Accounts Receivable Specialist UK & US

Role Purpose

The Accounts Receivable Specialist UK & US is the most senior transactional profile within the Finance Shared Services Hub. Based in Madrid, this role owns the full receivables cycle for the United Kingdom and the United States; managing customer collections, credit risk, and cash application across two currencies, two payment ecosystems, and two very different commercial cultures.

Key Responsibilities

1. Accounts Receivable UK & US

- Own the end-to-end A/R cycle for UK and US entities: invoice issuance, customer account management, payment allocation, and reconciliation in GBP and USD

- Manage the collections process proactively: outreach to overdue customers, escalation protocols, dispute resolution, and coordination with local sales or account management teams in UK and US

- Process and reconcile incoming payments via BACS, Faster Payments, CHAPS (UK) and ACH, wire, and check (US)

- Maintain accurate customer ledgers and ensure all open items are cleared or escalated within agreed SLA timeframes

- Coordinate with the Head of Accounting on month-end A/R close for both jurisdictions, ensuring alignment with the group close calendar

2. Credit Risk & Customer Management

- Assess and monitor credit risk for UK and US customers: credit limit setting, periodic review, and escalation of high-exposure accounts

- Maintain the customer credit register and ensure it is updated following any material change in customer payment behavior or financial position

- Liaise with local sales and account management teams in UK and US to align on customer payment terms, disputes, and escalations

- Flag concentration risk and overdue exposure proactively to the Head of Finance Operations and the Working Capital & Finance Analyst

3. Reporting & Analytics

- Prepare weekly aging reports for UK and US receivables and present them in the hub's working capital review

- Track and report DSO by jurisdiction and by customer segment, identifying trends and root causes of collection delays

- Support the Working Capital & Finance Analyst in building and maintaining the A/R dashboard in Power BI, feeding UK and US data accurately and on time

- Contribute to the cash flow forecast by providing reliable short-term collections estimates for both markets

4. Process & Controls

- Document A/R processes for UK and US in line with hub standards, ensuring audit readiness from day one of operations

- Identify and propose process improvements to reduce DSO, minimize disputes, and increase straight-through payment rates

- Ensure compliance with UK VAT post-Brexit invoicing rules and US invoicing requirements (sales tax where applicable)

- Participate in the definition of hub-wide SLAs and KPIs for the A/R function

Requirements

- 4-6 years in accounts receivable, credit control, or order-to-cash in an international environment

- Direct experience managing collections in either the UK or US market experience in both is a strong differentiator

- Familiarity with UK payment infrastructure (BACS, Faster Payments, CHAPS) and/or US payment infrastructure (ACH, wire, check)

- Experience working in or with a Shared Services Centre or centralized finance hub is highly valued

- Background in industrial, manufacturing, or B2B services is preferred — familiarity with long payment cycles and project-based billing

- Experience using SAP (FI module) for A/R processing is an advantage