Credit Manager

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

The Credit Manager leads a highly complex, high-volume Credit & Collections operation in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment. This role carries significant responsibility for protecting company financial exposure while enabling sales, supporting customers, and navigating ambiguity created by acquisitions, system limitations, and aggressive business timelines.

This is not a traditional credit role. Success requires sound judgment under pressure, comfort making frequent, high-impact decisions in gray areas, and the ability to partner with demanding internal stakeholders—particularly Sales leadership—while maintaining strong credit discipline.

The Credit Manager oversees policy, risk assessment, collections strategy, team leadership, and financial analysis, all while operating in a very demanding close environment, including extended hours, weekend work during close, and fluctuating priorities tied to business growth and M&A activity.

This is a hybrid position that will be based in our Charlotte, NC office.

The expectation is in-office 3x per week.

Key Responsibilities:

Credit Management & Risk Decisioning

• Own and continuously evolve credit policies, procedures, and risk frameworks to support rapid business growth and acquisitions.

• Assess creditworthiness of new and existing customers using financial analysis, judgment, and risk-based decisioning.

• Approve or decline credit applications, credit limits, and terms in a high-volume, fast-turn environment.

• Make frequent, independent decisions where risk is complex and outcomes are not always clear-cut.

• Negotiate payment terms and resolutions with high-risk or escalated customers.

• Partner closely with Sales, balancing revenue enablement with risk mitigation.

• Communicate credit decisions clearly and confidently to Sales leadership, Finance, and other stakeholders.

Collections Strategy & Execution

• Lead all collections activities, including strategy, prioritization, and execution across complex customer portfolios.

• Monitor delinquency trends, past due exposure, and aging balances; drive corrective action.

• Handle escalated customer disputes, complaints, and high-risk accounts.

• Establish and manage third-party collection agency relationships.

• Review and approve write-offs, credits, and account adjustments.

• Develop and refine collection policies, processes, and controls to reflect acquisition-driven complexity.

Reporting, Analysis & Forecasting

• Prepare and present regular credit and collections performance reporting to leadership.

• Analyze trends, identify risks, and proactively recommend improvements to liquidity and cash flow.

• Forecast cash flow and assess impacts of credit decisions on working capital.

• Perform detailed financial analysis in complex and evolving scenarios.

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a critical business partner to Sales Managers, Directors, and VPs—stakeholders who are highly driven, results-focused, and demanding.

• Manage competing priorities while maintaining strong working relationships across Sales, Finance, Customer Service, and Operations.

• Navigate internal resistance to change and drive alignment in a fast-moving environment.

• Collaborate with external parties including banks, credit bureaus, and collection agencies.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and develop a multi-level team (Credit Manager → Supervisor/Lead → Analyst), providing clear direction, coaching, and accountability.

• Set goals, KPIs, and performance expectations; monitor results and address gaps.

• Foster a resilient, collaborative team culture capable of operating under sustained pressure.

• Develop and deliver ongoing training to keep the team aligned with evolving business needs and best practices.

Operating Environment & Demands (Critical to Un