AR Senior Collection & Deduction Specialist

Job DetailsJob Location: Adams Group HQ - Sacramento, CA 95833Position Type: Full TimeSalary Range: $80,000.00 - $90,000.00 SalaryJob Category: AccountingAbout Adams Group Adams Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned specialty food company built on over 110 years of a simple but powerful belief: good food starts with good people. Founded on the principle of doing the right thing, we've grown to become the most trusted provider of high-quality specialty grains, oils, and seeds—delivering quality ingredients from seed to shelf. Rooted in trusted farmer partnerships and vertically integrated operations, we combine agricultural expertise with intentional innovation to deliver specialty at scale. Our commitment to quality, sustainability, and integrity isn't just what we do—it's who we are. More Than a Job—A Purpose At Adams Group, we offer more than careers; we offer the opportunity to be part of something meaningful. Whether you're producing high-quality ingredients, supporting sustainable practices, or building trusted relationships across our global network, your work helps nourish lives and communities across generations. We care deeply for our people, build strong relationships with our partners, deliver consistently for our customers, and enrich the communities we serve. Our Core Values At Adams Group, we live by five core values that guide everything we do: Quality in all we do Doing the right thing Building relationships for shared success Adapting to change Leaving the world better than we found it Position Summary: The AR Collection and Deduction Specialist plays a key role in managing customer accounts, collections, credit risk, and the timely resolution of complex payment discrepancies. A key focus of this role is the accurate processing, validation, auditing, and resolution of customer deductions and chargebacks, particularly for retail, grocery, distribution, and strategic accounts. This position requires strong analytical skills, sound judgment, and the ability to investigate deduction claims, identify root causes, recover invalid deductions, and partner with internal teams to reduce future disputes. The Specialist will work closely with the Accounts Receivable Manager to ensure healthy customer accounts, maximize cash flow, minimize deduction-related losses, and maintain strong customer relationships. Key Responsibilities: Investigate and resolve discrepancies related to invoices, payments, customer deductions, chargebacks, and short pays. Lead the investigation, validation, and resolution of customer deductions, including promotional allowances, pricing claims, shortages, returns, freight claims, and compliance-related disputes. Audit retail customer deduction claims against customer agreements, promotional contracts, proof of delivery, pricing records, and supporting documentation to determine validity. Identify, dispute, and recover unauthorized or invalid deductions while maintaining positive customer relationships. Monitor deduction aging and recovery metrics, ensuring timely research, escalation, and resolution of outstanding balances. Track deduction trends and root causes, partnering with Sales, Customer Service, Logistics, Operations, and Accounting teams to reduce recurring claims and improve process accuracy. Communicate directly with customers to resolve payment issues and negotiate payment plans while maintaining a professional and diplomatic approach. Maintain accurate and up-to-date billing records, deduction files, customer correspondence, and supporting documentation. Maintain detailed deduction records, supporting documentation, and audit trails in accordance with company policies and customer requirements. Analyze customer trade rebate agreements, including volume-based, promotional, and contractual rebates. Calculate, track, validate, and reconcile rebate accruals and settlements on a periodic basis. Assist the invoicing team by reviewing customer orders, contracts, pricing, discounts, taxes, and payment terms to ensure billing accuracy. Prepare analysis and reporting on deduction activity, recovery rates, dispute resolution status, account aging, and financial impact for management review. Ensure compliance with company policies, internal controls, and applicable industry regulations related to billing, collections, deductions, and trade promotions. Provide regular status updates, metrics, and issue escalation reports to leadership. Serve as an escalation point for complex accounts, high-risk customer balances, and significant deduction disputes. Support customer audits, internal audits, and external audit requests by preparing documentation, reconciliations, and detailed explanations related to deductions, trade promotions, pricing agreements, and receivable balances. QualificationsRequired Qualifications: Education & Experience Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience). 3–5 years of experience in accounts receivable, credit and collections, trade rebates, and customer deduction management. Experience researching, auditing, disputing, and resolving deductions and chargebacks for retail, grocery, foodservice, manufacturing, or large distribution customers. Proven ability to manage high volumes of deduction claims and successfully recover invalid deductions. Preferred Qualifications: Experience in manufacturing, food, ingredient, commodity-based, or consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries preferred. Technical Skills Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, formulas, reconciliation analysis, and reporting. Experience with ERP systems (Microsoft Dynamics 365 preferred). Experience working with deduction management, chargeback resolution, and claims processing systems. Familiarity with rebate management processes and tools. Strong proficiency in analyzing large deduction datasets and reconciling customer claims using Excel and ERP reporting tools. Skills and Competencies: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail. Advanced deduction auditing and investigative skills with the ability to identify root causes, validate claims, dispute invalid deductions, and recover revenue. Deep understanding of retail customer compliance requirements, promotional programs, trade spend, chargebacks, and deduction management processes. Ability to interpret customer agreements, promotional contracts, pricing schedules, proofs of delivery, and supporting documentation to validate financial claims. Ability to manage high-volume transactional data accurately and efficiently. Strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to work cross-functionally and effectively with external customers. Hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves mindset with the ability to independently troubleshoot and resolve issues. Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines. High ethical standards and ability to handle sensitive financial and customer information confidentially. Working Conditions: Office-based with regular interaction with plant, warehouse, and operations teams. Standard working hours with additional time during month-end close or harvest season. Occasional site visits to production facilities or warehouses as needed. #LI-TA1 #adamsgroup