Senior Specialist, Accounts Payable

University Financial Services is comprised of a diverse group of experts in multiple fields. Our passion is working together and collaborating with other departments to reduce the administrative burden on Faculty and Staff, so they can focus on supporting the education of our students. We strive to be a trusted and innovative partner delivering exemplary administrative services in support of the DU community. University Financial Services is committed to maintaining a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to effectively engage with individuals from diverse communities.

Position Summary

The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist ensures that payment requests are accurately processed and approved in compliance with university policy. This is a full-time, benefited position.

Essential Functions

• Ensure payments adhere to DU policies and procedures.
• Enter invoices to be paid.
• Review payment transactions for accuracy and compliance.
• Reconcile vendor statements.
• Process and release payments according to department schedule.
• Answer inquiries from internal departments and outside vendors regarding accounts payable and related matters.
• Assess and initiate approved wire transfer payments.
• Gather executive signatures for large payments exceeding specified thresholds.
• Serve as expert and/or team lead for Accounts Payable Specialist questions and escalations.
• Download check reconciliation files from bank portal on a strict cadence and run the process that incorporates those files into the ERP.
• Research errors in payment processing and determine best path to resolution.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comfortable performing daily tasks that require careful attention to numbers and highly specific detailed procedures.
• Understanding of vendor payment workflows and practices
• Knowledge of university policies
• Understanding and knowledge of business processes and systems
• Comfortable using systems and technology, including ERP systems, P2P platforms and Microsoft Office products.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of higher education culture, governance, structures, and mission
• Demonstrated focus on customer service and compliance.
• Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced deadline driven environment

Competencies:

• Decision Making/Judgment: Recognizes problems and responds, systematically gathers information, sorts through complex issues, seeks input from others, addresses root cause of issues, makes timely decisions, and communicates decisions to others.
• Inclusiveness: Actively creates and supports an inclusive and equitable workplace by embedding diversity into all aspects of the workplace. This may include policies, procedures, training, mission, values, goals, office climate and culture, interactions with colleagues and co-workers, leadership practices, programming, hiring, marketing, evaluation, promotion, and other workplace dimensions.
• Integrity/Ethics: Follows through with commitments and communicates honestly while encouraging others to do so. Demonstrates integrity and ethics, and acts in support of the University’s best interest.
• Customer Focus: Builds customer confidence, is committed to increasing customer satisfaction, sets achievable customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving customer problems, ensures commitments to customers are met, solicits opinions and ideas from customers, responds to internal customers.
• Teamwork/Engagement: Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals. Displays enthusiasm about being part of the team. Treats others with respect. Supports the work of team members and personally contributes an appropriate share of the work to team projects.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• 3-5 years of direct job-related experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 2-4 years of direct experience in an accounts payable role.
• Experience in higher education working environment.
• Experience with Banner Finance.
• Experience with Jaggaer P2P platform

Working Environment

• Standard office environment.
• Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
• Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

• Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus.