Divisional Vice President, Customer Financial Services
Divisional Vice President, Customer Financial Services
- Tracking Code
- 20125654
- Job Description
-
ARYZTA is a global baking company with a Passion for Good Food. We provide our retail and foodservice customers with a portfolio of bakery solutions so they can deliver memorable, delicious food to consumers. With operations in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, ARYZTA has become a global leader in the baked goods industry and one of the largest specialty bakery companies in the world. Our leading bakery brands in North America include La Brea Bakery®, Otis Spunkmeyer®, and Oakrun Farm Bakery®. We have 58 state-of-the-art bakeries and kitchens around the globe, with 26 of those in North America, and are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers’ expectations. The Americas team champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.
ARYZTA Americas operates one of the largest specialty bakery businesses servicing all major customers in the retail, foodservice, QSR and convenience store channels.
The Americas Structure includes five operating Business Units: Brazil, Canada, Brand, ARYZTA US Baking Solutions and ARYZTA US Consumer Foods, which are serviced by five Americas Central Support Functions covering areas such as Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Environmental Health & Safety, Sustainability, HR, Legal, IT, Finance Shared Services, Procurement, Category Management, and Commercialization.
Reporting to the VP, Finance Shared Services, the Divisional Vice President (DVP), Customer Financial Services will be responsible for leading the Credit, Collection and Trade Promotion claims processing operations supporting ARYZTA’s $2B North American business. The DVP will ensure the department is delivering exceptional service by managing performance against established Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The position requires a high degree of subject matter expertise and interactions with Senior Management and across functions throughout the organization. The DVP will contribute greatly to the continued development and success of the Shared Services organization as a key member of the Senior Management team partnering with colleagues and the VP Finance to develop a strong performance and Continuous Improvement culture, with a high degree of employee engagement.
- This position is located in San Leandro, CA, which is home to one of ARYZTA’s Shared Service offices. (The Center also provides services for Accounts Payable, Payroll, Tax and Treasury).
- The position will manage Accounts Receivable and the processing of Trade Promotion claims for ARYZTA’s US and Canadian operations which consist of over 20 manufacturing bakeries and kitchens, 4 corporate offices, and multiple distribution/logistics facilities
- Oversee $150M+ AR portfolio and 30,000+ invoices per month
- Manage $250M+ of Trade Spend across multiple customers and claim types
- Support and collaborate with the Customer Finance function. Customer Finance is responsible for negotiating and approving customer pricing and promotion agreements, as well as Trade Spend forecasting and analysis.
- AR staff of ~20 encompassing Collections, Cash Application & Credit Risk Analysis
- Trade staff of ~30 processing rebates, broker commissions, deviated pricing claims, etc.
Responsibilities
- Strategic leadership & daily management of all aspects of the Credit, Collections and Trade claims processing functions for ARYZTA North America (ANA)
-
- Drive effective collection processes, systems and individual customer interactions to reduce aged accounts receivable and credit risk
- Ensure timely and accurate application of customer payments
- Ensure in-depth reviews of financial information and credit-worthiness for all new and existing customers are conducted timely, while enhancing the analysis process and tools
- Ensure timely and accurate payment of customer rebates and claims by effectively managing the end-to-end trade claims processing function: contract set up, system configuration, accrual management, trade claim validation, payment
- Develop and report on Key Process Indicators for the Trade function
- Support the US and Canadian Business Unit Customer Finance teams by providing timely and accurate Trade Spend data and summary reporting that will allow for proper analysis
- Build and maintain strong cross business relationships internally and externally
- Address internal & external escalations as well as high profile and/or complex credit, collection or trade claim situations
- Ensure that all required internal reporting is accomplished timely and accurately
- Lead, manage or oversee numerous process improvement and/or system projects
- Remain current with market trends through function forums and relationships with industry experts to anticipate changes in customer behaviour and risk profile
- Effectively control costs and meet forecasted department expense results
- Ensure all processes are compliant with company policy and segregation of duty standards; ensure internal audit findings are remediated timely
- Train and develop team members at all levels through effective personal development plans, mentoring & coaching
- Ensure robust cross-training and succession planning to reduce risk in the function
- Continuously improve and optimize systems, processes and procedures:
- Stay in tune with industry trends and best practices with regard to process & technology
- Identify with stakeholders and Senior Leaders areas of opportunity for process improvement
- Deliver process transformation, change management and technology initiatives to enhance process efficiency, effectivness and internal controls
- Drive the adoption and use of Process Excellence tools and techniques (Six Sigma, Lean, etc.)
- Required Skills
-
Skills, Experience & Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a Business Related Curriculum (degree in Accounting preferred). Master’s degree a plus.
- 10+ years of combined experience between Accounts Receivable and Trade Promotion Management (with at least 2 years at Director level or above)
- Proven track record in managing large groups of employees in an organization with diverse functions and processes.
- Solid understanding of Accounting principles with respect to revenue recognition, gross-to-net calculations, expense accruals, bad debt provisions and other AR or Trade related Accounting.
- High-level of Finance acumen including ability to analyze and interpret financial statements, financial ratios, industry trends and economic outlook
- Demonstrated history of successful process improvement is required
- Must have the experience and confidence to partner effectively with management of all levels
- Deep domain knowledge in the various forms of Trade Promotions
- Knowledge of Shared Services industry and business principles
- Proven project management leadership skills involving processes, cross-functional teams, and/or systems with a high-level of process improvement techniques and tools experience
- Demonstrated strong customer service orientation – understanding and acting upon differing needs of diverse stakeholders while also implementing and managing appropriate KPI’s
- Must have ability to implement and support change. Excellent communication skills a must.
- Knowledge and experience in all aspects of people mentorship, management, development and team building with emphasis on well-rounded leadership skills
- Exceptional analytical skills to help with complex problem-solving and be able to recognize, anticipate and resolve operational, people, or system problems
- Dependable with a high level of integrity and discretion
- Ability to meet deadlines. Must have outstanding prioritization and time-management skills
- Cost consciousness with experience tracking, reporting and controlling costs with a focus on improving overall efficiency
- Systems (must have strong systems aptitude):
- Must have extensive knowledge of SAP ERP system (like system experience will be considered: Oracle, MS Dynamics, etc).
- Extensive knowledge and experience in Vistex claims processing software heavily preferred
- Proficiency in MicroSoft Office products: Outlook, Word, PowerPoint. Must have very strong MS Excel skills – Vlookups, Pivot Tables, etc.
- Experience in consumer packaged goods and manufacturing desirable but not required.
ARYZTA is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer (AA/EOE)
Job Location
- San Leandro, California, United States
- Position Type
- Full-Time/Regular