HEAD OF CREDIT RISK & BRAND REPRESENTATION, HYBRID - HARLOW

Ready to bring passion into your career?

A global leading skincare and make-up company, Clarins Group is the embodiment of a committed family history, with a fierce passion for innovation and spirit of independence. Its raison d’être is "making life more beautiful, passing on a more beautiful planet".

Operating in more than 150 countries, we are now the number one skincare company in Europe and are accelerating our development on all other continents, particularly in Asia and the Americas.

Because our 8,000 talents are unique, we are committed to promoting diversity in all its forms.

Do you want to help write the next chapter of our story?

The role:

Responsible for developing, administering and enforcing of company credit and collections policies and procedures, evaluating credit risk, developing strategies, goals & procedures to maximize cash flow & reduce exposure to write offs and bad debts.

Risk assessment responsibilities with regards to security issues and theft of products. Work with Brand representation and protection of rights in relation to Grey Market and unauthorised distribution issues.

What you’ll do:

• Lead, develop and motivate the Credit Control team, fostering a high-performance culture through coaching, succession planning and continuous improvement.
• Be accountable for the effective management of accounts receivable and collections across a sales ledger exceeding £120m.
• Own the Company's credit policy and credit risk framework.
• Approve customer credit limits and payment terms within delegated authority.
• Monitor customer financial risk, credit insurance and bad debt exposure, escalating material risks where appropriate.
• Prepare and present regular reporting on collections, DSO, aged debt, bad debt and key performance indicators.
• Maintain a strong understanding of accounting principles, ensuring accurate balance sheet reconciliations, month-end reporting and robust financial controls across the Order-to-Cash process.
• Own the governance and operation of customer payment processing and card payment systems, ensuring compliance with relevant security standards and supporting ongoing process improvements.
• Lead system enhancements, process improvements and finance transformation initiatives impacting the function.
• Build strong relationships with Sales, Customer Services, Supply Chain and Finance to balance commercial growth with effective credit risk management.
• Develop effective relationships with key customers to support prompt payment and successful dispute resolution.
• Ensure compliance with Company policies, legal and regulatory requirements, and maintain effective controls across the function.
• Support brand protection initiatives by overseeing controls relating to grey market activity, product theft and other commercial risks, working closely with internal and external stakeholders where required.