Team Manager, Customer Invoicing to Cash

Business Unit:             Sanofi Business Services (SBS) Malaysia

Reports to:                 Regional Head of CI2C, KL Captive & JPAC

Purpose of Role     

This role within the Sanofi Business Services (SBS) drives the Customer Invoicing To Cash (CI2C) process and transformation programs.

The main job purpose of this role as follows:

• Lead SBS CI2C credit management and collection
• Have the overall accountability to support Sanofi operations on the CI2C end-to-end process (external customer-facing financial partner and internal escalation point on customer for key activities such as driving the credit management and related cash performance, credit assessment & risk control, customer credit authorization, cash application and collection matters, revenue recognition and reporting).
• Lead & drive the CI2C processes including setting targets and priorities.
• Able to work independently to deliver best in class service. Playing Business Partnering role to work closely with Senior Stakeholders in Finance (Country CFO, Treasurer, Controllers in FP&A and GBU Controllers) as well as Supply Chain departments, Trade & Revenues and Sanofi’s GBUs to ensure sustainable process.

This role will use in-depth functional knowledge and expertise to design and evolve the CI2C support towards enforcement of CI2C Core Model (RACI, Processes, Automating Business Solutions and KPIs) in a “Glo-Cal” Play-To-Win spirit, in line with the Global/Regional SBS and Local GBUs Operating Model, in a context of innovations, operating model changes, bringing Service Delivery, Business Continuity and the expected Performance Improvements in term of:

• Cash in-Flow: Overdue contributing to DSO performance or other Optimization
• P&L: Efficiency and efficacy of the CI2C services.
• Compliance (Audit & Internal Controls, Data Privacy).
• Contribution to Sanofi (external) Customer Experience & Satisfaction, including Digital (e.g Customer Portal) or Regulatory changes, carve-in/out or acquisitions) projects.

He/she will hold a Customer Credit Authorization up to €1M with a direct impact on company sales in case of Sales Order release decision after having consulted local/regional GBU Heads/Trade & Revenue Management/Commercial Team, CFO/Treasury stakeholders and Supply Chain/Customer Care Teams. Beyond this threshold, he/she will propose, if need be, Credit Authorization to the Credit & Revenue Partner and Regional Head of CI2C holding Customer Credit Authority up to €15M and €50M respectively, or to Corporate Treasury level above.

He/she will identify CI2C functional gaps (vs internal standard, external benchmarks or innovations) in the existing Organization, Processes, Solutions or Knowledge, and bring them to resolution to improve the standardization and the performance.

This role is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Key Accountabilities

Operational Excellence

• Accountable for the efficient delivery of an end-to-end service: Customer Credit Management, Invoice Management, Collection, Dunning and Bad Debt Management.
• Impact on cash performance by improving on time collection, Account Receivables Management and reducing overdues.
• Ensure this end-to-end service is highly efficient, cost effective, high quality and agile in order to meet customer satisfaction (Finance, Trade & Revenue, Supply Chain, Business Units).
• In line with the SBS CI2C Global Operating Model, establish and provide service KPIs and dashboard to measure and improve then achieve performance (cost, efficiency, quality, customer service) and process monitoring KPIs across the end-to-end process
• Support internal and external benchmarking activities.
• Create, understand and apply best practices from within SBS or external best-in-class service organizations, amending existing processes.
• Ensure adherence to Compliance and Internal Control standards (including SOX) is met.
• To involve and contribute to cash/cash strategy committee review.

People management and development:

• Lead the CI2C services with a solid line management responsibility for CI2C team members, including setting operating targets, reviewing priorities, providing appropriate and timely feedback about performance and coaching team members to help them achieve their goals, people development, performance assessment and succession planning
• Support the professional and career development of the team by identifying the skills and competencies that employees need for their current and prospective roles and provide opportunities to learn and practice new skills
• Lead the building of a motivated and engaged team through use of formal and information recognition regular communications and the encouragement between individuals and teams
• Continuously assess the sustainability and continuity of operation by effective resource allocation and backups and to design the right organization structure

Performance and Monitoring Measurement framework

• Evolving with the maturity of the organization to ensure overall performance to meet Service Delivery, P&L and Cash Flow targets, with KPIs on Efficiency and Efficacy on CI2C functional area.
• Prepare and facilitate the Credit Committee to discuss performance and operations escalations on customer credit related and improvement on cash.
• Contributing to the deck and engage in Accounts Committee meetings
• Contributing to internal & external Benchmarks and innovative recommendations

