Position: Senior Accounts Receivable Analyst — Consumer Goods Manufacturing
Department: Accounting & Finance
Industry: Consumer Goods Manufacturing / Food & Beverage
Reports To: Cash Manager and/or Corporate Controller
Location: Downtown Chicago, IL
Schedule: Hybrid (Tues, Wed, Thu in-office); Walking distance to train station
Compensation:
- Contract Pay Rate: $30/hour – $50/hour
- Direct Hire: $80,000 – $100,000 base salary
Position Overview:
IFG-US is partnering with a client to identify a detail-oriented and analytical Senior Accounts Receivable Analyst to support the financial operations of a fast-paced food and beverage manufacturing company.
This role is responsible for managing complex accounts receivable activities, overseeing collections, reconciling customer accounts, analyzing deductions and chargebacks (including tracking customer-level deductions for budgeting), and partnering cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Service, Supply Chain, and major retail customers – both direct and indirect revenue streams.
The ideal candidate has strong experience in consumer-packaged goods (CPG) or manufacturing environments, understands retailer compliance programs, multi-level distribution channels, and various routes to market, and deduction management, and thrives in a high-volume transactional setting.
Intake Call Notes:
- Consumer Goods Manufacturing industry experience required
- Processing customer payments is primary scope of this role
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- Low daily volume (6 – 10 payments received daily, mostly electronic, a few checks go to lockbox)
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- Complex payments (each payment could be 5 or more invoices with 30 or more different deductions)
- 80% of the work is related to deductions analysis
- Wholesale, Retail (volume-based [e.g., BOGO], promotions, damaged goods, late delivery, etc.)
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- Big Box (Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Publix, Safeway); 50 smaller chains
- Distributors: Dot’s, KeHE
- Excel: Pivot tables, vLookups, sumifs (all required)
- ERP: X3 Sage preferred (other large ERP also okay: SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, etc.)
- EDI: True Commerce (manage customer comments in their individual portals)
Key Responsibilities
- Manage end-to-end accounts receivable processes for assigned customer accounts, including invoicing, cash application, collections, deductions, and dispute resolution.
- Analyze and reconcile customer accounts to ensure timely and accurate payment activity while adhering to agreed-upon credit limits.
- Investigate and resolve pricing discrepancies, shortages, returns, promotional deductions, and chargebacks.
- Monitor aging reports and proactively follow up on past-due balances to minimize bad debt exposure.
- Partner with Sales and Customer Service teams to resolve customer payment issues and improve collection cycles
- Prepare weekly and monthly AR reporting, KPIs (DSO), aging analysis, and cash forecasting updates.
- Manage bi-weekly meetings and review sessions of aged trial balances with Sales, Finance, and select Executive Leadership Team members.
- Support month-end and year-end close activities related to receivables and revenue reconciliation
- Maintain compliance with company policies, customer agreements, and internal controls.
- Assist with process improvement initiatives to streamline AR operations and enhance reporting accuracy.
- Collaborate with external auditors and internal finance leadership during audits and reviews.
- Utilize ERP systems and reporting tools to analyze financial data and identify trends or risks.
- Mentor cross-functional staff and provide guidance on deduction resolution and account management best practices.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field
- 4–7+ years of accounts receivable or credit & collections experience in consumer goods, food & beverage, or manufacturing industries
- Strong understanding of retailer deductions, chargebacks, promotional programs, and dispute management
- Experience working with high-volume national retail accounts preferred
- Proficiency with ERP systems such as Sage, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, or similar platforms
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and data analysis
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to prioritize multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Experience with EDI transactions and customer portals is a plus.
Preferred Experience
- Background in food and beverage manufacturing or CPG environments
- Experience supporting major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, or regional grocery chains
- Familiarity with trade promotions and deduction management platforms
- Continuous improvement or process optimization experience
Key Competencies
- Financial analysis
- Deduction management
- Customer relationship management
- Attention to detail
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Process improvement mindset
For immediate consideration, please email your resume in Word format to Cameron at cameronwall@ifgus.com