Accounting Specialist

Accounting Specialist

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Accounting Specialist, Accounts Payable is responsible for the accurate, timely, and organized entry and processing of vendor invoices across Ranger Steel, CraftForce, and Kentucky Powder Coating. This is a high-volume, detail-intensive role that sits at the front of the payables process. What this person enters and codes today becomes the financial record the organization relies on for cash management, vendor relationships, and period-end reporting.

Reporting to the Accounting Manager, this individual works alongside a peer Accounting Specialist who handles employee expense reimbursements and purchase order processing. While each role has a distinct primary focus, both specialists are fully cross-trained on each other’s responsibilities. When volume increases, deadlines stack, or one team member is out, priorities flex and the two roles support each other seamlessly. The Accounting Manager directs both, reviews the output, and is accountable for how the function operates as a whole.

This role is well suited for someone who takes accuracy seriously, works with discipline and consistency, and understands that clean A/P data is not just an administrative task. It directly affects how the business manages its cash, its vendor relationships, and its financial reporting. Reliability and attention to detail are the foundation of everything this position does.

Why This Adds Value: Vendor invoices are the first record of a cost the business has incurred. When they are entered accurately, coded correctly, and routed for approval without delay, the organization has a reliable picture of what it owes, what it has committed, and how its cash is moving. When they are not, everything downstream suffers. This role is the entry point for financial accuracy on the payables side, and the quality of the work here is felt across the entire finance function.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Invoice Receipt and Processing

• Receive, sort, and log all incoming vendor invoices across all three entities, ensuring nothing is missed, misrouted, or left sitting without action.
• Match invoices to purchase orders and receiving documentation where applicable, verifying quantities, pricing, and terms before entry.
• Enter vendor invoices into the accounting system accurately: correct vendor, correct amount, correct entity, correct cost code or general ledger account, every time.
• Manually route invoices to the appropriate approver for each vendor and entity, following up when invoices have been outstanding and deadlines are approaching. There is no automated workflow system in place; this person owns the routing and follow-up process directly.
• When an invoice arrives without proper documentation, does not match its corresponding purchase order, or raises a discrepancy, contact the team member who incurred or requested the expense directly to resolve it. This is not escalated to the Accounting Manager as a first step; the expectation is that this role works through it with the responsible party before bringing unresolved issues forward.
• Enter invoices only after they have received proper approval. No invoice is processed for payment on this person’s initiative alone.

Vendor Records and Statement Reconciliation

• Maintain accurate and current vendor records in the accounting system, including remittance addresses, payment terms, tax identification information, and contact details.
• Collect and file required vendor documentation including W-9 forms and certificates of insurance for all active vendors, following up on missing items before invoices are processed.
• Reconcile vendor statements to the A/P ledger on a regular basis, identifying discrepancies, missing invoices, or duplicate charges and resolving them promptly.
• Respond to vendor inquiries regarding payment status, remittance information, and outstanding invoices in a professional and timely manner.
• Escalate vendor disputes, statement discrepancies, or payment issues that require management judgment to the Accounting Manager.

Weekly Check Run Support

• Prepare the A/P aging and a proposed payment summary for Accounting Manager review each week, organized by due date, vendor, and entity, so the Accounting Manager has everything needed to make payment decisions.
• This role does not initiate payments independently. The Accounting Manager directs which invoices are to be paid and approves every check run before any disbursement is made.
• Once payment instructions are received and approved, process checks, ACH payments, and electronic disbursements accurately and in the order and amounts directed.
• Maintain an organized record of each payment run including the invoices paid, amounts, payees, and payment method.
• File and archive payment documentation in an audit-ready manner following each cycle.
• Monitor outstanding checks and flag stale or uncleared items to the Accounting Manager for direction.

Cost Coding and Accuracy

• Apply correct general ledger account codes, job numbers, cost centers, and entity designations to every invoice entered, using the chart of accounts and job cost structure as a guide.
• Develop a working familiarity with the types of costs each entity incurs so that coding decisions are made with context, not just by habit or assumption.
• Identify and correct miscoded invoices proactively before they are posted and create downstream reporting errors.
• Communicate with the Accounting Manager or project teams when invoice coding is unclear, rather than making assumptions that could result in misallocated costs.

Cross-Training and Team Support

• Maintain full working knowledge of the Accounting Specialist, Expense and Purchase Orders role through active cross-training, so that either specialist can step into the other’s responsibilities when volume or circumstances require it.
• When workload warrants, shift priorities to support expense processing or purchase order entry alongside the peer specialist, as directed by the Accounting Manager.
• Communicate openly with the Accounting Manager about workload, bottlenecks, or process issues that are affecting the team’s ability to meet its commitments.
• Assist with additional accounting or administrative tasks as directed by the Accounting Manager, contributing to the team’s overall effectiveness.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready records across all A/P activity at all times, not just at period end.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Associate’s degree or coursework in accounting, business, or a related field is a plus but not required.

Experience

• 1–3 years of accounts payable, accounting clerk, or comparable data entry and administrative accounting experience preferred.
• Prior experience in a construction, contracting, or multi-entity environment is an advantage.
• Candidates with strong organizational skills and a demonstrated track record of accurate, high-volume data entry from adjacent roles will be considered.

Technical Skills

• Comfortable working in accounting software and able to learn new platforms with direction; prior A/P system experience is a plus.
• Basic Excel familiarity is preferred but not required. The ability and willingness to learn is what matters most.

Competencies

• Accurate and consistent. Takes pride in getting the entry right the first time and understands why it matters.
• Organized and reliable, with a personal system for tracking open items, pending approvals, and upcoming deadlines.
• Communicates questions and flags issues rather than guessing. Asks before coding something wrong and works directly with the responsible party to resolve discrepancies before escalating.
• Works well alongside a peer in a shared workspace, willing to flex into either role’s responsibilities as volume and priorities shift.
• Responds positively to direction and correction, and takes feedback as an opportunity to improve.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

The Accounting Specialist, Accounts Payable will be evaluated against the following outcomes:

• Vendor invoices entered accurately and on schedule each period with no systemic coding errors or unprocessed items aging in the queue.
• A/P aging reflects only legitimate open liabilities with no duplicate entries, missing approvals, or invoices sitting without status.
• Invoice discrepancies and documentation gaps resolved directly with the responsible team member promptly and without requiring Accounting Manager intervention.
• Vendor records and W-9 documentation current and organized for all active vendors.
• Weekly check run preparation delivered to the Accounting Manager accurately and on schedule with no payments initiated outside of approved direction.
• Vendor inquiries handled professionally and resolved promptly.
• Consistent positive feedback from the Accounting Manager on accuracy, reliability, and follow-through.

This job description reflects the principal functions of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications. The company reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties as business needs evolve.