Accounts Payable Specialist

Position Summary

The Accounts Payable Specialist is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of vendor invoices, employee reimbursements, grant-related payments, and other financial transactions. This position supports the accounting and finance team by maintaining financial records, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and applicable funding requirements, performing reconciliations, and assisting with reporting and audit support activities.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, highly organized, collaborative, and capable of managing multiple priorities while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and professionalism.

Essential Functions

Accounts Payable Administration

• Review, validate, and process vendor invoices, purchase orders, employee expense reimbursements, and payment requests.
• Ensure invoices are properly approved and coded to the appropriate general ledger accounts and funding sources.
• Match invoices to supporting documentation, contracts, purchase orders, and approvals.
• Process ACH payments, wire transfers, and check requests in a timely manner.
• Maintain accurate vendor records and supporting payment documentation.
• Investigate and resolve invoice discrepancies, duplicate payments, and vendor inquiries.
• Review grant-related expenditures and payment documentation for accuracy and completeness.
• Assist with vendor onboarding, including W-9 collection and maintenance.
• Support the administration and monitoring of restricted funding sources and grant expenditures.

Financial Reporting & Reconciliations

• Perform monthly accounts payable reconciliations and support general ledger account reconciliations.
• Reconcile financial reports and supporting documentation to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Monitor outstanding invoices, open obligations, and unpaid vendor balances.
• Assist with month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities.
• Prepare accounts payable reports, aging schedules, accruals, and supporting analyses.
• Research and resolve discrepancies between accounting records and financial systems.
• Assist in tracking expenses against budgets, grants, and funding allocations.
• Support preparation of schedules and documentation required for financial reporting and audits.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, accounting standards, grant requirements, and applicable federal regulations.
• Maintain complete and accurate records to support audit and reporting requirements.
• Assist with internal and external audits by compiling supporting documentation and schedules.
• Safeguard confidential financial, employee, vendor, and organizational information.
• Identify control weaknesses, process inefficiencies, or errors and recommend corrective actions.
• Maintain current documentation of accounts payable procedures and workflows.

Administrative & Department Support

• Provide financial and administrative support to accounting leadership and program staff.
• Coordinate with vendors, internal departments, funding partners, and external stakeholders regarding payment-related matters.
• Assist with special projects and process improvement initiatives.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of accounts payable, accounting, or financial operations experience.
• Experience within a nonprofit organization, government agency, federal contractor, or grant-funded environment strongly preferred.
• Experience processing grant-funded expenditures and maintaining compliance with funding requirements.
• Knowledge of accounts payable processes, reconciliations, and internal controls.
• Experience supporting month-end and year-end close activities.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, and financial reporting functions.