Accounts Receivable Specialist

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community. Rakuten is the most rewarding way to shop, giving millions of members Cash Back when they buy from their favorite brands. As a leading shopping platform, Rakuten partners with thousands of top brands across apparel, beauty and wellness, grocery, travel, on-demand services, subscriptions, and dining, helping members save on everyday purchases.

About the role

We are looking for an Accounts Receivable Specialist to join our Order to Cash (O2C) team within Finance at Rakuten Rewards. In this role, you will own a portfolio of customer, advertiser, and agency accounts and drive the collections lifecycle end to end: proactive outreach, dunning, dispute resolution, and unapplied cash resolution, ensuring partners pay in accordance with their contractual terms. Because Rakuten Rewards operates at the center of a large network of advertisers, agencies, and affiliate partners, this role requires someone who understands how affiliate marketing and agency-managed billing relationships work, including how commissions, payouts, and agency-of-record structures can complicate collections and cash application.

You will be measured against clear SLAs and KPIs, including cash collection targets, aging, and QA reviews, while also contributing to process improvements and automation across our O2C. In this role, you will analyze and manage the organization's accounts receivable portfolio, helping to optimize cash flow and minimize outstanding debt. You will assess collections performance, identify trends, and develop strategies to improve recovery rates and reduce delinquency. By generating reports, analyzing data, and collaborating with the collections team, you will provide actionable insights that support effective collections strategies and decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Administer the accounts receivable process, ensuring timely and accurate billing, collections, and reporting activities to support overall financial health.
• Coordinate somewhat complex receivables functions, managing workflows and guiding team members to resolve escalated issues efficiently.
• Analyze somewhat complex accounts receivable data, identifying trends, discrepancies, and areas for improvement in the collections process.
• Communicate with customers and internal teams to address outstanding balances, resolve disputes, and maintain positive relationships.
• Develop somewhat complex reports and analyses on receivables, providing insights to management for strategic decision-making.
• Complete monthly reconciliations of accounts receivable balances, ensuring accuracy and identifying discrepancies for corrective action.
• Document all receivable activities, maintaining clear and organized records to support audits and internal controls.
• Implement process improvements and best practices within the accounts receivable function, enhancing efficiency and accuracy.
• Recommend adjustments and strategies for credit and collections processes, contributing to the optimization of cash flow.
• Apply a working understanding of credit risk and payment terms to help prioritize outreach and flag higher-risk accounts to management.
• Partner with Finance Systems and O2C leadership on testing, rollout, and adoption of new collections tools and workflow enhancements.
• Build strong working relationships with agency and affiliate partner contacts to resolve payment issues efficiently while preserving the partnership.
• Maintain accurate, detailed notes of all customer/agency interactions, commitments, and dispute status across systems including Oracle, Salesforce, and Kolleno (or similar tooling such as Tesorio or HighRadius).
• Support cash application research, payment discrepancy resolution, and account reconciliations, with particular attention to the complexities of agency-managed and affiliate billing relationships.
• Contribute to month-end close activities, including aging analysis and collection forecasts.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in accounts receivable, collections, or a related Order to Cash function.
• Experience working with or within agencies, advertisers, or the affiliate marketing industry, and understands how agency-of-record and affiliate payout structures affect billing and collections.
• Hands-on experience with systems such as Oracle, Salesforce, Tesorio, Kolleno, or HighRadius, or comparable AR/collections tooling.
• Track record of managing a high-volume portfolio and meeting collections KPIs such as cash targets, DSO, and aging.
• Excellent written communication skills and comfort owning a high-volume inbox, engaging partners professionally and persistently via email.
• Ability to navigate cross-functional stakeholders to drive dispute resolution with appropriate urgency.
• Proficiency in Excel, including pivot tables and lookups, and strong attention to detail managing a high-volume, varied portfolio.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in accounts receivable or related field.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
• Prior experience in the affiliate marketing, performance marketing, or agency ecosystem.

Benefits

• Discretionary bonus
• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• 401k matching
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Pay

USD $42,849.00 - $72,684.00 annually