King's College London

About us:

The Credit Control Manager is responsible for managing and developing the Student Debt Team to ensure the efficient and effective collection of tuition, sponsor and residence fees of £700m p.a. This role plays a crucial part in ensuring cash flow to support wider commercial activities and business commitments across King’s. Maintaining financial integrity by ensuring student accounts and ledgers are accurately reconciled and compliant with financial regulations, institutional policies, and industry best practices are fundamental deliverables of this role.

The postholder will be expected; to review, enhance and enforce credit control policies, to optimise debt collection procedures, and to build strong relationships with students, sponsors, and internal stakeholders to facilitate timely and proactive debt resolution. Additionally, the role will focus on strategic debt management initiatives, the adoption of data-driven decision-making, and the refinement of reporting frameworks to support financial planning and mitigate institutional risk.

This role holder has two direct line reports and a total of nine staff members across two teams.

About the role:

Debt Management & Collection 

The Credit Control Manager will oversee the full credit control function for student debt, ensuring the timely and effective collection of tuition, sponsor, and residence fees. The role requires the development and implementation of robust collection strategies aimed at reducing aged debt, improving cash flow, and minimising bad debt provisions. To prevent delinquency, the postholder will establish clear and enforceable escalation procedures, ensuring early intervention for overdue accounts.

Collaboration with Finance, Student Services, and external stakeholders will be key to streamlining debt recovery processes and improving overall efficiency. The Credit Control Manager must also ensure full compliance with institutional policies, government regulations, DPA, and ethical debt collection standards. The manager will ensure all processes are professionally documented, any changes are communicated to stakeholder and training delivered where appropriate.

Sponsor & Residence Fee Management 

The Credit Control Manager will lead the invoicing, credit control, and debt recovery processes for sponsor-funded tuition fees and residence fees. Strong relationships with sponsors must be developed and maintained to ensure prompt payments, resolve disputes efficiently, and negotiate structured payment arrangements where necessary. The postholder will be responsible for overseeing the accurate invoicing and reconciliation of residence fees in accordance with accommodation agreements. The manager is expected to annually review policies related to sponsor and residence debt management and work with (internal) finance and legal colleagues to propose appropriate changes.

Ongoing analysis of the debt ledgers must be undertaken and regular reports on payment trends, outstanding balances, and emerging risk factors must be provided to senior management to support and enable effective and informed decision-making.

Reconciliation & Compliance 

Ensuring the timely and accurate reconciliation of student debt accounts is a key responsibility. The Credit Control Manager must maintain strict financial controls to ensure compliance with university policies, statutory regulations, and sector best practices.

The postholder will be responsible for upholding compliance with DPA, anti-money laundering policies, and ethical debt collection practices. Periodic audits and reviews must be conducted to validate the accuracy and completeness of Credit Control records. Additionally, liaison with internal and external auditors will be necessary to ensure compliance and upholding of financial accountability standards.

Student Support & Engagement 

The Credit Control Manager must maintain clear and effective communication channels to ensure students are well-informed about outstanding balances and available payment options. A key aspect of the role is ensuring the team are consistently providing professional, clear, tailored guidance and signposting to wider University support services to students facing financial challenges in settling their fees, whilst ensuring a balanced and supportive approach to debt collection.

Collaboration with Student Services and Financial Aid teams is essential to align financial support initiatives with institutional objectives. Strategies must be developed and promoted to improve student engagement with financial literacy and debt management resources. The postholder must also ensure that a compassionate, student-focused approach to debt management is maintained consistently across the team, while safeguarding financial accountability for King’s.

Team Leadership & Development 

As a senior member of the department, the Credit Control Manager is responsible for providing strong direction to the Student Debt Team. This involves ensuring clear objectives and priorities are aligned with the university’s financial strategy. The postholder must implement structured training and development programmes to build expertise in debt recovery, compliance, and financial best practices.

Performance targets and KPIs must be set and monitored to assess the team’s effectiveness in debt collection, reconciliation, and dispute resolution. A culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and professional development must be encouraged within the team. Regular assessments of workforce capabilities will be required to ensure optimal resource allocation to meet departmental and institutional goals.

