Senior Associate, Payments and Experience

Role Summary

The Senior Associate, Payments and Experience will be responsible for effectively resolving and managing accounts payable issues within the organization. This role will collaborate with internal departments, vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure prompt and accurate resolution of payment discrepancies, invoice disputes, and other accounts payable-related concerns. The role requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders. The ability to work both independently and collaboratively is essential for this role. This position is based in Tampa, Florida.

Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough review and verification of invoice details, including pricing, quantities, and terms.
• Assist in reconciling vendor statements to ensure accuracy of accounts payable balances.
• Handle inquiries from internal/external partners regarding payment status and resolve any disputes or issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve invoice discrepancies and prevent duplicate payments.
• Maintain accurate and organized records of invoices, payments, and related documentation and resolution.
• Assist in month-end and year-end closing activities as required.
• Stay up to date with company policies, procedures, and best practices related to accounts payable.
• Investigate and resolve accounts payable issues promptly and accurately.
• Collaborate with internal departments and vendors to address invoice discrepancies and payment errors.
• Communicate effectively with vendors, providing updates and clarifications on payment issues.
• Identify process improvements to streamline accounts payable issue resolution procedures.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, legal requirements, and accounting standards.
• Provide training and support to internal teams on accounts payable issue resolution processes.
• Be responsible for insuring a seamless experience for suppliers and business partners related to the Accounts Payable / Invoice to Pay process.
• Address supplier related inquiries related to the transacting of POs, physical processing of invoices, wire transfer requests, and/or supplier master data.
• Be responsible for insuring compliance to the defined processes when engaging with the various end users (requestor, business partner, suppliers, fellow associates).
• Have the primary responsibility for creating and maintaining supplier data in concert with its use within the source-to-settle process.
• Support vendor payment process by monitoring discount opportunities; verifying federal id numbers; scheduling and preparing checks; resolving purchase order, contract, invoice, or payment discrepancies and documentation; insuring credit is received for outstanding memos; issuing stop-payments.
• Receive, analyze, and resolve supplier inquiries and disputes, providing high levels of customer service support to all business units and suppliers.
• Support the review, process & posting of supplier invoices (physically received, and/or invoices that fail SAP auto posting) to the AP Sub-ledger against the corresponding Purchase Order.
• Perform AP Aged Trial Balance process management & supporting research, supplier credit recovery activities, and related supplier communications process coordination. Analyze, and resolve supplier ATB disputes, and credit recovery discrepancies with R2P Associates.
• Provide ad hoc reporting support to A/P Management for detection activities, and investigation support to Corporate Internal Audit requests.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a concentration in Business, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Engineering or related field is preferred.
• Working knowledge of Procurement systems (SAP Ariba, other ERPs, Celonis, Vendor Master Data, etc.) and processes (requisitioning, PO creation, invoicing, payments, etc.) is required.
• Prior experience in accounts payable, finance, procurement and/or shared services is preferred.
• Working knowledge of Six Sigma or formal process improvement techniques is preferred.
• Demonstrated effectiveness working remotely with business partners and suppliers is preferred.
• Proficient in using accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel).
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Skills

• Accounting, Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Analytical Reasoning, Audit Management, Business Behavior, Communication, Detail-Oriented, Execution Focus, Financial Analysis, Financial Recordkeeping, Financial Reports, Financial Risk Management (FRM), Multi Currency Accounting, Numerically Savvy, Process Optimization, Process Oriented