Jobs › Northeastern Illinois University

Collection Manager

Northeastern Illinois University · Chicago, IL · $53,000–$55,000 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about your experience managing student accounts, billing or collections in higher education.

What they are checking: Whether they know the student account cycle and the rules that apply to a public university bursar's office.

Tell me about a time you improved a process in a billing or payments office.

What they are checking: Whether they continuously improve procedures, which this role is explicitly asked to do.

How do you train and support staff in a busy student payment office?

What they are checking: Whether they can build a team that gives consistent, accurate answers to students.

What would you do

A student owes a balance and says they cannot pay it but need to register next term. How do you handle the conversation?

What they are checking: Whether they balance collections policy with real care for students and know which options are available.

A parent calls angry about a late fee they say they were never told about. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they listen, check the record, and resolve the issue fairly while staying calm and professional.

About the work

How would you run the online tuition payment plan, from enrollment to delinquency notices?

What they are checking: Whether they understand every step of payment plan administration and where errors usually happen.

What federal and state rules affect how a public university bills and collects from students?

What they are checking: Whether they know compliance areas such as consumer protection, Title IV credit balance rules and state debt collection.

How do you decide when to send an account to an outside agency or the state's collection program?

What they are checking: Whether they apply consistent, documented criteria and understand what that step means for a student.

How do you run quality control reviews on student accounts?

What they are checking: Whether they check work systematically so mistakes are caught before students receive wrong bills.

How would you write a delinquency notice so a student actually understands what they owe and what to do next?

What they are checking: Whether they communicate clearly with students, which reduces confusion and improves repayment.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Northeastern Illinois University.

Northeastern offers a rewarding working environment for our students and employees. Our faculty and staff are smart, dedicated people who work to create an excellent urban university experience for bright and motivated students. Job Summary: The primary purpose of this management role is to execute, maintain, and oversee a variety of intricate student account functions, while providing excellent customer service to students, parents, and the NEIU community. This is an experienced, customer focused process and operations management role that is integral to the day-to-day operations of the Student Payment Services Office. Under the administrative direction of the Director of Student Payment Services, this role plans, implements, and continuously improves policies, procedures, and operational methods related to student account billing, payment plans, and collection functions, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and service quality. Job Description: Managing Online Tuition Payment Plan: • Oversees plan enrollments, cancellations, recalculations, student communications, and delinquency notifications. • Develops, implements, and revises policies and procedures related to payment plan administration and collections processes. • Ensures compliance with federal, state, and university regulations related to billing and payment practices. • Conducts quality control reviews to ensure accuracy of account setup, billing, and communications. • Performs periodic operational reviews to improve efficiency, service delivery, and compliance. Student Refund Processing: • Serves as primary backup to the Director of Student Payment Services for student refund processing and related semester to semester transitions. • Ensures adherence to accounting, auditing, and internal control standards in all refund-related processes. • Assists in reviewing and improving business workflows related to refunds and account reconciliation. • Interprets and applies institutional, state, and federal regulations impacting student refunds and financial transactions. Collection & Emergency Loan Management: • Approves, processes, and manages the collection of student emergency loans, including interest calculations and delinquency management. • Oversees assignment to state offset and other collection mechanisms for delinquent accounts. • Implements and monitors collection strategies, policies, and procedures to improve recovery rates and ensure compliance. • Conducts quality assurance reviews of collection activities and account handling. • Interprets and applies regulatory requirements governing collections and student financial obligations. Accounts Receivable Support & Process Improvement: • Assists the Accounts Receivable department with special projects and operational initiatives. • Supports policy development, workflow optimization, and cross-functional coordination related to receivables and collections. Additional Duties: • May select, train, assign work, and evaluate performance of student aid, and student workers. • Assists the Accounts Receivable department with special projects and operational initiatives. • Supports policy development, workflow optimization, and cross-functional coordination related to receivables and collections. • Performs other related duties as assigned. Minimal Qualifications: 1. Any one or any combination of the following, totaling four (4) years (48 months), from the categories below: A. Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, and/or business • 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months) • Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months) • 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months) • Bachelor’s degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months) B. collection, consumer credit or business experience that required knowledge of collection methods and procedures 2. Three (3) years (36months) of collection experience comparable to Collection Assistant Manager level or in other positions of comparable responsibility. Preferred Qualifications: • Working knowledge of Ellucian Banner system. • Working knowledge of Excel and Word. • Working knowledge with Touchnet System. Work Schedule: This position follows a fixed weekly schedule: • Monday and Friday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM • Tuesday and Thursday: 8 :30 AM - 5:30 PM • Wednesday: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Location: NEIU Main Campus (5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625) Setting: Collections Manager is an on campus position, not eligible for Hybrid or Remote work. This position requires a background check. ‎ Salary Range $53,000-$55,000 ‎ Benefits University employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS). Please visit our Employee Benefits page to learn more about our comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System. Northeastern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities, as well as other qualified individuals. Northeastern Illinois University's positions are contingent upon the University's receipt of its State of Illinois appropriation.

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