Accounts Payable Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Accounts Payable Specialist

About NLG

NLG began with a simple vision: to raise the standard in electrical contracting through integrity, quality, and lasting relationships. Founded by Wally Budgell, the company was built on a hands-on approach, a commitment to learning every aspect of the industry, and a belief that lasting success starts with putting people first—clients, partners, and employees alike.

Driven by that philosophy, NLG has grown organically and through strategic acquisitions while remaining grounded in the values that shaped its foundation: safety, quality, collaboration, innovation, and trust.

Today, NLG operates as a unified organization providing a broad range of integrated building systems and construction solutions. By bringing together multiple capabilities under one platform, we provide our clients with a trusted partner equipped to solve complex challenges, deliver exceptional workmanship, and create lasting value.

Our goal is simple: to be better and stronger than we were yesterday.

Our Focus

More capabilities. More solutions. One trusted partner.

NLG brings together talented people, specialized expertise, and comprehensive solutions to help our clients make their environments safer, stronger, and more productive. Our teams work collaboratively across disciplines to deliver reliable, high-quality results while maintaining the highest standards for safety and craftsmanship.

Our Mission

Grounded in safety, quality, and trust, we bring our best to every project and every partnership, continually raising the bar in the construction industry for our clients.

Our Vision

To continually redefine what value means for our clients through innovation, craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in every service we deliver.

Our Values

Collaboration across departments helps us move faster, think smarter, and stay focused on what matters most: the work.

We are united by purpose and bring our best to every project—for YOU.

About the Role

The Accounts Payable Specialist plays a critical role in supporting the financial operations of NLG by ensuring vendor invoices, purchase orders, payments, and job-related costs are processed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with company policies.

This position is particularly important within our construction environment, where Accounts Payable is closely connected to job costing, project accounting, purchase orders, subcontractor/vendor relationships, and overall project financial performance.

We are specifically seeking a candidate with hands-on Accounts Payable experience within the construction industry and a strong understanding of how costs are assigned to and flow through construction projects.

The ideal candidate will understand that construction Accounts Payable involves more than simply entering invoices. This individual should be comfortable reviewing invoices against purchase orders, coding costs to the appropriate jobs and cost categories, identifying discrepancies, reconciling accounts, and ensuring project-related expenses are accurately reflected in the company's financial records.

Experience in construction-related industries such as electrical, HVAC, roofing, civil contracting, mechanical contracting, or other specialty trades is highly valued.

The successful candidate will be organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing a high volume of transactions while meeting strict deadlines in a fast-paced construction environment.

Key Responsibilities

Accounts Payable & Invoice Processing

• Process, review, code, and verify vendor invoices for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with company policies.
• Match invoices to purchase orders, receiving documentation, contracts, and other supporting documentation as applicable.
• Ensure invoices are properly coded to the appropriate job, project, cost code, department, and general ledger account.
• Process employee expense reports and other accounts payable transactions as assigned.
• Enter invoices and related financial information accurately into JD Edwards or an equivalent ERP/accounting system.
• Maintain organized and accurate accounts payable records and supporting documentation.
• Monitor invoice and payment workflows to ensure transactions are processed within established deadlines.

Construction Job Cost Accounting

• Apply a strong understanding of construction job costing when processing and coding invoices.
• Review project-related invoices to ensure costs are assigned accurately to the appropriate jobs and cost categories.
• Understand how material, equipment, subcontractor, labor-related, and other project costs flow through construction projects and financial reporting.
• Work closely with Project Managers, Project Coordinators, Purchasing, Accounting, and other internal teams to ensure project costs are captured accurately.
• Identify discrepancies between invoices, purchase orders, contracts, and job records and work with the appropriate parties to resolve them.
• Assist with maintaining accurate project cost information and supporting financial reporting.
• Recognize unusual or incorrect charges and escalate potential coding, pricing, or project allocation issues when necessary.

Vendor & Internal Coordination

• Communicate professionally with vendors regarding invoices, payment status, account discrepancies, and documentation requirements.
• Respond to internal inquiries regarding invoices, purchase orders, job costs, and payment activity.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with vendors and internal stakeholders.
• Research and resolve invoice discrepancies, duplicate invoices, incorrect pricing, missing documentation, and other AP issues.

Reconciliation & Financial Reporting

• Reconcile accounts payable transactions and vendor statements and investigate discrepancies.
• Assist with general ledger maintenance and related journal entries.
• Prepare accounts payable reports and provide information needed for financial analysis and reporting.
• Assist with month-end, quarter-end, and year-end closing activities.
• Support accruals and other accounting activities related to outstanding invoices and project costs.
• Provide documentation and explanations during internal and external audits.

Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of accounts payable processes.
• Assist with the implementation of automation, workflow improvements, and other process enhancements.
• Help establish and maintain effective AP procedures and internal controls.
• Contribute to a culture of accountability, accuracy, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred.
• 2+ years of Accounts Payable or related accounting experience, preferably within the construction industry.
• Demonstrated experience processing and coding invoices to jobs, projects, cost codes, purchase orders, and general ledger accounts.
• Working knowledge of construction job costing and project-based accounting.
• Experience working with purchase orders and matching invoices to supporting documentation.
• Proficiency with JD Edwards or a comparable ERP/accounting system.
• Understanding of accounts payable processes, account reconciliation, general ledger activity, and journal entries.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy when handling financial transactions.
• Ability to manage a high volume of invoices and competing priorities while consistently meeting deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous Accounts Payable experience in electrical, HVAC, roofing, civil contracting, mechanical contracting, commercial construction, or another construction-related industry.
• Experience working directly with construction job costing and project accounting.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including experience with formulas, lookups, sorting/filtering, and data analysis.
• Experience supporting month-end and year-end close activities in a construction environment.
• Familiarity with subcontractor, vendor, purchase order, and project billing processes.
• Experience identifying and implementing AP process improvements or automation.
• Certified Accounts Payable Professional (CAPP) or similar accounting credential.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is not simply an invoice processor. We are looking for an Accounts Payable professional who understands the financial side of construction and how day-to-day AP activity impacts project profitability, job costing, and overall financial reporting.

Successful candidates will have experience with:

• Construction Accounts Payable
• Job cost accounting
• Project-based invoice coding
• Purchase orders and three-way matching
• Job and cost-code allocation
• Vendor statement reconciliation
• Construction-related materials and services
• Subcontractor and vendor invoices
• General ledger coding
• Month-end close support
• Resolving invoice and job-cost discrepancies
• Understanding how costs move from vendor invoice → job/project → cost code → general ledger → financial reporting

Experience in electrical, HVAC, roofing, civil, mechanical, or other construction-related environments is especially valuable.

Core Skills

• Construction Accounts Payable
• Job Cost Accounting
• Invoice Processing & Coding
• Purchase Orders
• Cost-Code Allocation
• General Ledger
• Account Reconciliation
• Vendor Management
• Construction Project Accounting
• Data Entry & Financial Accuracy
• Microsoft Excel & Microsoft Office
• Month-End & Year-End Close
• Problem Solving
• Organization & Time Management
• Process Improvement