Joanna Szmytka
Vernon Hills
Summary
Credit and Accounting Analyst with 20 years of experience in financial management and analysis. Expertise in enhancing operational efficiency through strong time management and organizational skills. Focused on driving company growth and optimizing financial processes.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Accountant
Belle Aire Creations
Round Lake
03.2023 - 01.2026
- Prepared monthly financial statements and reports for management review.
- Managed general ledger entries and reconciliations for financial accuracy.
- Coordinated audits by providing necessary documentation and explanations.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to resolve financial discrepancies.
- Managed accounts receivable and payable, reconciled account statements, and prepared financial reports.
- Assisted in the preparation of tax returns by gathering necessary information from clients and maintaining organized files with documents related to taxes. Uploading tax certificates onto the Bactran portal.
- Cross-trained employees, enabling completion of priority tasks during personnel absences.
- Uploading daily BI sales orders report, and forecasting sales data.
- Reviewing attorney case letters and translating from Polish to English.
- Reconciling customers' accounts for variances and clearing aged data.
- Requested inventory cycle counts, and prepared inventory reports.
- Reviewing and approving expense reports through the Concur system.
- Preparing the daily sales report and distributing it to management.
- Running monthly statements and sending them off to customers.
- Working on various projects related to accounting and audit for the management team.
- Reviewed and reconciled bank statements.
- Reviewing vendor invoices and making payments through ACH banking, both international and domestic.
Credit and Collection Analyst
Akorn Pharmaceuticals
Lake Forest
07.2016 - 02.2023
- Requested financial documents from customers.
- Worked closely with both customers and sales team to reconcile accounts and oversee payment negotiation.
- Prepared basic and preliminary credit analyses to determine creditworthiness and compliance.
- Negotiated payment plans with customers, achieving sales and cash flow objectives.
- Reconciled customer accounts to identify delinquencies or disputes, documenting root causes.
- Developed comprehensive understanding of financial statements, enhancing opportunities to assess risk.
- Assessed customer credit files regularly to review receivables.
- Conducted credit reviews on corporations to assess financial conditions.
- Collaborated with credit association and business representatives to exchange valid credit information.
- Promoted high customer satisfaction by resolving problems with knowledgeable and friendly service.
- Approached customers and engaged in conversation through use of effective interpersonal and people skills.
- Displayed strong telephone etiquette, effectively handling difficult calls.
- Assisted with customer requests and answered questions to improve satisfaction.
- Identified needs of customers promptly and efficiently.
- Reviewed customer financial data to ascertain level of risk involved for extending credit.
- Review, analyze, and manage the entire customer master data performance related to payment terms assigned to various accounts and provide appropriate payment terms according to contract verification provided by national sales force and the Contracts team.
- Review the DNB reports for all master data and Credit Risk Monitor to assign appropriate credit lines. Monthly trade reports
- Analyzing and releasing sales orders placed on hold due to credit issues.
- Performing credit collections on past due accounts from the range of current to delinquent over 180 days
- Working closely with sales force and management teams to collect past due balances
- Filing disputes on customer portals or thru mail
- Assisting clients with invoice issues and account reconciliations
- Working closely with the Revenue Accounting team on Discount Allowances, Bad Debt Analysis
Senior Accounts Receivable Analyst
Akorn Pharmaceuticals
Lake Forest
06.2007 - 06.2016
- Review, audit, and reconcile Wholesale, Distributors, and Chain Pharmacies accounts. Deductions disputed on portals
- Manage and prepare customer account statements and proforma invoices
- Review and categorize customer Rebates. Prepare and request rebate approvals to process
- Review and assign customers with credit lines by viewing their credit scores
- Reviewing and releasing held orders for shipments
- Reviewed accounts with credit balances to determine accuracy of refunds.
- Created spreadsheets to analyze and summarize incoming cash receipts for CFO, Controller and management. Cash Forecast
- Working closely with the EDI team to resolve problematic raw data coding. Retransmitting EDI thru the MAS90 system
- Communicated with internal and external auditors to explain and support processes and reconciliations. Assigned project during audit restatement period
- Reconciled computer reports with manually maintained ledgers.
- Cash application for major clients. Checked postings and documents for correctness, accuracy and proper coding. Posted completed batches.
- Reduced financial discrepancies by accurately managing accounting documentation.
- Accessed financial information to answer questions and gather details about specific accounts.
- Processing credit cards thru online system
- Setting up new vendor and customer accounts by application review
Accounts Receivable and Customer Service Associate
Akorn Inc
Lake Forest
06.2001 - 06.2007
- Called customers to discuss past due balances.
- Resolved most customer issues and escalated those requiring manager involvement to proper contacts.
- Processed cash receipts in various forms, including check, ACH and wire to proper customer accounts.
- Researched and resolved unapplied cash items.
- Cash payments processing, invoicing and collections tasks.
- Monitored past due accounts and pursued collections on outstanding invoices.
- Reviewing and processing return credits
- Working with warehouse to determine product damage fault in assigning credit for customer
- Reviewing proof of delivery on returned goods and maintenance fees assigned
- Studying customer policies on returned items
- Setting up New Customer Accounts
- Excellent accounts debt reconciliation after new accounts acquisition
- Recognized for outstanding performance and team contributions during restatement time.
- Negotiated with customers, saving company money annually.
- Training new staff on various tasks
Education
Associate of Science - Accounting
Northwestern Business College
Chicago, IL06.2007
Bachelor of Science - Accounting And Computer Science
DeVry University
Gurnee, ILGurnee, IL
Skills
- Oral and written communication
- Customer and vendor relations
- JD Edwards and Microsoft Dynamics GP
- Excel proficiency
- Word document expertise
- PowerPoint presentations
- MAS90 software skills
- Gentran knowledge
- DNB familiarity
- CRM systems proficiency
- Vendor portal navigation
- Credit analysis and review
- Financial statement assessment
- Positive attitude and demeanor
- Relationship management
- Troubleshooting skills
- Conflict resolution strategies
- Analytical thinking
- Fluency in Polish
Accomplishments
• Excellent accounts debt reconciliation after new accounts acquisition.
• Recognized for outstanding performance and team contributions during restatement time.
• Negotiated with customers, saving company money annually.
• Trained new staff on various tasks.
• Adapting to new changes and responsibilities.
• Recognized for outstanding performance and team contributions during restatement time.
• Negotiated with customers, saving company money annually.
• Trained new staff on various tasks.
• Adapting to new changes and responsibilities.
Languages
Polish
Professional
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Accountant
Belle Aire Creations
03.2023 - 01.2026
Credit and Collection Analyst
Akorn Pharmaceuticals
07.2016 - 02.2023
Senior Accounts Receivable Analyst
Akorn Pharmaceuticals
06.2007 - 06.2016
Accounts Receivable and Customer Service Associate
Akorn Inc
06.2001 - 06.2007
Associate of Science - Accounting
Northwestern Business College
Bachelor of Science - Accounting And Computer Science
DeVry University