Accounts Receivable Associate

About the Role

Fairbanks Morse Defense is seeking an Accounts Receivable Associate to join our growing Finance team. This role plays an important part in supporting the financial operations of a company that provides mission-critical products and services to the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and other defense programs. As Fairbanks Morse Defense continues to grow through strategic acquisitions, this position will support the continued development of our Shared Services organization by ensuring accurate invoicing, timely cash application, effective collections, and strong customer account management.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Accounts Receivable professional with a background in a manufacturing environment, strong Excel capabilities, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and a commitment to accuracy, collaboration, and integrity. This role requires someone who understands the importance of the order-to-cash process and how accurate financial operations directly support the success of the business.

This position will begin with fully onsite training to ensure the successful candidate develops a strong understanding of our systems, processes, customers, and internal partnerships. Once the individual demonstrates proficiency, independence, strong performance, and the ability to successfully manage responsibilities, there is potential for a hybrid work arrangement based on business needs and leadership approval.

Schedule

Monday – Friday. Flexible scheduling options may be available: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM or 7:00 AM start time may be considered. Final schedule will be determined based on business needs.

Position Summary

The Accounts Receivable Associate is responsible for the timely and accurate processing of customer invoices, payment applications, collections activities, account reconciliations, and financial reporting support. This role plays a critical part in maintaining healthy cash flow, ensuring accurate financial records, supporting internal controls, and partnering with internal teams and customers to resolve account-related issues. The successful candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable balancing multiple priorities while maintaining professionalism and accuracy. This position requires strong communication skills, the ability to build effective business relationships, and the confidence to manage collection activities in a professional and respectful manner.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Invoicing & Billing: Generate, review, verify, and distribute accurate customer invoices in a timely manner. Process invoices through various customer portals, including but not limited to IPP, WAWF, Taulia, Oracle, and Exostar. Review invoices for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with customer requirements. Validate purchase order information, pricing, supporting documentation, and billing requirements. Research invoice discrepancies and partner with internal teams to resolve issues.
• Payment Processing & Cash Application: Record and apply customer payments received through checks, ACH, wire transfers, and credit cards. Process credit card transactions for Fairbanks Morse Defense and affiliated business units. Ensure payments are accurately applied and recorded in a timely manner. Research and resolve payment discrepancies. Support accurate cash reporting and customer account records.
• Accounts Receivable Collections: Monitor Accounts Receivable aging reports. Follow up on overdue balances through professional written and verbal communication. Maintain strong customer relationships while effectively managing collection activities. Communicate with customer Accounts Payable departments regarding invoice status, payment expectations, and outstanding balances. Resolve past-due accounts while representing Fairbanks Morse Defense professionally. The successful candidate understands that collections are a business process and requires professionalism, diplomacy, negotiation skills, and strong relationship management.
• Account Reconciliation: Investigate short payments, discrepancies, and customer disputes. Reconcile payments and credit memos against the general ledger. Process write-offs when appropriate. Maintain accurate customer account information. Assist with month-end close activities and financial reporting requirements.
• Excel & Reporting Responsibilities: The successful candidate must demonstrate strong, proven Excel skills and be comfortable using Excel as a daily business tool. Required Excel experience includes creating and maintaining spreadsheets, building financial reports, Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP functions, data analysis and organization, and identifying trends, discrepancies, and opportunities for improvement. Candidates should be able to provide examples of how they have used Excel to improve reporting accuracy, efficiency, or decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: This position partners closely with internal teams, including Service Administration, Parts, Logistics, Sales, Operations, and Finance. Responsibilities include resolving invoice questions, clarifying billing requirements, researching discrepancies, supporting customer account inquiries, and communicating updates clearly and professionally. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential. The successful candidate must be comfortable communicating with both internal stakeholders and external customer Accounts Payable teams.

Qualifications and Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent required
• 1–3 years of Accounts Receivable experience required
• Previous experience working in a manufacturing environment required
• Experience supporting Accounts Receivable functions within a manufacturing, industrial, defense, aerospace, or similar environment
• Strong understanding of invoice processing, cash application, collections, account reconciliation, customer account management, and purchase order and billing processes
• The successful candidate must understand how operational processes, customer requirements, shipments, invoicing, and financial accuracy connect throughout the order-to-cash process
• Proven proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, spreadsheet creation, and reporting and data analysis
• Experience working with ERP systems
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting a manufacturing or distribution organization
• Experience working with purchase orders, customer billing requirements, and complex invoice processes
• Government contracting/payment systems experience
• Experience with WAWF, IPP, and other customer billing portals

Export Control Requirements

This position includes access or potential access to export-controlled data. Therefore, candidates must qualify as a U.S. Person, defined as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident, or political asylee in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Acceptable proof of status includes U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card, U.S. Birth Certificate, or Naturalization Certificate. Maintenance, including renewal, of licensing authorization is a condition of employment. Government authorization may be considered as a suitable alternative on a case-by-case basis.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances
• 401k retirement plan with employer match
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement