Accounting Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

The Accounting Specialist - Accounts Payable & General Ledger owns the day-to-day accounts payable function while supporting the monthly close, general ledger accuracy, financial reporting, expense analysis, and the continued development of CUC's in-house accounting capabilities. The position works directly with Administration and external accounting partners to strengthen controls, improve reporting, and support informed financial decisions.

The role may be filled at the Accounting Specialist or Staff Accountant level based on the successful candidate's education, experience, and ability to independently assume higher-level accounting responsibilities.

What makes this opportunity different: This is a visible, hands-on role for an experienced accounts payable professional, bookkeeper, or accountant who wants both operational ownership and the opportunity to expand into month-end close, financial reporting, analysis, and process improvement within an independent, physician-owned specialty healthcare organization.

Essential Responsibilities

Accounts Payable and Vendor Management

• Manage full-cycle accounts payable, including invoice receipt, coding, approval routing, posting, payment preparation, and record retention.
• Verify invoice accuracy, appropriate authorization, payment terms, departmental or service-line allocation, and correct general ledger coding.
• Maintain complete vendor records, including W-9 documentation, tax status, contracts, payment terms, and validated banking information.
• Prepare payment batches, cash-requirement reports, and recommended payment schedules for review and release by an authorized member of Administration.
• Reconcile vendor statements, investigate discrepancies, obtain missing credits, and resolve duplicate, incorrect, or disputed charges.
• Review employee expense reports and corporate credit card activity for supporting documentation, policy compliance, and accurate coding.
• Maintain accounts payable aging reports; identify past-due items, upcoming cash needs, unapplied credits, and unusual activity.
• Coordinate annual Form 1099 reporting and maintain supporting vendor documentation in collaboration with external accounting partners.
• Serve as a primary financial contact for vendors and support purchasing standardization, contract compliance, and cost-saving initiatives.

General Accounting, Close, and Financial Reporting

• Participate in the monthly and year-end close, including preparation and posting of recurring and adjusting journal entries.
• Reconcile bank, credit card, accounts payable, accrued expense, prepaid expense, fixed asset, loan, and other assigned balance-sheet accounts.
• Reconcile the accounts payable subledger to the general ledger and investigate variances or aging inconsistencies.
• Maintain schedules for prepaid expenses, accrued liabilities, fixed assets, depreciation, debt, and other assigned accounts.
• Review general ledger activity for appropriate classification, duplicate transactions, unusual balances, and opportunities for correction.
• Prepare preliminary monthly financial statements and supporting schedules for review by Administration and external accounting partners.
• Prepare budget-to-actual, month-over-month, year-over-year, department, and service-line expense analyses and explain significant variances.
• Assist with annual operating and capital budgets and provide ongoing budget-monitoring reports.
• Prepare short-term cash-flow forecasts, accounts payable projections, and other analyses needed to support payment and operating decisions.
• Prepare financial schedules, trend reports, and analyses for inclusion in monthly Board meeting materials.

Financial Controls and Process Improvement

• Follow documented segregation-of-duties controls. This role may prepare payment batches but may not independently approve or release payments.
• Ensure vendor additions, vendor banking changes, payment exceptions, and other sensitive transactions receive documented secondary approval.
• Support independent review of bank reconciliations, vendor-master changes, and cash-disbursement activity.
• Compile accurate schedules and supporting documentation for tax preparation, audits, insurance renewals, banking requests, and other external reporting requirements.
• Document and improve accounting policies, close calendars, approval workflows, and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to automate invoice processing, approvals, reconciliations, reporting, and other routine accounting functions.
• Protect confidential financial, employee, vendor, patient, and business information in accordance with organizational policies and applicable privacy requirements.

Organizational Partnership and Limited Administrative Support

• Collaborate with Administration, department leaders, revenue cycle staff, vendors, banking partners, and external accounting professionals to resolve issues and improve financial operations.
• Communicate accounting findings, risks, variances, and recommended actions clearly to nonfinancial leaders.
• Participate in performance improvement, professional development, and cross-functional projects that support CUC's financial and organizational goals.
• Provide limited purchasing and administrative support as needed. Routine mail distribution, supply coordination, and similar duties are expected to represent no more than approximately 5% of the position.