Officer/ Senior Officer Commercial (AR)

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Position: Officer/ Sr. Officer – Commercial (Accounts Receivable)

Summary:

The role is responsible for monitoring and securing revenue, verifying and posting receipts, solving discrepancies and following up on payments. closing of the books for AR accounts in line with the Hershey closing calendar.

The role holder is also responsible for scanning, reviewing and monitoring distributor claims. They will be required to communicate with distributors and sales officers for reviewing and ensuring distributor claims are processed in a timely fashion.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

Credit and Receivable Management

• Inspect customer payments by recording all transactions: cash, cheque and credit
• Update receivables by maintaining records of paid and unpaid transactions
• Monitor customer accounts and align with business managers to follow up on receivables
• Review non moving credit balances - if any pending due to application issue 
• Verify validity of account discrepancies by obtaining and reviewing  information from sales, trade promotions, customer service departments, and from customers
• Resolve collections by examining customer payment plans, payment history, credit line; coordinating contact with collections department
• Summarize receivables by maintaining invoice accounts; coordinating monthly transfer to accounts receivable account, verifying totals and preparing report.
• Support Supervisor with any additional AR activity which may be assigned on an ad-hoc basis

Deduction Management and Distributor Claim Management

• Resolve valid or authorized deductions by entering adjusting entries. Make monthly RDA provision as per Global Policy
• Update claim tracking sheet, check secondary claims and damage claims
• Interact with FF and / or marketing on pending claims, budget issues and other deductions

Vendor/Customer Relationship Management

Account Management

• Understand queries raised by internal and external customers and provide clarification.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with vendors and customers/ business unit
• Process distributor F&F settlement, check budget, GST customer dispute settlement and Nil certificates; Obtain approvals from RGM in-charge and coordinate with HO on cheque release

Communication and Collaboration

• Respond to common mailbox subfolder within defined SLAs. Respond to phone queries and respond to vendor / customer inquiries in a timely manner and in accordance with standards and policies

• Proactively communicate service-related issues including on time payment of vendor invoices, customer claims and employee's expense reimbursements
• Collaborates with internal and external customers to understand their issues

Key Performance Indicator/ Metrics/ Service Level Agreement/ Process Improvement Management

• Report & maintain set KPIs/ Metrics/ SLA in a timely manner
• Improve set processes and consistently review own work

Internal/External/ Sarbanes Oxley Audit Support

• Track documentation and controls are in place for AP processes and are updated to document changed / revised processes
• Review and implement changes to processes which are necessary to ensure controls within the AR group are in line with good internal controls practices
• Consistently execute internal control processes in accordance with audit recommendations
• Complete control assessments as required

MIS and Record Management

• Maintain documents accurately with adherence to compliance and company's record retention policy
• Provide record as an audit support to both internal and external auditors as necessary.
• Maintain data as per agreed guidelines, share relevant MIS reports based on request from supervisor or business

Personal Capability Development

• Responsible and committed for the training and development plan for self  
• Be the ‘owner’ for continuous growth under the supervision of the AR Head

Key KPIs:

• Days Payments Outstanding
• % Collections Effectiveness
• Accounts Receivable Turnover Ratio
• Average Days Delinquent

Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities: 

Knowledge:

• Working knowledge and proficiency on core SAP transactions including Receivables Management, SAP standard reports both FI and PR Modules, and etc
• Knowledge of bank and trade organization
• Proficient in MS Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access, Project,  etc.)
• Excellent customer service skills including interpersonal communication skills, relationship management, collaboration skills, and teamwork skills
• Some Order to Cash Process knowledge, understanding of related transactions, policies and guidelines and performance measurements

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and analytical
• Adaptive to fast and continuous change
• Ability to prioritize many tasks
• Professional and trustworthy
• Can work independently
• Effective communication, interpersonal skills, patience and persistence, ability to manage relationships with a wide range of internal customers and suppliers.
• Problem solving ability and the ability to exercise good business judgement in a fast paced autonomous environment.

Competencies:

Team Approach

Initiates and fosters open dialogue across the organization; integrates individual, group, and organizational goals; collaborates with others to increase opportunities for success; focuses the team on ensuring, enhancing, and exceeding customer expectations; forms alliances and coalitions across functional areas; recognizes the interdependence of team members throughout the organization.

Customer Focused and Results Oriented

Understands issues from the customers’ perspective; considers the impact of decisions, processes, services on the customer; demonstrates passion for providing excellent customer service; treats customers with respect and care and uses a variety of approaches to identify customer needs; conveys a sense of urgency to get things done; ensures that there are necessary resources available for resolution of escalated customer issues; monitors the quality resolution of customer issues.

Problem Solving

Detailed oriented; uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; effectively researches and probes all sources for answers; can see/recognize hidden problems and look beyond the obvious.

Learning

Learns from personal successes and failures and those of others and applies learning to new situations; learns quickly when facing new problems; versatile and experiments to try to find solutions; open to change; enjoys the challenge of an unfamiliar task.

Listening and Interpersonal Skills

Practices attentive and active listening and has the patience to hear people out; can accurately restate the views of others even when he/she personally disagrees; relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and across the internal organization and externally; builds rapport quickly; develops constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse high-tension situations comfortably.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: 

Education: CA, CA inter or CMA

Experience: CA fresher OR minimum 2 years of experience in Accounting.