Manages client trade systems, contracts, rates, product details, trade events, deductions, and reconciliation processes. Audits compliance, identifies discrepancies and financial risks, resolves exceptions, reports on deduction KPIs, analyzes trends, and recommends process improvements. Partners with sales, clients, and shared services while facilitating operating cadences and serving as an escalation point for complex trade inquiries.
The Trade Specialist serves as a critical liaison between the centralized trade organization, client-facing sales teams, and internal shared services. This role provides analytical, systems, and reconciliation expertise to support trade investment accuracy and effectiveness across Grocery, Natural, and Small Format channels. The Trade Specialist independently manages complex client systems, drives exception resolution, and ensures alignment between contractual agreements, customer execution, and financial settlement processes.
Responsibilities- Serve as a subject matter expert in client trade systems, ensuring accurate setup, maintenance, and interpretation of contracts, rates, dates, and product details.
- Perform detailed contract and system comparisons to proactively identify discrepancies, risks, and downstream financial impacts.
- Audit customer trade events and deductions at a predefined depth to validate compliance with contract terms and trade policies.
- Lead timely and accurate reconciliation efforts by aligning customer deduction timing, client requests, and internal balance management.
- Own key performance indicators related to open deductions, providing routine and ad hoc reporting to Sales, Clients, and Global Business Services.
- Analyze trends in trade discrepancies and deduction activity to identify root causes and recommend process improvements.
- Partner closely with Global Business Services to resolve issues, provide customer documentation, and refine Standard Operating Procedures.
- Facilitate recurring cross‑functional operating cadences (daily, weekly, monthly) to ensure transparency, alignment, and issue resolution.
Act as a trusted point of escalation for complex trade and deduction inquiries, exercising sound judgment and commercial acumen
Qualifications
- Associate’s degree preferred; concentration in Business, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, or 3-5 years related field preferred.
- An equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and professional experience will be considered in lieu of degree.
- Demonstrated experience working with trade management systems, financial reconciliation, or customer accounts within a CPG or consumer business environment preferred.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (data analysis, reconciliation, reporting).
- Strong analytical and critical‑thinking capabilities with the ability to interpret complex data and draw actionable conclusions.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound business judgment, prioritize competing demands, and work independently.
- Proven problem‑solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex trade concepts to cross‑functional partners.
Acosta is a part of Acosta Group – a collective of the industry’s most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies reimagining the way people connect with brands at every point in their shopping journey.
Specializing in retail sales services, digital strategy, and business intelligence, Acosta empowers brands to thrive in the world of omnichannel shopping. Our sales and digital teams build lasting relationships, ensuring our client brands get the space they deserve in stores and outperform the competition online, while our merch reps make brands shine in retail locations across the world.
But it’s not just about what we do – it’s about who we are. With a team of over 20,000 associates, we’re a community of forward-thinking, value-driven professionals committed to an unmatched level of trust and transparency in the industry. And, we understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why many of our field roles provide our associates with flexible scheduling options. Join us and be a part of a team that values growth and making a real impact for our clients, retail partners and their customers.
Acosta Group is an equal opportunity employer and will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [email protected]. Be sure to include "Applicant Accommodation" in the subject of your email to expedite the request.
Acosta Group believes in good faith that the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly compensation range for this opportunity is accurate and reasonable at the time of posting.
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