Accounts Payable Specialist, Property Management

Accounts Payable Specialist, Property Management

Location: NE Washington, DC – in office Monday-Friday Reports to: Controller Compensation: $55K-$65K, based on experience; exempt role – not eligible for overtime Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including: medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k with company match, voluntary life and long-term disability insurance, 12 paid holidays, and 17 days of time off.

We are seeking an Accounts Payable (AP) Specialist to join our growing team. The AP Specialist is responsible for the full accounts payable function for a property management portfolio, ensuring timely and accurate processing of invoices, vendor payments, expense allocations, and financial records across multiple properties and ownership entities. This role supports month-end close and audit readiness, and partners with property managers, maintenance teams, and accounting leadership to maintain strong vendor relationships and accurate property-level reporting.

If you are looking to build upon your experience and continue to expand your skills, in a supportive, collaborative work environment, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day accounts payable operations for a portfolio of residential, commercial, or mixed-use properties.
• Handle invoice intake, review, coding, approvals, and payment processing for utilities, maintenance, repairs, capital projects, contract services, and other property-related expenses.
• Ensure expenses are accurately coded to the appropriate property, entity, general ledger account, and cost center.
• Maintain payment calendars and process check, ACH, and other approved payment runs in a timely manner.
• Review aging reports, resolve overdue items, and help prevent late fees, duplicate payments, and missed discounts.
• Maintain vendor master data, including tax documentation, insurance certificates when applicable, payment terms, and banking information.
• Serve as the escalation point for vendor inquiries, statement reconciliations, payment discrepancies, and complex invoice issues.
• Partner with property managers and operations teams to confirm approvals, allocate shared costs, and support budget tracking.
• Support month-end and year-end close by reconciling AP balances, accruals, and unpaid invoices and preparing related schedules and reports.
• Ensure compliance with company policy, approval authority limits, trust or owner accounting requirements, and applicable tax reporting obligations, including 1099 preparation.
• Prepare and analyze AP metrics such as invoice turnaround time, aging, exception rates, and on-time payment performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 3+ years of progressive accounts payable or accounting experience
• Property management, real estate, HOA, or multi-entity accounting experience strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounts payable processes, general ledger coding, accruals, reconciliations, and internal controls.
• Experience with property management and accounting software such as Yardi, MRI, AppFolio, RealPage, Nexus, or similar systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial reporting.
• Knowledge of 1099 reporting, vendor compliance documentation, and audit support requirements.
• Ability to manage high transaction volume across multiple properties while maintaining accuracy and deadlines.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting multi-property portfolios with separate owners, entities, bank accounts, and reporting requirements.
• Background in invoice automation, workflow design, or AP process standardization.
• Familiarity with CAM, common area, shared-cost, or multi-property expense allocations.
• Experience working with maintenance, construction, or capital expenditure invoices and supporting documentation.
• Exposure to internal or external audits in a real estate or property management environment.

Key Competencies

• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Accountable for the function's output
• Organization and follow-through
• Problem-solving and sound judgment
• Vendor relationship management
• Cross-functional communication
• Process improvement mindset
• Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, protected Veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.