Accounts Receivable Specialist

The Accounts Receivable Specialist is responsible for managing the company's customer billing and accounts receivable activities for project-based utility and construction work. This position prepares and submits accurate invoices in accordance with customer contracts, rate sheets, and billing requirements, including unit price, time-and-materials, lump-sum, cost-plus, storm restoration, and emergency work.


The role works closely with project managers and field personnel to reconcile timesheets, equipment records, field tickets, and other project documentation prior to billing. The Accounts Receivable Specialist also manages customer payments, investigates billing discrepancies and short pays, monitors aging and past-due balances, processes change orders and retainage, and supports month-end close and AR reconciliation.


Responsibilities

• Prepare and submit invoices for unit price, time-and-materials, lumpsum, and cost-plus contracts in line with each customer's contract terms and rate sheets.
• Gather and reconcile field documentation (daily timesheets, field tickets, equipment logs, and unit completion reports) with project managers before billing.
• Bill storm restoration and emergency work accurately and quickly, including mutual assistance events, and assemble the supporting documentation (crew rosters, hours, equipment, and expenses) customers require for approval.
• Submit invoices through utility vendor portals such as [Ariba, Coupa, Oracle iSupplier, PowerAdvocate], and track them through the approval process.
• Process change orders and extra work billings and track pending approvals.
• Manage retainage billing and release and prepare conditional and unconditional lien waivers where required.
• Record and apply customer payments, research short pays and rejected invoices, and resolve disputes with customer representatives.
• Monitor the AR aging and work-in-progress billing status and follow up on past-due balances.
• Reconcile AR to the general ledger and support month-end close, including billing-related WIP analysis.
• Maintain customer contract files, rate sheets, insurance certificates, and vendor registration or pre-qualification documents.
• Prepare AR reports (aging, DSO, unbilled revenue, storm billing status) for management.

• 2+ years of experience in accounts receivable or billing, preferably in construction, utility contracting, or another project-based industry.
• Understanding construction billing concepts, including retainage, change orders, lien waivers, and unit-price or T&M billing.
• Experience with NetSuite, including invoicing, cash application, and AR reporting. Experience with another ERP or construction accounting system will also be considered.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills for reconciling large volumes of timesheet and unit data.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to spot discrepancies between field records and contract terms.
• Clear, professional communication with customers, project managers, and field personnel.
• Ability to handle high-volume, deadline-driven periods, especially after major storm events .

• Associate or bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• Hands-on NetSuite experience with project or job-based billing, saved searches, and custom reports.
• Experience billing investor-owned utilities or electric cooperatives.
• Knowledge of prevailing wage or Davis-Bacon requirements on public projects.