Accounts Payable Specialist

Description

Position Summary

The Accounts Payable Specialist holds primary responsibility for the day-to-day accounts payable function and administers related processes, including; vendor management and regulatory reporting, corporate credit card and spend management platform administration, purchasing system integration, accounts payable subledger-to-general ledger reconciliation, and third-party program claims administration. The role requires technical knowledge of integrated financial systems, analytical thinking to identify and resolve cross-system discrepancies, and the ability to maintain productive vendor relationships. This position reports to the Accounting Manager.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Accounts Payable Operations

• Owns the day-to-day accounts payable function, including invoice intake, general ledger coding, approval workflow administration, and disbursement via check and electronic payment methods.

• Ensures data accuracy and that appropriate approval has been obtained for all non-payroll expense transactions, including vendor invoices, corporate credit card activity, and employee reimbursements.

• Monitors general ledger account distribution for reasonableness and coordinates with department leadership when transactions deviate from established coding practices.

• Prepares general ledger entries relating to accounts payable, fixed assets, and corporate credit card activity.

Vendor Management and Regulatory Compliance

• Owns the vendor onboarding and maintenance lifecycle, including W-9 collection, tax classification, and vendor master file integrity.

• Organizes and prepares year-end 1099 vendor reporting and filing; performs and documents preparation activities; escalates unresolved items to the Accounting Manager; filings are reviewed and approved by the Accounting Manager or Controller prior to submission.

• Serves as the primary point of contact for vendor inquiries regarding invoice status, payment timing, and account reconciliation; maintains professional vendor relationships on behalf of the organization.

• Supports external reporting and audit requests in areas of ownership, including preparation of client schedules for the annual audit.

Corporate Credit Card and Spend Management Platform Administration

• Administers the corporate credit card and spend management platform, including user provisioning, cardholder maintenance, and terminations.

• Maintains cardholder budgets in the platform as directed by department leadership.

• Monitors expense activity against policy and escalates out-of-policy transactions to leadership.

• Troubleshoots user-reported issues and coordinates with platform vendor support as needed.

Purchasing System Integration

• Coordinates with the Purchasing department to maintain the integrity of the purchase-to-pay process, including purchase order creation, approval, receiving, and invoice matching.

• Troubleshoots upstream data entry issues with Purchasing staff to identify root causes and document corrective actions.

• Ensures accurate and complete migration of purchase documentation between the purchasing system and the accounts payable system.

Reconciliation and System Integrity

• Performs and documents the monthly reconciliation of the accounts payable subledger to the general ledger; escalates unresolved items to the Accounting Manager; reconciliation is reviewed and approved by the Accounting Manager or Controller.

• Identifies sync failures between the accounts payable and general ledger systems, resolves routine issues, and escalates failed payments and potential unclaimed property items to the Accounting Manager.

• Identifies recurring cross-system discrepancies and surfaces them to the Accounting Manager for resolution.

Third-Party Program Administration

• Administers accounts payable activity for third-party contracted programs, including import of claims payment data from external program administration platforms.

• Processes pass-through accounts receivable invoices to third-party program sponsors as part of the program administration workflow.

• Contacts and maintains working relationships with third-party program representatives to resolve processing exceptions.

Reporting

• Provides timely and appropriately detailed reports to the Accounting Manager, Director of Finance and Accounting, CFO, and other leaders regarding accounts payable activity, cash disbursements, vendor activity, and related metrics.

• Assists leadership in preparation of external reports relating to accounts payable activity for regulatory and accrediting organizations, including HRSA and applicable federal and state authorities.

Required Skills or Abilities*

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Analytical thinking, with the ability to trace and resolve discrepancies across multiple financial systems.

• Technical knowledge of accounts payable processes, general ledger structures, and integrated financial platforms.

• Ability to troubleshoot software issues, document root causes, and coordinate with internal users and platform vendors.

• Effective written and verbal communication with vendors, internal stakeholders, and leadership.

• Ability to maintain productive vendor relationships that reflect positively on the organization.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multi-cultural healthcare environment.

• Ability to strongly embrace and personify the mission of Lawndale Christian Health Center.

Required Knowledge, Experience, or Licensure/Registration

• Associate's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field with 2+ years of accounts payable experience; or 3+ years of progressively responsible accounts payable experience in lieu of degree. Bachelor's degree preferred.

• Demonstrated proficiency with integrated financial systems, including general ledger, accounts payable, purchasing, and spend management platforms.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, with intermediate-to-advanced Excel skills.

• Healthcare or non-profit accounting experience preferred.