Accounts Payable Specialist

The Accounts Payable Specialist is responsible for the accurate, timely, and controlled execution of the full accounts payable cycle for a high-volume manufacturing and distribution environment. This role manages invoice processing, purchase-order matching, vendor maintenance, payment preparation, account reconciliation, month-end close support, and vendor issue resolution. The Accounts Payable Specialist also serves as a knowledgeable resource to the AP team, supports process documentation and cross-training, and helps strengthen payment controls, fraud prevention, and continuous improvement across the procure-to-pay process. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Invoice Processing and Account Management Process high-volume purchase-order and non-purchase-order invoices accurately and within established deadlines. Perform two-way and three-way matching of invoices, purchase orders, and receiving documentation; research and resolve quantity, pricing, freight, tax, and receipt discrepancies. Code invoices to the appropriate general ledger accounts, departments, locations, projects, and accounting periods in accordance with company policy. Review invoice approvals and supporting documentation before posting; identify duplicate, altered, incomplete, or potentially fraudulent invoices. Monitor the AP aging and unresolved invoice queues, follow up with purchasing, receiving, operations, and vendors, and prevent avoidable late fees or service interruptions. Reconcile vendor statements and resolve credits, short payments, duplicate payments, unapplied items, and aged balances. Payment Processing and Internal Controls Prepare and coordinate scheduled payment runs by check, ACH, wire transfer, virtual card, or other approved method, including payment registers and supporting documentation for authorized approval. Confirm payment timing, cash requirements, discounts, and priority items with Accounting leadership while maintaining established approval limits and segregation of duties. Support positive pay, ACH validation, bank-file review, rejected-payment resolution, stop payments, voids, and payment reissuances. Maintain strict controls over vendor banking changes by following independent verification and callback procedures; promptly escape suspected fraud or control exceptions. Maintain complete, organized, and audit-ready records for invoices, approvals, payment confirmations, and vendor correspondence. Vendor Master Data and Compliance Establish and maintain vendor records, including legal name, remit-to address, payment terms, tax classification, W-9 documentation, insurance or compliance documents where applicable, and approved banking information. Review vendor requests for completeness, duplication, conflicts, and appropriate authorization before setup or modification. Support annual Form 1099 preparation, vendor tax-ID validation, backup withholding requirements, and related year-end reporting. Assist with unclaimed property/escheatment reviews and other AP-related regulatory or company compliance requirements. Month-End Close, Reconciliations, and Reporting Reconcile the accounts payable subledger to the general ledger and investigate differences. Prepare or support monthly AP accruals, goods-received-not-invoiced or unmatched-receipt analysis, prepaid and recurring expense entries, and other close schedules. Reconcile assigned balance-sheet accounts and provide clear supporting schedules and explanations for reconciling items. Prepare AP aging, payment, cash-requirement, vendor, discount, exception, and key-performance reports for management. Support external audits, bank examinations, tax requests, and internal reviews by providing timely and accurate documentation. Team Support and Process Improvement Serve as a senior resource and backup across critical AP processes; assist with training, cross-training, workload coordination, and review of complex transactions. Develop, update, and follow AP standard operating procedures, desk manuals, checklists, and internal-control documentation. Identify opportunities to improve invoice workflow, electronic payments, vendor communication, reporting, automation, and error prevention. Partner professionally with Purchasing, Receiving, Operations, Inventory, Treasury, IT, and other departments to resolve issues and improve the procure-to-pay process. Perform other accounting duties, special projects, and ad hoc reporting as assigned. Education and Experience Five or more years of progressive, full-cycle accounts payable experience; senior-level experience in a high-volume environment strongly preferred. Associate degree in accounting, finance, or business preferred; a bachelor’s degree is a plus. Equivalent relevant experience may be considered. Experience in manufacturing, food production, distribution, inventory-based, or multi-location operations strongly preferred. Hands-on experience with ERP/accounting systems, purchase orders, electronic invoice workflow, ACH and check payments, vendor master data, and month-end close. Experience with Form 1099 reporting, audit support, account reconciliations, and internal controls preferred. Skills and Competencies Advanced attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical conduct. Strong understanding of accounts payable accounting, general-ledger coding, accruals, reconciliations, and payment controls. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including lookups, pivot tables, filters, sorting, and reconciliation of large data sets. Ability to manage a high transaction volume, organize competing priorities, and meet daily, weekly, month-end, and year-end deadlines. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to research discrepancies through resolution. Professional written and verbal communication skills and the ability to maintain productive vendor and internal relationships. Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment within established policies, and elevate unusual or high-risk matters promptly. Ability to train and support other employees while promoting teamwork, accountability, and consistent procedures. Performance Expectations Invoices and payments are processed accurately, timely, and in accordance with authorization and documentation requirements. AP aging, vendor statements, and assigned reconciliations remain current, supported, and free of unexplained aged items. Vendor records and banking changes are complete, validated, and protected by appropriate fraud-prevention controls. Close schedules, audit requests, and management reports are delivered by established deadlines. Procedures are documented, cross-training is maintained, and recurring issues are identified and reduced. #J-18808-Ljbffr Elite Spice Inc