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.