Overview:

The AR Claims Manager is responsible for leading and managing the customer claims, deductions, chargebacks, and dispute resolution functions within the Accounts Receivable function. This position oversees the timely investigation, validation, resolution, and recovery of customer claims while minimizing financial exposure, improving cash flow performance, and supporting strong customer relationships.

The AR Claims Manager is accountable for establishing, maintaining, and continuously improving efficient, scalable, and standardized claims management processes that support operational excellence across the order-to-cash cycle. This role proactively identifies trends, root causes, process gaps, compliance risks, and revenue leakage opportunities and partners cross-functionally to implement corrective and preventive actions that reduce deductions, improve recoveries, and strengthen overall business performance.

As a hands-on leader, the AR Claims Manager serves as both a people manager and subject matter expert, providing leadership to the Claims team while actively participating in the resolution of complex customer claims and deduction issues. The position partners closely with Sales, Customer Service, Finance, Supply Chain, Logistics, Distribution, and Operations to drive accountability, continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and sustainable business results.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Includes the following, other duties may be assigned)

Primary Responsibilities :

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop the Claims team to achieve departmental goals and performance standards.
• Establish objectives, priorities, and accountability measures that drive service excellence and continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance on complex claims, deductions, compliance issues, and dispute resolution.
• Manage team performance, development, workload planning, and escalations.

Claims and Deduction Management

• Oversee and actively participate in the investigation, resolution, recovery, and prevention of customer claims, deductions, chargebacks, and disputes.
• Review and approve claim research, disputes, settlements, and recovery actions.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-value claims.
• Drive timely resolution and recovery efforts to minimize revenue loss and improve cash flow.
• Ensure accurate documentation, reporting, and compliance with customer requirements.
• Maintain thorough knowledge of customer compliance requirements, retailer standards, deductions programs, and dispute management processes.

Process Improvement and Operational Excellence

• Own and continuously improve the end-to-end claims management process.
• Identify trends, root causes, and process gaps and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead initiatives that reduce deductions, improve recoveries, enhance efficiency, and prevent revenue leakage.
• Drive automation, reporting enhancements, process standardization, and best practices across the function.
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Financial Analysis and Reporting

• Analyze claims activity, recoveries, aging, and financial exposure to identify risks and opportunities.
• Develop and monitor KPIs to measure team performance, recovery rates, and operational effectiveness.
• Prepare management reporting and provide recommendations to improve results.
• Support financial close activities, reconciliations, reserve analysis, and reporting.
• Drive achievement of recovery targets and working capital objectives.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Sales, Customer Service, Finance, Supply Chain, Logistics, and Operations to resolve issues and prevent recurring claims.
• Collaborate with customers and external partners to support claim resolution and recovery efforts.
• Provide insights and recommendations related to customer compliance, operational performance, and deduction trends.
• Support customer onboarding, compliance initiatives, and strategic business projects.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, accounting standards, and internal controls.
• Monitor and mitigate financial, operational, and compliance risks related to claims and deductions.
• Support audit activities and maintain appropriate documentation and controls.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervise Claims team members.
• Responsible for hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, performance management, and associate development.
• Plan, assign, and review work to ensure departmental objectives and service levels are achieved.

Education And/or Experience: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in Accounts Receivable, Claims Management, Deductions Management, Customer Financial Services, Credit & Collections, Finance, or a related business function.
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory, team lead, or management experience, including responsibility for associate coaching, development, and performance management.
• Demonstrated experience researching, analyzing, resolving, and recovering customer claims, deductions, chargebacks, and disputes.
• Experience developing, improving, and managing business processes, procedures, and performance metrics.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, formulas, reporting, and data analysis.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Service, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Logistics teams.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, drive results, and lead change in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Seven (7) or more years of experience in Accounts Receivable, Claims Management, Deductions Management, Customer Financial Services, or related functions.
• Previous management experience leading a claims, deductions, accounts receivable, or customer financial services team.
• Experience within foodservice, manufacturing, consumer products, wholesale distribution, or retail environments.
• Experience developing KPIs, dashboards, performance reporting, and operational metrics.
• Experience leading continuous improvement, process optimization, automation, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Experience with NetSuite or other ERP systems.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or related continuous improvement training or certification.