Local customer facing for credit cash application and collection matters

• Analyze and investigate exceptions and drive resolution for escalated payment issues, collection and customer claims in collaboration with other functions
• Propose specific collection actions depending on customer’s type and ensure the follow-up on resolution

Credit assessment & control

• Review credit assessment performed by team
• Participate to credit control by identifying actions and validate recommendations for orders blocked

Month-end closing & AR Reporting

• Review AR aging analysis and related actions plan
• Validate AR accruals (bad debts reserve and write-off accruals) according to thresholds
• Analyze and monitor CI2C KPIs by communicating regularly on performance to Region
• Lead the Local Credit Committee and ensure follow-up on open actions

Stakeholder Management

• Partners with key stakeholders of various seniority levels within SBS and neighbouring functions (local/regional GBU Heads/Trade & Revenue Management/Commercial Team, CFO/Treasury stakeholders and Supply Chain/Customer Care Teams) to understand, support and deliver key business requirements laid out under Operational Excellence above.
• Proactively manages interaction with external customers whenever applicable, with regards to hardcopy invoices, remittances, collections and issues management.
• Supports the compliance and risk management processes by providing information and analysis needed to internal and external auditors.
• Collaborates with CI2C Global Process Owner department, Global Project teams, ITS and etc to support rolling out of global tools and other simplification and/or value-added initiatives.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Maintains strong internal controls by initiating change management to put in place all internal controls process as per CI2C Core Model and ensuring compliance to SoX controls and local credit policies.
• Supports SoX and yearly control self-assessment and testing, set up action plan and implementation if any; other IC&P initiatives and support audit activities where applicable, including external audit, internal audit and governmental inspections if any.
• Ensures legal/VAT compliance checks if relevant for the covered scope.
• Ensure documentation is stored and archived as per Records Management and local legal/tax requirements.

Core Model and Target Operating Model evolution

• Closely collaborate, as a CI2C Subject Matter Expert, with other end-to-end process heads (in particular, Account-To-Report process) and support the design and implementation of key CI2C projects (like eCollect, credit risk & scoring model…) within the operations or other key strategic company Projects (new ERPs like SHIFT or other systems, Regulatory changes…)
• Ensure that key CI2C projects deliver the expected benefits in terms of efficiency, cost and quality
• Review performance, identify gaps and intervene accordingly to launch remedial initiatives
• Leverage operational experience and provide process expertise to Global / Regional Delivery Centers as required and when needed to contribute to standard process design, to propose evolution improving consistency and efficacy either in the Global Design of Standard Process or Regional one at level 4-5, 6-7 when relevant
• Implement standard processes as defined by Global Process Owners and Regional Process Management Teams and manage deviations to these standards processes
• Collect improvement ideas from CI2C team members to ensure continuous improvement of processes in scope, develop roll-out plans for improvements to be implemented, and oversee them.
• Identify gaps and manage the appropriate Governance tracking in the standard processes implementation as defined by Global Process Owners, Regional Lead priorities and Internal Control or Audit findings. Align a consistent planning with the CI2C Teams (Country, Platform/Hub & GPO) and Stakeholders (Transition Project Team, ITS, other SBS functions, Finance, Customer Care., Trade) to address the deviations to these standard processes, internal control findings or operating model changes. Following Transition on Projects, define sustain & compliant ways of working under the new Process, Solution or Operating Model (e.g Retain / Platform) and ensure to consistently adapt applicable Standard Operating Procedures in the new environment.
• Improve User Experience to perform their job more efficiently, and Customer Experience
• Develop and manage local policies, procedures and methodologies governing local processes supporting optimized processes

Key Job Requirements

Key knowledge, skills and experience:

• Good understanding of Demand To Cash processes.
• Delivery-focused with strong sense of urgency and able to deliver in short turnaround time
• Self-starter to drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to make decision and work independently in an international environment.
• Able to handle stress well and willing to work overtime as and when needed
• Good communication skills to be able to interact efficiently with various stakeholder groups
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Eye for detail and able to deliver high accuracy rate
• Good team player, keen on receiving or sharing best practices
• Minimum 4-5 years of direct people management responsibilities
• Experience in working in a Global Business Services environment is a plus.
• International background with exposure to multicultural environments is a plus.
• Fluent in Mandarin and English (written and spoken)

Qualifications Minimum Qualification:

Relevant degree with 4 years direct/indirect work experience in Demand To Cash (Invoicing, Collection, Accounts Receivables, Cash Applications, Customer Maintenance) environment.