Accounts Payable Specialist

We are looking for an Accounts Payable Specialist to support day-to-day financial operations for a school environment in Brooklyn, New York. This Long-term Contract position will focus on accurate payment processing, expense tracking, and financial record maintenance while helping the organization stay aligned with budgets and reporting deadlines. The ideal candidate will bring strong attention to detail, sound judgment with documentation, and the ability to manage multiple accounting tasks in a structured, deadline-driven setting.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the full accounts payable cycle, including reviewing vendor bills, processing staff reimbursements, and arranging approved disbursements in a timely manner.
• Administer purchase orders from initiation through completion by coordinating approvals, assigning budget codes, monitoring order status, and resolving returns or refund issues.
• Record invoices, expense items, accruals, journal entries, and other authorized financial activity in QuickBooks Online with accurate ledger classification and cost center allocation.
• Track departmental or program spending against established budgets, identify notable variances, and raise concerns when costs appear likely to exceed planned amounts.
• Perform reconciliations for assigned credit card accounts, banking activity, and petty cash balances to maintain accurate financial records.
• Partner with faculty and staff on purchasing needs by collecting missing backup documents and following through on credits, reimbursements, and tax-related recoveries.
• Assemble schedules and supporting records needed for monthly close, year-end reporting, budget reviews, and annual audit preparation.
• Proven experience handling accounts payable processes in a finance or accounting setting.
• Working knowledge of invoice coding, general ledger account assignment, and expense classification.
• Experience processing payments through methods such as ACH and check runs.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks Online or a comparable accounting platform.
• Strong reconciliation skills with the ability to review credit card, bank, and petty cash activity accurately.
• High attention to detail and the ability to maintain organized financial documentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, follow approval procedures, and meet recurring deadlines.