Accounts Receivable Specialist

Overview

The Accounts Receivable Specialist is responsible for managing the collection of outstanding customer balances, maintaining accurate account records, and resolving billing disputes. This role serves as the primary finance liaison to the sales organization, providing updates on customer payment status, credit holds, and account-related issues. Success requires persistence, sound judgment, and the ability to balance cash-collection targets with maintaining customer relationships.

Responsibilities

Accounts Receivable Collections

• Manage an assigned portfolio of customer accounts and drive collection of past-due balances via phone, email, and written correspondence.
• Monitor aging reports daily; prioritize outreach based on balance size, days past due, and collection risk.
• Research and resolve short payments, deductions, chargebacks, and unapplied cash.
• Reconcile customer accounts accurately.
• Negotiate payment plans within approved authority and document all commitments in the collection system.
• Recommend accounts for credit hold, third-party collection, or write-off with supporting documentation.
• Prepare and issue statements, dunning letters, and demand notices according to the collection cycle.
• Maintain complete collection notes on every account contact.
• Report weekly on aging movement and at-risk accounts.

Sales Representative Support

• Act as the primary contact for sales representatives regarding customer payment status, open balances, credit limits, and credit holds.
• Respond to sales inquiries within one business day with clear, documented answers.
• Investigate and resolve complaints raised by sales representatives.
• Coordinate with Billing, Order Management, Customer Service, and Credit teams to address root causes of disputed invoices.
• Escalate unresolved disputes to management with summaries and recommended resolutions.
• Mediate between collection activities and account relationships, explaining collection decisions clearly.
• Track recurring complaint themes and report patterns to management for process improvement.
• Maintain a sales representative issues log documenting reported issues, investigation findings, corrective actions, and resolution dates.
• Provide monthly reports on issue volume, resolution times, and recurring root causes to management and sales leadership.
• Educate sales representatives on credit terms, collection cycles, dispute submission requirements, and their role in timely payments.
• Maintain a professional, solutions-oriented tone in all interactions, including under pressure or when denying requests.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate's or bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in accounts receivable, collections, or a comparable credit/billing role.
• Working knowledge of ERP and AR systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and intermediate Excel skills including sorting, filtering, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and pivot tables.
• Understanding of the order-to-cash cycle, credit terms, and basic accounting principles.
• Hands-on experience with full-cycle AR: invoicing, cash application, account reconciliation, and aging analysis.
• Experience prioritizing accounts by balance, days past due, and collection risk.
• Experience researching and resolving billing disputes, short pays, deductions, and unapplied credits.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate and conduct difficult conversations without damaging relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to explain financial details to non-financial audiences.
• High attention to detail, strong organization, and ability to manage a high-volume portfolio against deadlines.
• Proven track record of contacting past-due customers by phone and email and successfully bringing accounts current.

Additional Information

• The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE/AA) and encourages applications from minorities, females, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• This job description is not exhaustive and other duties may be assigned as needed.
• The organization maintains a drug-free workplace, performs pre-employment substance abuse testing, and participates in E-Verify.

Location

Not specified.