Reporting & Analysis 

The Credit Control Manager must produce detailed and accurate reports on student debt levels, collection performance, and aged debt trends. Delivering data-driven insights and recommendations to senior management is considered critical in informing prioritisation, resource allocation, strategic planning and policy development.

The role requires conducting in-depth aged debt analysis to identify high-risk accounts and implementing proactive intervention strategies. Financial data and trend analysis must be leveraged to refine credit control processes and enhance operational efficiency. The postholder will be responsible for developing and maintaining dashboards and KPI tracking systems to enable real-time financial monitoring and reporting. Staying informed on sector and industry trends, regulatory changes, and advancements in financial reporting technology will be necessary to ensure best practice implementation.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Initiatives 

A core responsibility of the Credit Control Manager is to lead the ongoing enhancement of credit control policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with sector best practices and regulatory requirements. The postholder must identify inefficiencies in existing debt collection and reconciliation processes and implement targeted improvements to drive efficiency.

Collaboration with senior leadership will be required to develop and execute long-term financial risk mitigation strategies. The role involves utilising technology and data analytics to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness in debt management. Additionally, the Credit Control Manager must provide valuable insights and recommendations to inform department and institutional financial planning, ensuring that debt performance and risk exposure are effectively managed.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Extensive Credit Control Experience  - Demonstrates ability to manage end-to-end credit control functions, including debt collection strategies, credit risk assessment, and financial controls within a complex and high-transaction volume organisational setting. Proven ability to implement effective policies to minimise bad debt and improve cash flow management.
2. Individual and Team Management - Proven experience in successfully leading and developing credit control teams, setting clear objectives, monitoring staff performance, and fostering a high-performing and motivated workforce. Ability to provide strong management, support professional development, and ensure staff are aligned with organisational goals and compliance requirements. 
3. Debt Management & Compliance Expertise  - Comprehensive knowledge and proven experience of debt collection procedures, financial reconciliation processes, and regulatory requirements, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and ethical debt recovery practices. Experience ensuring compliance with industry standards and legal obligations.
4. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication  - Strong ability to engage, influence, and collaborate with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including students, corporate sponsors, finance departments, legal teams, and senior management. Excellent communication skills to navigate complex and sensitive debt-related scenarios clearly, professionally and effectively.
5. Analytical & Reporting Skills  - Proven capability in financial reporting, aged debt analysis, and performance monitoring through key performance indicators (KPIs). Ability to interpret and present data-driven insights that support strategic decision-making and contribute to improved debt recovery rates.
6. Process Improvement & Strategic Thinking  - Proven capability in identifying inefficiencies within credit control processes and implementing continuous improvement initiatives. Ability to develop and execute strategic plans to enhance operational efficiency, optimise debt collection strategies, and align practices with best industry standards.
7. Customer-Centric Approach  - Commitment to supporting a fair and empathetic approach to debt collection, particularly when engaging with students and sponsors. Ability to balance financial accountability with a supportive, customer-focused service that upholds institutional integrity while ensuring positive engagement
8. Technical & Systems Proficiency  - Extensive experience in utilising financial systems, system integrations, and data analytics tools to enhance debt collection processes and reporting accuracy. Familiarity with ERP systems, Microsoft Dynamics, or other relevant credit control platforms to drive efficiency and automation in credit operations.

Desirable criteria

1. Professional Qualification  - Possession of a recognised financial or credit management qualification, such as those awarded by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Alternatively, significant equivalent experience in credit control, financial management, and risk assessment within a professional setting.
2. Higher Education Sector Experience  - Prior experience working within the higher education sector, particularly in credit control functions related to student debt management, sponsor-funded tuition payments, and institutional fee collection. A strong understanding of sector-specific challenges, funding structures, and engagement with students and corporate sponsors about financial obligations.
3. Legal & Contractual Awareness  - Strong understanding of contractual obligations, sponsor agreements, and legal frameworks relating to debt recovery. Ability to interpret and enforce contractual terms, manage disputes effectively, and to liaise with legal teams on complex debt recovery cases. Familiarity with regulatory requirements surrounding financial transactions and data protection.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.