Overview
At Barilla, we believe that every great journey begins with passion and a bold vision. From our beginnings in 1877 in Parma, Italy, we’ve grown into a global leader in the food industry, guided by progress and excellence. Today, Barilla operates in more than 100 countries with 22 brands, and we are recognized as a world leader in pasta, sauces, bakery products in Italy, and crispbread in Scandinavia with Wasa.
Our success is driven by a passionate team of almost 9,000 employees across 30 plants and offices worldwide, united by a mission to nourish the future with purpose and passion.
Are you ready to add your unique flavor to our journey?
Job Purpose
The Deduction Specialist is a key role in ensuring the smooth flow of financial operations, minimizing revenue leakage, mitigating risks, and maintaining strong customer relationships. It requires a combination of leadership, problem-solving, and technical skills to effectively manage the team, and to develop and maintain best-in-class deduction management processes. This position has two Deduction Specialist direct reports.
Key Accountabilities
* Collaborate with sales, customer service, and trade team to understand contract terms, sales agreements, and any customer-specific deductions.
* Investigate customer deductions and discrepancies, including pricing issues, promotional allowances, chargebacks, markdowns and reclamation charges. Ensure adequate documentation is received to validate or dispute deductions.
* Oversee the investigation and resolution of customer deductions related to billing, payments, or contracts and post audits.
* Identify deduction issues, identify root causes, and work on corrective actions to minimize future occurrences.
* Ensure timely and accurate processing of deductions for financial accuracy and tradespend estimations.
Process Improvement
* Review existing deduction management processes and identify opportunities for improvements or automation to reduce inefficiencies.
* Work with cross-functional teams (e.g., sales, customer service, trade marketing) to resolve systemic issues that lead to deductions.
* Implement and enforce best practices for deduction management.
Reporting & Analytics
* Maintain detailed records of deductions, disputes, resolutions, and communications. Prepare and present regular reports on deduction trends, volumes, and key performance metrics.
* Analyze deduction data to identify recurring issues and assist in the development of strategies to mitigate.
* Use data to forecast future deduction trends and proactively address potential challenges.
Customer Relationship Management
* Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders – both internal and external.
* Maintain clear and professional communication with customers regarding the status and resolution of their deductions, ensuring timely follow-ups and dispute closures.
Compliance and Risk Management
* Ensure that deduction processes comply with company policies and external regulations.
* Mitigate the risk of financial losses through proper documentation and ensure audit and governance compliance.
Additional information
* Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
* 3-5 years of experience in Accounts Receivable and Deduction Management, ideally in a CPG company.
* Proficiency with SAP and Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, etc.).
* Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.
* Familiarity with customer deduction portals.
* Customer Relationship: Establishing key customer contacts and working relationships.
* Process Complexity: Handling the variety of deductions (e.g., short payments, chargebacks, rebates) and ensuring compliance and accuracy.
* Dispute Resolution: Managing disputes in a timely fashion.
* Mandatory in-office presence three (3) days per week
* Competitive total compensation and benefits package.
Benefits
* Competitive salary commensurate with your experience
* Competitive group insurance from day one
* RRSP with significant employer contribution
* 2 to 4 weeks of paid vacation per year
* 6 personal days per year
* 3 floating holidays per year
* Telemedicine and EAP
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