Trade Spend Manager

Gimme Seaweed

2d•$120,000 - $130,000•Remote

About The Position

As pioneers of the seaweed category, we introduced the world’s first line of Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified roasted seaweed snacks in 2012 and has since grown to become the #1 selling, premium, organic seaweed-based snack – but our aspirations reach even further. Led by founders and visionary food entrepreneurs Annie Chun and Steve Broad, we take great pride and care in creating delicious and convenient snacks inspired by our Korean heritage and believe that seaweed represents a sustainable path forward that nourishes people and the planet. With our eyes focused on the future, we’re on a mission to increase our impact by winning over a whole new generation of foodies. We are assembling a team of talented and driven individuals who are just as excited about the future of seaweed as we are!

Requirements

Strong understanding of trade promotion spend, customer deductions, accrual accounting, and retailer/distributor programs within a CPG environment
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail
Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, Operations, and external partners
Ability to manage large volumes of transactional data while maintaining accuracy and organization
Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly explain financial and operational insights
High ownership mindset with a proactive, solution-oriented approach
Comfortable navigating ambiguity and operating effectively in a fast-paced, evolving business
Ability to identify process inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement initiatives
Advanced Excel and data manipulation capabilities; experience working with ERP and TPM systems
Interest in leveraging automation, AI, and scalable processes to improve operational efficiency
Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field
10+ years of finance and accounting experience, including 5+ years managing trade promotion spend in a CPG food & beverage environment
Experience working with trade promotion management (TPM) software
Experience working with major food distributors and retailers (eg. UNFI, KeHE, Amazon, Target)
Experience identifying and successfully disputing incorrect chargebacks in customer portals
Experience with trade spend accrual accounting, balance sheet reconciliations and month-end close processes
Advanced Excel, data manipulation skills
Experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred)

Responsibilities

Ensure all customer trade promotion chargebacks are valid, authorized deductions that are accurately accounted for by customer, promotion, and general ledger account within the trade promotion management (TPM) system
Partner closely with the Head of Sales Operations to support promotion planning, execution, and accuracy within the TPM system
Serve as the primary relationship manager for the TPM service provider and act as the internal TPM superuser
Set up and maintain customer records, SKUs, promotions, and general ledger mappings within the TPM system
Upload and validate direct customer sales, distributor shipments, and consumption data into the TPM system
Manage automated workflows for incoming customer remittances and chargeback documentation
Enter and maintain non-chargeback accounts payable invoices within the TPM system
Review, validate, and allocate customer chargebacks to the appropriate promotions while driving process scalability through automation, AI, and outsourced operational support
Prepare monthly trade spend accruals by customer, promotion, and general ledger account by analyzing open promotions, planned spend, and chargeback activity within the TPM system in accordance with company accounting policies and GAAP
Summarize accruals by channel and general ledger account and review findings with the CFO, Controller, and Accounting Manager
Export, validate and reconcile trade promotion spend data from the TPM system for ERP upload and financial reporting and balance sheet accuracy
Partner with Accounting to support accurate month-end close processes through detailed reconciliation and variance analysis
Partner with the TPM service provider to identify, dispute, and resolve invalid customer chargebacks
Collaborate with Operations to dispute logistics fines, shortages, and other operational deductions
Assist Finance with collections and accounts receivable follow-up related to settled disputes
Track deduction trends and root causes to improve recovery rates and reduce future chargebacks
Collaborate with the Head of Sales Operations and Financial Planning & Analysis to develop annual and monthly trade spend budgets by customer, promotion, and general ledger account within the TPM system
Support year-end audit requests and provide supporting trade spend documentation as needed
Help maintain strong financial controls, documentation, and audit readiness across trade spend processes
Prepare monthly trade spend reporting and variance analysis versus budget and forecast
Provide trade spend data, analysis, and insights to external trade spend consultants
Support Sales leadership with TPM reporting, analysis, and performance insights
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, and Operations to improve the efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness of trade spend processes
Identify opportunities for process optimization, automation, and improved reporting capabilities across systems and workflows