communications Group that has been operating across the region for more than 40 years, delivering comprehensive communication solutions to a wide and prestigious base of multinational, regional and local clients.

Description:
• Responsible for the regional strategic and tactical client credit risk policy, procedures, systems, compliance and control.
• Will provide oversight, supervision and accountability for Credit, Accounts Receivable, Collection functions and overall working capital performance.
• Active involvement with Global Network Credit Officer as well as with the Network Regional CFO and Local market CFOs and respective finance teams.
• Position advances regional credit and cash processing initiatives/achieve results that are measurable. 
• Hands on role - working collaboratively across the Network’s financial system. 

Job Function:
• Optimization of cash processing and integration with centralized Group Treasury function. Development of alternative cash processing and banking arrangements to mitigate risk for non-equity/affiliate operations.
• Review, analysis, conclusion and recommendations to and for the Regional CFO regarding the prospective credit and/or equity risks associated with prospective clients / counter parties.
• Make sound, forward-thinking credit and billing/payment risk decisions.
• Timely review, evaluation, and region-wide communication (following assessment of all short-term and long-term client and/or prospect risk approval requests or inquiries) of client payment and/or billing terms and as may be required, any subsequent changes thereto.
• Effective and broad-based use of qualitative and quantitative data, third-party services/reports, real-time information and other necessary measures appropriate.
• Demonstrates a thorough command of sophisticated risk management, credit analysis and transaction structuring skills.
• Understands and effectively balances risk/reward trade-offs and, is conversant with, and pro-active in using banking (letters of credit, bank guarantees) and insurance relationships to support and enhance the firm’s risk management objectives and efforts.
• Oversee the monitoring and approval process for region. Provide assistance to markets in setting required credit limits, assist markets in procuring credit insurance coverage where necessary, and provide input for the rationale for the requested credit limit.
• Design applicant level risk identification tools to assist CFO’s and FD’s with the application decision process.
• Conduct studies of client groups and product types, and develop computer-based models for projections, e.g., cost and profitability, new account acquisition, credit limit setting, and account management.
• Develop and maintain production of monthly, quarterly, and annual credit performance reports and/or audits for senior management.
• Produce appropriate performance monitoring and/or strategy performance, from a risk perspective and overall financial performance.

Requirements

• Minimum 10-15 years experience
• MBA preferred
• Knowledge in Media / Advertising / Marketing Industry is desirable but not essential.
• Concentration in credit & risk management, client collection strategies and banking
• Experience within an institution’s lending risk management group with responsibilities for analyzing and segmenting portfolios to evaluate risk and performance to risk expectation
• Understanding the relationship between the qualitative (descriptions) and quantitative (statistical) aspects of a credit analysis
• Familiar with credit portfolio risk management techniques, including several of the models and approaches that have developed in the marketplace
• Understands the relationship of credit risk to other risks faced by various institutions: market risk, operational risk, liquidity risk, fraud risk, compliance risk, legal risk
• Have working knowledge of using credit insurance as a means to mitigate client risk.

About the Company

MCG Associates is a leading international executive search & recruitment company specialising in the communications industry. We connect many of the world’s most innovative and respected organizations with top talent across entire career lifecycle - from exceptional graduates to top-ranking business leaders. Facilitating our clients’ needs across Account Handling, Creative Design, New Business, Planning, Project Management, Production and Marketing disciplines.