Lead Accounts Payable Associate

JOB SUMMARY:

The Lead Accounts Payable Associate is the primary operational support and designated backup to the AP Supervisor. The position helps coordinate daily AP execution, balances work across the team, monitors service levels and exceptions, reviews complex or higher risk transactions, and provides training and quality support. The role maintains hands-on ownership of critical AP processes while increasing the AP Supervisor's capacity to perform department-management responsibilities, including controls, acquisition support, stakeholder management, systems improvement, staffing, and performance oversight.

This is a lead individual-contributor position. It provides functional direction and operational coordination but does not independently perform formal performance management, compensation decisions, disciplinary actions, final payment approval, or other responsibilities reserved for the AP Supervisor, Controller, or authorized approver.

Requirements
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Primary Support to the AP Supervisor

Serve as the primary operational backup to the AP Supervisor and provide continuity during planned or unplanned absences within delegated authority.
Coordinate daily workflow, priorities, queue coverage, and workload balancing across AP team members.
Monitor backlogs, aging items, open approvals, payment exceptions, and unresolved vendor or employee issues; escalate material risks promptly.
Prepare concise operational updates for the AP Supervisor, including workload, service, control, and staffing observations.
Support implementation of department priorities, procedures, control changes, and acquisition-related activities.
Help protect the AP Supervisor's capacity by resolving routine first-level escalations and presenting higher-level issues with relevant facts, support, and recommended next steps.

Lead Support, Training, and Quality Assurance

Provide day-to-day process guidance to AP Associate, Sr. AP Associate, and offshore AP team members.
Assist with work assignment and queue coordination while keeping the AP Supervisor informed of material capacity or performance concerns.
Lead onboarding, cross-training, refresher training, and knowledge transfer for AP processes and systems.
Create, maintain, and periodically review desk procedures, standard operating procedures, checklists, and training materials as necessary.
Perform risk-based quality reviews of invoices, expenses, corporate card transactions, vendor records, payment support, reconciliations, and other assigned work.
Identify recurring errors or process breakdowns, provide timely coaching, and elevate patterns requiring formal management action to the AP Supervisor.
Complex Full-Cycle AP and Vendor Operations

Own or oversee complex vendor invoices, employee reimbursements, corporate card charges, expert payments, retainers, credits, discounts, and payment exceptions from receipt through resolution.
Ensure required contracts, W-9s, approvals, payment information, and supporting documentation are complete before payment processing.
Support setup and maintenance of 1099 contractors and vendors in accordance with established verification and segregation-of-duties procedures.
Review vendor statements, aged items, duplicate-payment risks, unresolved credits, and high-priority escalations.
Coordinate with Finance, Tax, Operations, Cash Applications, project teams, and other stakeholders to resolve AP issues and improve handoffs.
Ensure appropriate payment methods are used, and sensitive banking or payment changes receive required independent verification.

Payment Operations and Controls

Coordinate payment-run readiness, review supporting documentation, and confirm required approvals before items are submitted for release.
Maintain clear separation between preparation, review, and final approval or release of payments.
Escalate suspected fraud, duplicate-payment risk, unusual vendor requests, control overrides, or attempts to bypass established approval requirements immediately.
Support periodic control testing and remediation of identified AP control gaps.

Month-End Close, Reporting, and Audit Support

Coordinate the AP portion of the month-end close calendar under the direction of the AP Supervisor.
Review or prepare assigned AP reconciliations, aging analyses, accrual support, cutoff review, open-item reports, and other close schedules.
Track completion of AP close tasks and escalate unresolved or material items before deadlines.
Compile and analyze operational measures such as queue aging, open approvals, exception volume, payment timeliness, and reconciliation status.
Prepare support for internal and external audit requests and help ensure documentation is complete, organized, and retrievable.
Partner with the AP Supervisor to identify trends, capacity constraints, and opportunities to improve accuracy, timeliness, and control.

Acquisition Integration and Systems Support

Serve as an AP workstream lead or key operational resource for acquisition onboarding as assigned by the AP Supervisor.
Support AP discovery, open-payables validation, vendor-data review, payment-method transition, expense and card onboarding, approval routing, and cutover readiness.
Assist with data validation, user acceptance testing, issue tracking, and post-conversion stabilization for AP-related systems and workflows.
Help standardize acquired-company AP processes into approved operating procedures while identifying exceptions that require management decisions.
Act as an AP power user for designated ERP, AP automation, expense, payment, documentation, and workflow systems.
Identify automation and workflow opportunities and assist with testing, documentation, deployment, and user training.

Continuous Improvement and Cross-Functional Service

Analyze recurring exceptions, manual touches, service delays, and control issues; recommend practical improvements.
Partner with internal stakeholders to clarify requirements, improve approvals, and resolve process handoff issues.
Promote consistent, respectful, and service-oriented communication with vendors and employees.
Perform additional projects and responsibilities consistent with the role as assigned.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

Demonstrated experience independently managing complex full-cycle AP transactions, vendor issues, payment preparation, and reconciliations.
Demonstrated experience training, mentoring, coordinating work, or serving as a process lead.
Experience supporting month-end close, audits, systems implementation, process conversion, or acquisition integration.
Ability to learn system administration concepts, workflow configuration, reporting, and user acceptance testing within assigned platforms.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling banking, tax, vendor, employee, contract, and payment information.
Experience in professional services, legal services, consulting, multi-entity operations, or an acquisition-oriented environment is strongly preferred.

EDUCATION & TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Associate degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Five or more years of progressively responsible accounts payable, accounting operations, or closely related experience, preferably in professional services
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word, including the ability to organize, analyze, and communicate operational data.
Strong proficiency in Sage Intacct, BILL, Ramp, Concur, Nexonia, or comparable ERP, AP automation, spend, or expense platforms

LOCATION:

This position is 100% remote and supports east to west coast time zones