A finance professional who supervises an accounts receivable department, where funds due to a company, organization, or person are collected from payees, is known as an accounts receivable supervisor. In some companies, accounts receivable is combined with accounts payable, the department in charge of outgoing expenses, and the combined department’s supervisor is referred to as an accounts receivable/payable supervisor. Accounts receivable supervisor job openings occur on a fairly regular basis, particularly in urban areas.
Accounts receivable supervisor responsibilities vary depending on the size of the company. The supervisor may be in charge of several employees or the entire department. Issuing invoices, processing payments, working out payment plans, issuing reminder calls or invoices, revoking lines of credit to customers who have fallen behind on payments, engaging in collections activity, and referring radically overdue accounts to collections are all examples of accounts receivable tasks.
This type of work necessitates adaptability and flexibility. The accounts receivable supervisor may be required to handle multiple people’s input at the same time, as well as process a large amount of paperwork in a single day. To track accounts, identify when an account is falling behind, and so on, an eye for organization is also necessary. If the accounts receivable supervisor is in charge of a team, he or she must be good with people and able to work with people from various backgrounds.
In terms of training and work experience, different companies have different expectations of an accounts receivable supervisor. Some employers demand that candidates have at least five years of experience in accounts receivable. Others may look for people with accounting degrees or training, while others may accept people with basic office experience, accounting experience in other areas, and so on. Being bilingual can be advantageous in situations where a company works with people who speak different languages.
Accounts receivable supervisors can be hired in a variety of ways. Working one’s way up through the company ranks, starting in accounts receivable or another accounting department, is one way to gain relevant experience, skills, and training. Someone can work their way up to supervisory positions applying for higher-ranking positions over time. Another option is to get training in school and apply for a job as a supervisor, or to get varied work experience as a mid-level employee in a large department and apply for a job as a supervisor with a different company.