Accounting & Order Reconciliation Specialist

Location: Palmer, MA
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Employment Type: Temporary, approximately 3 months, with potential for longer-term employment
Work Environment: On-site | Manufacturing

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Accounting & Order Reconciliation Specialist to support a well-established manufacturing company in Palmer, MA. This is a hands-on accounting position with responsibility for customer invoicing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, order and job reconciliation, and maintaining accurate financial records.

This role is particularly well suited for someone who enjoys digging into the details and making sure the numbers and supporting documentation match. Because the company manufactures custom products, transactions are not always straightforward. You may be reconciling customer orders, materials used, labor hours, shipping documentation, pricing, inventory transactions, and invoices to ensure each job is accounted for accurately.

The company uses Sage 50 for financial reporting and Lotus Notes for job reporting. Experience with Sage is strongly preferred, although someone with strong accounting and manufacturing systems experience should be able to learn the environment.

The position will report directly to Liz, with General Manager Kevin serving as a dotted-line manager. The company's fractional CFO, Udo, will also be available as a resource when needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate and timely customer invoices, averaging approximately 50–100 invoices per week

• Review and reconcile customer purchase orders, sales orders, packing slips, shipping documentation, pricing, and invoices

• Reconcile custom manufacturing jobs, including materials used, labor hours, work orders, inventory allocations, and related costs

• Identify and research discrepancies before invoices are finalized

• Process customer credits, adjustments, debit memos, and credit memos as needed

• Record and apply customer payments and maintain accurate accounts receivable balances

• Monitor AR aging and assist with follow-up on outstanding balances

• Research short payments, deductions, and customer account discrepancies

• Review and enter vendor invoices

• Match vendor invoices against purchase orders, receiving documentation, and approvals

• Research and resolve vendor pricing, quantity, and invoice discrepancies

• Assist with vendor payment preparation

• Perform account, customer, vendor, bank, and credit-card reconciliations as assigned

• Enter receiving information and ensure inventory transactions are recorded accurately

• Support accounting activities for two business entities

• Assist with month-end and year-end accounting activities

• Maintain organized electronic and paper accounting documentation

• Work closely with management, Customer Service, Sales, Shipping, Production, and other departments to resolve transaction and documentation issues

• Identify unusual transactions or discrepancies and bring them to management's attention

• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding company and financial information

What We're Looking For

The right person for this position is highly organized, accurate, and comfortable working in a small manufacturing environment where priorities can change and responsibilities may cross traditional departmental lines.

You should be someone who can look at a transaction, recognize when something doesn't make sense, and investigate until you understand the discrepancy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in accounting, bookkeeping, accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, or financial reconciliation

• Experience handling a combination of AR, AP, invoicing, and reconciliations

• Manufacturing experience strongly preferred

• Experience with inventory, work orders, job costing, or manufacturing transactions is highly desirable

• Sage 50 experience strongly preferred

• Experience with Lotus Notes or similar job/ERP systems is helpful but not required

• Strong Excel and general computer skills

• Strong numerical aptitude and attention to detail

• Ability to work with both electronic systems and paper documentation

• Ability to identify discrepancies and independently research problems

• Strong organizational and time-management skills

• Professional written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work effectively across departments

• Dependable and able to manage deadlines and competing priorities

An associate degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field is preferred but relevant hands-on accounting experience is more important than a specific degree.

Why This Role Is Different

This isn't a position where you simply enter invoices all day.

The company manufactures custom products, which means each job can involve different materials, quantities, labor, inventory, shipping details, and customer requirements. The accounting team plays an important role in making sure those pieces are accurately captured before the job is invoiced.

There are established processes and flowcharts available to help guide the work, but the successful candidate will also need to be comfortable investigating discrepancies, asking questions, and working with other departments to get the information needed.

Assignment Details

This position is expected to begin as an approximately three-month temporary assignment to provide coverage during an employee's medical leave. There is also the possibility that the position could continue or develop into a longer-term opportunity depending on business needs.

The role is on-site in Palmer, Massachusetts, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Candidates should be prepared to complete appropriate background screening due to the confidential financial information handled in this position.