Senior Manager, Bad Debt Management & Collections

Welcome to the intersection of energy and home services. At NRG, we’re all about propelling the next generation of leaders forward. We are driven by our passion to create a smarter, cleaner and more connected future. We deliver innovative solutions that make our customers’ lives easier—helping them power, protect, and intelligently manage their homes and businesses. To do this, we need creative and talented people to join our company.

We offer a dynamic work environment and a unified and inclusive culture. NRG fosters a strong sense of belonging that leads to better collaboration and business performance. Our company programs are designed to help employees develop the skills they need for success now and in the future. In everything we do, we aim to champion our employees and bring value to our customers, investors and society.

More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

Job Summary:   

This position is part of NRG’s operations group and is responsible for leading the delivery team responsible for the achievement of the Canadian bad debt targets.  The Senior Manager is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for delivering Canada Consumer’s bad debt targets through activities including management of dunning, active outreach collections, Early Collections Program, collection agencies, write off activity, bankruptcies, and Indigenous Relations Program. Provides leadership to a team of supervisors and collections professionals responsible for the daily processing of the Company’s dunning and active/inactive collections activities.  

Responsibilities:   

• Deploy thought leadership which drives the collections and bad debt performance vision, priorities and operational planning which enhances customer relationships and lifetime value.
• Develop and maintain clear, actionable goals and initiatives that are aligned with the organization’s strategic plan, measure the team’s progress and adjust action plans accordingly to ensure deadlines and priorities are met.
• Advance the team’s analysis of its collection activities and performance to support key business decisions, including leveraging advanced analytics, AI, and predictive modeling to identify at-risk accounts and prioritize collection efforts.
• Utilize judgment to interpret data and drive change to improve business processes, bad debt performance, and customer service.
• Responsible for cost effectively delivering the bad debt targets across regulated, de-regulated, and default supply customer segments in Canada.
• Work closely with the leadership team to provide updates, incorporate feedback and investigate areas for improvement for long term success.
• Design collections strategies that balance financial recovery with maintaining customer trust and satisfaction, including specialized approaches for vulnerable customer groups, including Indigenous customers, in alignment with the company’s values.
• Ensure collaboration of the collection team with other teams in the business including but not limited to the Finance, Go-To-Market, Customer Care, Legal, Compliance, Risk and Change teams  to address complex collection cases, and to support the overall business objectives.
• Prepare financial, operational, and business related analyses and research in such areas as past due accounts, dunning fees, and bad debt impact.
• Establish contingency plans to handle spikes in overdue accounts during economic downturns or unforeseen events.
• Mitigate risk by conducting production line monitoring activities and direct efforts of staff to ensure timely processing of dunning, disconnect, drop/disconnect processes.
• Clearly define, communicate and be accountable for the KPIs related to collections and bad debt, including, establishing a robust framework for tracking and reporting on collection efficiency, recovery rates, and bad debt metrics.
• Lead the initiatives to further refine and optimize the process for monitoring accounts receivables, identifying overdue accounts, and the collection of overdue accounts.
• Develop relationships with and present a positive professional image and demeanor in dealing with all process stakeholders, and subordinates.
• Build a high-performing team by identifying skill gaps, delivering training programs, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.  Mentor and coach team leaders to enhance leadership effectiveness and accountability.
• Lead initiatives to evaluate, select, and implement new collection technologies, tools, and systems to improve efficiency and accuracy.  Partner with IT and vendor teams to ensure seamless integration and functionality of collection systems.Be a functional expert on team, market, and business processes related to dunning and collections and associated regulations and guidelines.  Ensure adherence to all regulatory, legal, and compliance standards, particularly in sensitive areas like bankruptcies and Indigenous Relations Programs.
• Analyze system processes and team process to assure best industry practices are utilized to minimize bad debt.

Working Conditions:

• Open office environment.
• Ability to occasionally work from home while remaining effective and productive.
• Some overtime required as special projects arise
• Travel to USA (minimal)

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related area from accredited four-year university
• Minimum 5 years previous experience as a manager leading teams responsible for multiple reporting job functions.
• Minimum of 10 years operations experience in back office operations (i.e., customer setup, billing, contract management, customer relations, or collections).
• Proficient in MS Office applications, especially Word and Excel.
• Demonstrated problem solving ability.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Six Sigma or Lean certifications to drive process improvements.
• Knowledge or aptitude to understand CCS billing, dunning, accounts receivable system and co-dependent processes/functions across Customer Operations.
• Understanding of performance measurement concepts including analytical skills.
• Working knowledge of SAP system, including CCS, CRM, SD, and CIS applications.
• Prior experience managing collections in both regulated and deregulated markets or multiple geographies.
• Proficiency with advanced data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) to present insights.
• Experience in designing empathetic approaches to collections for customers facing financial hardship.

Why NRG / Vivint is a great place to work:

• Great company culture!! Voted as a BEST employer by Forbes
• A competitive total compensation package, including annual incentive and/or commission
• Stock Purchase Plan 
• Benefits on the first day of employment - Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Short Term Disability, Wellness program, etc.   
• Company-paid life insurance and disability insurance
• 401 (k) plan to help save for retirement
• Generous Flexible FTO plan, where you take the time you need; also includes 11 company holidays, and 1 floating holiday
• Numerous discounts on NRG and Vivint brands

** No Outside Recruiters or Agencies **

NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

EEO is the Law Poster (The poster can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf)

Official description on file with Talent.