Deduction Specialist

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 trade spend 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 oneRRSP with significant employer contribution2 to 4 weeks of paid vacation per year6 personal days per year3 floating holidays per year Telemedicine and EAP
#J-18808-Ljbffr