Sr. Accountant/Credit Manager

The Morning Star Company
Sr. Accountant/Credit Manager
The Company
The Morning Star Company and its affiliates operate three tomato processing facilities in Central California, processing over 1/3 of the California processing tomato crop, in addition to tomato transplanting, farming, harvesting and trucking operations. The company employs approximately 500 year-round and 2,700 seasonal colleagues.
The Morning Star Company is the largest independent producer of bulk tomato ingredient products (tomato paste and diced tomatoes) in the world. We also produce canned tomatoes, tomato products and specialty sauces in pouches for customers in the retail and food service markets. The company is known worldwide for its innovation and integrity.
We are organizationally structured through a system we term Mission Focused Self-Management™. Our company is operated by Colleagues without titles or an appointed hierarchy of authority. Authority relative to other Colleagues' activities is lateral, with our Mission as our guiding principle of action, and respect, influence and success built based on each Colleague's integrity, competency, effort, persistence and straightforward persuasiveness. Although we have grown significantly, we intend to maintain a culture of individual responsibility and Mission Focused Self-Management™.
The Mission and Position
Your initial mission will be to ensure best in class credit and A/R operations that are compatible with our organization's sales objectives while minimizing, if not eliminating credit risk and late payments. You will need to roll up your sleeves to resolve past due items, as well as assist in maintaining an accurate and current aging. You will need to personally assess credit applications and utilize various tools and analytical methods to determine suitable credit limits for customers. You will be expected to provide proficient and quality support to Accounting, Customer Service, and Sales colleagues in support of the greater Morning Star mission.
Specific Responsibilities and Activities
Develop and implement appropriate collections policies to maintain current AR and minimize ineligible AR and bad debt write off
Explore ways to improve cash collection efficiency
Develop credit recommendations provided to business units (BU) and any adjustments to credit limits
Promote and provide exceptional customer service
Conduct data and process analysis
Perform and review bad debt calculations
Engage in direct dialog with customer-level contacts to resolve collections issues and secure payment obligations from customers
Perform credit risk analysis and collaborate with the sales and operations organization to minimize credit risk
Review new customer credit applications and maintaining/monitoring current customer credit limits.
Evaluate, request, and communicate to appropriate colleagues about short-pay and over credit limit situations
Prepare interest calculations and monthly statements
Proactively review and resolve AR discrepancies
Liaison with Credit Insurance company and maintain insurance limits in system.
Customer Portals - reviewing portals to ensure all invoices are uploaded for us to be paid in a timely manner.
Reviewing unallocated cash - notifying customers of available unallocated cash.
Requesting AP checks as needed.
Liaison with Customer Service, Sales and Finance on Export credit processes and procedures on Prepayments, Letters of Credit, CAD, etc.
The successful candidate will be one that is open to learning, takes initiative and is capable of executing their mission with little to no oversight. Additional key personal characteristics include impeccable integrity, conscientiousness, decisiveness and self-confidence. Excellent interpersonal and business communication skills with negotiation and dispute resolution skills are a must. Must be able to interact professionally with internal and external contacts. Prior experience in B2B collections and international collections & processes preferred. Knowledge of accounting, credit and collections practices and commercial law is helpful. Various applicable certifications such as the CBA or CICP or RGCP are desirable.
Salary range for this role is form $50,000 to $80,000 annually, depending upon qualifications.
R9pe1UIYpv