Debitoren-Experte - Finanzbuchhaltung

About The Sherwin-Williams Company

The Sherwin-Williams Company is a leading global manufacturer of paints, coatings, and related products. With a strong presence in over 120 countries, we offer a wide range of innovative solutions for the construction, industrial, and consumer markets.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Finance Analyst to join our team in Germany. As a Finance Analyst, you will play a critical role in maximizing profitable sales and minimizing bad debt losses. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining effective working relationships with the sales organization and customers to enhance collection efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the sales organization and customers to enhance collection efforts.
• Reduce outside collection and bad debt expense through effective collection activities.
• Chase debts by phone/email, speaking on behalf of the company, requiring good communication/diplomacy/tact/negotiation skills.
• Initiate contact with business units & customers, and follow up as needed to obtain commitments for payment or unfulfilled customer payments.
• Monitor and control debt/Aged debt overview: ensuring agreed terms are adhered to by customers.
• Order release: ensuring conditions are met to confirm the release diligently, requiring good judgement, following order release process flow.
• Query management: to be addressed with customer service/sales and solved promptly to keep customer's satisfaction and identify any root causes preventing reoccurrences.

Credit Review / Audit Management

• Establishment of credit terms and limits/Account Review/Customer Master Setups for new customers or increased business on existing accounts considering the risk involved and liaising closely with sales for export credit knowledge of export documentation and other payment methods.
• Assessment of credit risk/Credit Risk Review: trying to find ways of accepting and controlling all business, including high risk opportunities. This involves the use of Credit Check Reports via a Credit Check Agency, the basic understanding of financial statements (Balance sheet, P&L) within approval limits requiring good numeracy skills.
• Ensures services delivered are compliant with SOX, Sherwin Williams policies, procedures, and all local statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Works with Internal Audit and external auditors to support their activities.
• Processing of credit notes/debit notes and rebates once these have been authorized on the respective portals.

Cash Allocation

• Initiative to contact store and other stakeholders to obtain clarification on payment information to resolve issues and apply payments accurately.
• Timely and accurate cash application of payments.
• Identify and properly code deductions / overpayments by customers.
• Document customer commitments for payment.
• Advise credit personnel of corrections requested by customer and assist field personnel in resolving account variances by application of POS corrections and edit of electronic chargeback logs.
• Cash allocation: ensuring the cash is allocated daily and accurately to maintain up to date ledgers, requiring attention to detail for multiple currencies.

Requirements

• CICM, AAT studier, part qualified accountant or other relevant professional qualification.
• Credit Control or Accounting background.
• Customer Services experience.
• Applying comprehensive credit principles and practices.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office based program – Outlook, Word, Excel.
• Fluent in English and German.

What We Offer

• Work life balance.
• Hybrid work model with occasional office visits.
• Competitive compensation programme.
• Career growth opportunities in a truly international environment.
• Innovation leaders in the protective coatings industry.
• Sherwin Academy offers continuous training programmes for all seniority levels.
• Attractive wellbeing, mental health, women & inclusion and ID&E programmes.