Accounts Receivable Specialist

POSITION: Accounts Receivable Specialist Company: Born in Los Angeles, Cult Gaia is known for beautiful heirloom pieces that will live in your closet forever. The cornerstone of Cult Gaia's DNA is creating objects d'art that makes you look twice. Since its inception, CG has grown from accessories into a lifestyle brand, selling everything from ready-to-wear to shoes, a world of Gaia. Position Summary: The Accounts Receivable (AR) Specialist – AR Support is responsible for supporting the end-to-end collections process, ensuring the timely follow-up and resolution of outstanding customer payments, and maintaining strong, professional relationships with customers across our eCommerce, retail, and wholesale sales channels. This role acts as a key point of coordination between Finance, Sales, Customer Service, Planning, Warehouse, and Shipping to resolve payment and order-related issues that impact collections, ensure accurate and timely billing, and support a smooth month-end close process. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Customer Collections & Payment Follow-Up Perform weekly, proactive follow-ups on outstanding customer invoices and past-due balances for wholesale accounts. Track and manage exceptions to the standard weekly follow-up cadence, such as accounts under active special agreements or negotiated payment terms, ensuring these are documented and monitored appropriately. Contact customers via phone and email to secure payment commitments, resolve disputes, and clear aging balances in a professional and courteous manner. Escalate chronic or high-risk delinquent accounts to the AR Manager with clear documentation of follow-up history and recommended next steps. Monitor and report on AR aging, flagging accounts that require additional attention or reallocation. Customer Relationship Management Build and maintain positive, professional relationships with customers to support timely payment while protecting the customer experience. Serve as a responsive point of contact for customer billing inquiries, statement requests, and payment discrepancies. Partner with Sales to align on customer communication, especially for accounts with special agreements or negotiated terms still in progress. Support the resolution of billing disputes by coordinating with internal teams to validate order, shipment, and pricing details. Order & Payment Coordination Monitor sales orders pending billing and coordinate with customer service and Warehouse/Shipping to ensure timely fulfillment-to-invoice conversion, minimizing delays that could lead to inventory accumulation. Support the reallocation process by flagging stalled or unresponsive customer orders for review in the weekly touchbase (TB) meeting and coordinating with Planning for reassignment to ready buyers when appropriate. Assist in identifying orders affected by payment holds, credit limits, or unresolved disputes, and communicate status updates to Sales and Customer Service. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Customer Service to resolve orders, shipment, or billing discrepancies that may be delaying payment. Coordinate with Planning to support order reallocation decisions and inventory flow. Liaise with Warehouse and Shipping teams to confirm delivery status, proof of delivery, and shipment documentation needed to support collections and dispute resolution. Participate in the weekly TB (touch-base) meeting to review aging accounts, stalled orders, and agreements in progress. Month-End Support Assist the AR Manager and Finance team with month-end close activities, including aging report preparation, reconciliations, and account reviews. Help ensure billing is completed and posted accurately and on time to support month-end deadlines. Prepare summary updates on collections status, open disputes, and at-risk accounts for month-end reporting QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE 2+ years of experience in accounts receivable, collections, credit, or a related finance/customer support role. 1 – 2 years of experience in accounts payable preferred Experience in fashion or retail preferred Working knowledge of eCommerce, retail, and wholesale sales channels, including how order, fulfillment, and billing processes may differ across each. Experience with ERP/accounting systems (e.g., NetSuite or similar) preferred. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and general comfort working with reports and account data. Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred, or equivalent practical experience. SKILLS & COMPETENCIES Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to maintain professionalism under pressure. Highly organized, with strong attention to detail and follow-through on outstanding items. Comfortable working cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Service, Planning, Warehouse, and Shipping teams. Solutions-oriented mindset, with the ability to identify issues early and elevate appropriately. Ability to manage multiple accounts and priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive customer and financial information. #J-18808-Ljbffr