Accounts Receivable- Subject Matter Expert- Hybrid

Accounts Receivable- Subject Matter Expert - Hybrid

ROLE PURPOSE- Serve as the functional authority for end-to-end Accounts Receivable operations, strengthening process control, service performance, issue resolution, continuous improvement, and stakeholder confidence across billing, cash application, collections, credit, deductions, reconciliations, and reporting.

Position Overview

The Subject Matter Expert, Accounts Receivable provides deep functional expertise across the Order-to-Cash lifecycle and acts as a senior escalation point for complex operational, accounting, systems, and customer-account issues. The role partners with delivery teams, clients, Finance, Sales, Operations, Treasury, and enabling functions to protect receivables, improve cash flow, maintain accurate customer accounts, and deliver consistent, audit-ready processes.

The SME combines hands-on process knowledge with analytical leadership. The position establishes practical standards, coaches team members, translates business requirements into process and system solutions, and supports transitions, stabilization, transformation, and automation initiatives. The role may lead workstreams and provide functional direction without formal people-management responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Accounts Receivable Expertise

• Provide functional leadership across customer setup and credit support, billing, cash application, collections, deductions and disputes, refunds, adjustments, reconciliations, month-end activities, and receivables reporting.
• Interpret account activity across invoices, payments, credit and debit memos, adjustments, write-offs, unapplied cash, refunds, and aging to identify root causes and corrective action.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for high-risk balances, complex account reconciliations, payment discrepancies, billing defects, collection barriers, and cross-process exceptions.
• Promote timely, accurate transaction processing and disciplined account hygiene, with clear ownership and traceable resolution.

Controls, Compliance, and Quality

• Define and reinforce process controls, approval requirements, segregation of duties, documentation standards, and evidence retention in alignment with client and Cognizant requirements.
• Perform or support quality reviews, account audits, control checks, and root-cause analysis. Coordinate remediation and monitor actions through closure.
• Support period-end readiness, reconciliations, reporting validation, audit requests, and control testing by ensuring data and supporting documentation are complete and reliable.
• Identify operational, financial, customer, and compliance risks and escalate them through appropriate governance channels.

Performance and Service Delivery

• Monitor process performance using agreed service levels, operational metrics, aging trends, collection effectiveness, unapplied cash, dispute backlog, productivity, quality, and timeliness indicators.
• Analyze variances and recurring failure patterns, recommend corrective actions, and work with process owners to improve performance sustainably.
• Contribute to capacity planning, workload prioritization, daily management, and recovery plans during peak cycles or service disruption.
• Prepare concise operational insights for governance reviews and communicate risks, dependencies, decisions, and progress to stakeholders.

Continuous Improvement and Transformation

• Lead or support process mapping, standardization, simplification, defect reduction, and automation opportunities across Accounts Receivable.
• Translate business needs into functional requirements, user stories, control requirements, test scenarios, and acceptance criteria for process or technology changes.
• Participate in solution design, user acceptance testing, implementation, stabilization, and benefits tracking for system, analytics, workflow, and automation initiatives.
• Maintain current process documentation, standard operating procedures, decision trees, knowledge articles, and exception-handling guidance.

Knowledge Leadership and Stakeholder Partnership

• Coach analysts and associates on process knowledge, judgment, quality standards, customer communication, and complex-case resolution.
• Deliver knowledge-transfer sessions, calibrations, refresher training, and readiness assessments. Help identify and close capability gaps.
• Partner constructively with internal and external stakeholders to resolve billing, payment, credit, collection, and account-status issues while preserving customer relationships.
• Support transitions and new-scope onboarding through discovery, due diligence, knowledge capture, risk assessment, documentation, and stabilization.

Decision Scope and Accountability

• Provides authoritative functional guidance within approved policies, controls, contractual commitments, and delegated authority.
• Recommends account treatment, prioritization, escalation, remediation, and process improvements based on evidence and business impact.
• Escalates material financial exposure, policy exceptions, control deficiencies, customer risk, or decisions outside assigned authority.
• Owns the quality and completeness of analyses, recommendations, documentation, and functional deliverables assigned to the role.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

CAPABILITY

EXPECTED PROFICIENCY

Accounts Receivable domain

Advanced knowledge of Order-to-Cash processes, accounting flows, customer-account analysis, aging, reconciliations, collections, cash application, billing, disputes, adjustments, write-offs, and period-end activities.

Analytical problem solving

Ability to investigate complex transaction histories, connect data across process steps, identify root causes, quantify impacts, and recommend practical resolution.

Controls and risk awareness

Strong understanding of operational controls, approvals, audit evidence, segregation of duties, data integrity, and exception governance.

Systems and data

Advanced spreadsheet skills and working proficiency with enterprise ERP and receivables platforms. Ability to interpret reports, dashboards, workflow queues, and transaction-level data. Experience with Oracle, SAP, or comparable platforms is desirable.

Communication

Clear, professional written and verbal communication with the ability to explain complex issues, influence outcomes, and manage sensitive customer or stakeholder conversations.

Leadership without authority

Ability to coach others, lead workstreams, establish standards, coordinate cross-functional action, and create accountability across diverse teams.

Service mindset

Strong customer orientation, sound judgment, attention to detail, integrity, resilience, and ability to balance service, cash, risk, and control priorities.

Work management

Ability to prioritize competing demands, meet tight deadlines, operate independently, and collaborate effectively in a global, matrixed environment.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor''s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Commerce, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Substantial hands-on experience in Accounts Receivable or Order-to-Cash operations, including demonstrated ownership of complex cases, controls, reconciliations, or process improvement.
• Experience supporting shared services, business process services, global operations, or client-facing delivery is strongly preferred.
• Experience mentoring team members, leading a functional workstream, supporting transitions, or implementing process and technology changes is preferred.
• Relevant professional training or certification in Finance, Accounting, credit and collections, Lean, Six Sigma, project delivery, analytics, or an ERP platform is advantageous.

Success Measures

FINANCIAL OUTCOMES

Improved receivables health, timely cash realization, reduced aged debt, controlled write-offs, and effective exception resolution.

SERVICE DELIVERY

Achievement of agreed service levels, timeliness, productivity, and stakeholder commitments.

QUALITY AND CONTROLS

Accurate account treatment, complete reconciliations, strong documentation, reduced defects, and timely closure of control actions.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Clear communication, responsive issue resolution, and effective cross-functional partnership.

IMPROVEMENT

Measurable reduction in recurring issues, simplified work, stronger standardization, and realized automation or process benefits.

CAPABILITY

Improved team proficiency, effective knowledge transfer, and reduced dependency on informal expertise.

Working Conditions

The role is primarily performed in a professional office or remote-work environment, subject to business, client, security, and location requirements. The associate may need to collaborate across time zones, support critical period-end or transition activities, and adjust working hours when operationally necessary and permitted by local requirements. Travel may be required based on client or business needs.

Salary and Other Compensation:

Applications will be accepted until September 9, 2026.

The hourly rate for this position is between $18.00 - 19.00 per hour, depending on experience and other

qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and

subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting.

Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Cog2026

About Cognizant:

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.

Additional employment information

Compensation information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email CareersNA2@cognizant.com for roles based in the Americas or CareersIndia2@cognizant.com for roles based in India.