Target EDI & Deduction Reconciliation Specialist (Fractional, Diagnostic Project)
We're a specialty consumer products brand selling into Target through a direct vendor relationship, using a third-party warehouse/logistics partner for fulfillment. We manage our books in QuickBooks Online (QBO) and interface with Target through Partners Online (POL) — specifically Greenfield (BI/reporting) and Synergy (deduction disputes).
We have a material discrepancy between our internal QBO
receivables/aging and what Target's Greenfield reporting shows, and we suspect a mix of causes: undisputed or expired deductions, EDI (850/856/810) mismatches between our warehouse partner and Target's receiving system, and possible timing/booking issues on our own accounting side.
We need someone with genuine, hands-on experience inside Target's vendor systems — not just general EDI background — to find out where the discrepancy actually sits and help us fix the process going forward.
PHASE 1 Engagement — fixed scope:
- Pull deduction/chargeback history from Synergy and AP/BI reporting from Greenfield for the relevant period, compare to our existing reports
- Categorize every open and historical deduction by Target reason code
- Cross-reference EDI 850 (PO), 856 (ASN), and 810 (Invoice) logs from our warehouse partner against what Target's system shows as received
- Reconcile findings against our QBO aging schedule to identify: expired undisputed deductions, invalid deductions worth disputing, timing gaps, and any booking errors on our end
- Deliver a written findings report: size/cause of the gap, dollar amount recoverable via dispute vs. permanently lost, and a root-cause diagnosis
- Recommend the right ongoing support structure based on findings
PHASE 2 (potential follow-on, scoped after Phase 1):
Ongoing deduction monitoring/disputing, recurring 3-way reconciliation, EDI exception management with our warehouse partner, and SOP documentation for a potential internal handoff. We're open to discussing what's worked well for you with other Target vendors.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:
- Direct, hands-on experience with Target Partners Online (POL) — specifically Greenfield and Synergy. Please describe specific past engagements proposal;general retail EDI experience without POL-specific exposure is not a fit for this project.
- EDI transaction set fluency: 850, 856, 810, 997
- Experience reconciling retailer AP/deduction data against a client's own accounting system (QuickBooks Online experience a strong plus)
- Familiarity with Target's deduction reason codes and dispute process/documentation requirements
- Comfortable working directly with a small company and explaining findings in plain language
NICE TO HAVE:
- Experience where a 3PL/warehouse partner (not the vendor) generated the EDI transactions, and how you handled unclear ownership between the two parties
- Familiarity with deduction automation tools
- Client, toy, or collectibles industry background