Operations Programme Manager - Revenue Assurance at Bridge International Academies

What You Will Do

• Cash Fraud - Bridge does not accept cash payments from parents and customers. In Kenya, we accept payments via MPESA or Equity Bank. In Uganda, we accept payments via Airtel Mobile Money, MTN Mobile Money, Centenary Bank and MCash. Nevertheless, a number of academy managers and teachers accept cash payments from parents and embezzle these funds. The Programme Manager is tasked with preventing fraud, identifying fraud, resolving fraud cases. To prevent fraud, the Programme Manager will work closely with our Customer Experience Team to device payment strategies and communication campaigns based on qualitative and quantitative data. To identify fraud, the Programme Manager will analyse both payment data and reports from our field based teams to systematically address embezzlement. To resolve fraud cases, the Programme Manager will work closely with other teams to create systems and processes focused on how to reconcile parent accounts and to pursue legal recourse.

• Billing and Payment Communication - the Programme Manager must ensure customers are always communicated to about their bills and balances and that all such communication is effective, accurate, and timely. This responsibility requires close collaboration with our Customer Experience and Software Teams along with Customer Care and Academy Improvement Managers. A crucial aspect of this deliverable is ensuring the correct fee amounts are communicated to parents (meaning no errors in SMS or fees posters) and in ensuring that all staff and parents understand the fees. For example, April and August are months with less class and subsequently smaller fee amounts; the Programme Manager must make sure parents are aware of how much they must pay during these months. Likewise, the Programme Manager is tasked with ensuring discount programmes (gift cards, founding parents programme, employee child benefit programme, etc.) along with extension programmes (grace days, dire extension, hardship) are executed correctly and clearly.

• Correct Billing Execution and Pupil Status - the Programme Manager must ensure that pupils receive the correct bills and that Operations Staff understands correct billing policy. For example, pupils who do not attend class in a particular month are not billed for that month. The Programme Manager must ensure these pupils are not billed.

• Managing Billing Issues with Customer Care – as the team that receives the majority of billing-related issues, the Programme Manager for Revenue Assurance, must work closely with the CC team to make sure they are able to handle billing issues in a correct and effective manner. In addition to training CC Associates and constantly following-up with CC Management on proper CRM ticket recording, this also involves improving how CC and Academy Managers handle transfer of payments (from one pupil to another) or transfer of pupils (from one academy to another).

• Pupils Not Allowed in Class – one of the core challenges with revenue assurance arises from pupils in class who are not up-to-date on their bills. Simply put – if they are allowed in class without paying, Bridge will never receive any revenue from their parents. Often times this challenge arises from cash payments and other frauds, but it also arises from academy manager negligence. The Programme Manager is responsible for communicating this policy to academy personnel, creating and managing processes for field-based teams to identify, report, and prevent these pupils from attending class, and ensuring proper disciplinary follow through is made.

• Pupil Fraud – very closely related to cash fraud, many times pupils accumulate large balances and are then re-enrolled under a separate, similar name. This allows the existing balance to “disappear” as the pupil becomes a “new” pupils with no previous balance. At times, this is done in coordination with academy personnel who may be taking cash payments from the parents. The Programme Manager I tasked with investigating this fraud through data and observation, and implementing systems to lock down the ability of pupils, parents, and academy managers to game this system. This will require close coordination with the Software Team to create advances in our academy manager smartphone. On a related note, many pupils legitimately withdraw from Bridge. The Programme Manger is tasked with ensuring that pupils no longer attending class receive updated “withdrawn” statuses rather than being listed as active but NAIC.
• Payment Rates and Trends – with over 100,000 customers, Bridge receives payments every day of the month. Nevertheless, there are clear payment patterns both on particular days and months. The Programme Manager is tasked with analysing these trends to determine if there are any issues or less than optimal execution.

• Payment Methods – as this Programme’s core deliverables are operationalized, the Programme Manager may come up with enhanced or improved payment methods that limit fraud. The Programme Manager will work closely with Finance, Customer Experience and other teams to come up with new payment programmes and methods (e.g. providers).

• Feeding Programme - knowing who the vendors are, getting relevant licenses and certificates, sending funds to cover cost of goods sold and vendor payments.
• Uniforms - dealing with issues reported and finding solutions.

What You Should Have

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, computer science, business administration or related field
• 5 years’ experience in audit or project management
• CPA (K)
• Excellent analytical skills and with an affinity for numbers
• Excellent Excel skills
• Eye for detail
• Project management training (Prince II, Six Sigma, etc.) as an added advantage
• Leadership potential
• Good communication skills

You’re also

• A detailed doer - You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind- You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas.
• A creative problem-solver- Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, Bridge works in volatile, low-resource communities and runs on fees averaging just $6 a month per pupil. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand. Every dollar you spend is a dollar our customers, who live on less than $2 a day, will have to pay for.
• A customer advocate- Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.
• A life-long learner - You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.