Accounting Specialist

COMPANY INTRODUCTION Manzana Products Co. has been in business for over 100 years and is a leading producer of organic apple juice, apple sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Manzana is owned by Agrial, a prominent French co-op of 12,000 farmer members and a force in agriculture and food production. Manzanas mission is to create quality apple products by placing the highest value on people, suppliers, customers, and continuous improvement in manufacturing capabilities, with social and environmental responsibility at the heart of our actions. We are in the process of relocating our manufacturing facility from Sebastopol, CA to Sunnyside, WA. While the facility is essential, we believe that building a strong, dedicated team is the key to success. At Manzana, we work each day to foster a culture focused on food safety, employee health and safety, customer service, continuous improvement, and an inclusive, respectful environment where all team members contributions are valued, and feedback is encouraged. At Manzana, all employees are required to actively participate in our comprehensive Food Safety Program to ensure the consistent production of the highest quality and safest food products. This commitment is essential to maintaining our standards and protecting our customers. Join us as we grow and make a difference together Job Summary: We are currenting looking for an Accounting Specialist to join our Sunnyside team. The Accounting Specialist oversees the full accounts payable and accounts receivable cycles for a fast-paced food production environment and administers the company's employee expense platform end to end. Working closely with procurement, receiving, production, and sales, this role ensures vendors are paid accurately and on time, customer payments are collected and applied promptly, and expense reports comply with policy. Because a significant part of our customer base is concentrated in retail, retailer deduction and chargeback management is a core part of this role. The ideal candidate combines transactional rigor with strong communication skills and thrives on high volume, tight deadlines, and the realities of a manufacturing plant: three-way matching, freight and co-packer invoices, EDI document flows, and perishable goods urgency. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Accounts Payable o Oversee the processing of high-volume vendor invoices (raw materials, packaging, ingredients, MRO, freight, co-packing, utilities, services) with three-way match against purchase orders and receiving records. o Lead, investigate and resolve price, quantity, and receiving discrepancies with procurement, the warehouse, and vendors; escalate recurring issues. o Oversee weekly payment runs (ACH, check, wire), prioritizing critical suppliers and capturing early-payment discounts. o Maintain vendor master data, W-9s, and payment terms; support annual 1099 reporting. o Reconcile vendor statements monthly and clear aged open items; manage debit memos for returns, shortages, and quality rejections. Accounts Receivable o Apply cash receipts (ACH, checks, EDI 820 remittances) daily and reconcile to bank activity. o Oversee the retailer deduction and chargeback workflow: research, code, validate, and dispute deductions (shortages, pricing, trade promotions, compliance fines such as OTIF/MABD penalties) through retailer portals; recover invalid deductions and partner with sales on trade-related items. o Oversee collections on past-due balances with a customer-service mindset; maintain AR aging and flag credit risk to the Controller. Expense Process Management (approx. 15%) o Administer the company's expense management platform: onboard and offboard users, maintain approval hierarchies and GL coding rules, train employees, and serve as first point of contact for questions. o Audit expense reports for policy compliance, receipts, coding accuracy, and appropriate approvals; return non-compliant reports with clear guidance. o Process reimbursements through payroll on a defined cadence. o Track policy exceptions, report spend trends to management, and recommend policy or workflow improvements. Month-End & General Support (approx. 5%) o Support month-end close: AP/AR sub-ledger reconciliations to GL, accrual schedules for un-invoiced receipts, and aging reports. o Assist with external audits, internal controls documentation, and continuous improvement of AP/AR/expense workflows.