Collections Manager

Department: Fiscal Services

Classification: Financial Svcs Specialist 1

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Starting at $60k, commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Student Accounts Office provides professional, efficient, and effective payment, deposit, and receivable collection services to students, parents, faculty, and staff, and maintains internal controls to ensure associated financial transactions are accurately processed and proper records are maintained.

About the Position:

The Collections Manager directs departmental activities in a manner that applies policies fairly, maximizes service, and ensures procedures support fiscal responsibility and accountability.

Responsibilities:

Leadership:

• Responsible for the supervision of the Account Loan Management team to deliver exemplary service to students, as well as internal and external customers. Ensures staff is knowledgeable with office policies and procedures and committed to the highest level of customer service. Coordinates and assists with appropriate outreach to students with past due balances, and handles escalated matters as needed. Responsible for all aspects of performance management including training, goal setting, monitoring and delivery of work efforts, and providing feedback through verbal updates and written performance reviews to the team. Adheres to legal and university policies and procedures and undertakes disciplinary actions as needed.

Compliance and Financial Controls:

• Responsible for financial controls in collections and university or other loan programs. Develops and maintains a program that reduces defaulted student accounts write-off cost by focusing on earlier identification and intervention of "at risk" accounts before the start of the collection process. Monitors and evaluates operational effectiveness, and affects change required for improvements. Enforces Commonwealth Accounting Policies and Procedures (CAPP) Manual and Virginia Code requirements regarding past due receivables thereby managing risk and ensuring proper fiscal stewardship of university resources. Ensures loan programs are maintained following university and federal requirements.

Monthly Clearing Account Reconciliations and Other Duties:

• Assists General Accounting with completing research related to clearing account reconciliation. Meets internal deadlines set for reconciliations. Performs other related departmental duties as needed.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Experience in collections (typically at least 2 years) and supervisory experience (typically at least 2 years) in a customer service environment;
• Experience in accounts receivable;
• Knowledge of collection laws;
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities;
• Proven organizational abilities to manage multiple tasks simultaneously;
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including supervising a team, triaging and assigning tasks, conducting staff hiring, training, development, and overseeing performance evaluations; and
• May need to work during the university winter break.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field;
• Demonstrated supervisory experience in a financial or accounting organization;
• Experience helping students navigate financial systems to successfully persist in their studies;
• Understanding of the higher education landscape;
• Ability to develop effective collection strategies; and
• Ability to manage difficult conversations with debtors.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Collections Manager at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date:  March 7, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 21, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes