Staff Accountant- Accounts Payable

The Hotel

Step inside a legendary revival at The Watergate Hotel, a luxurious urban resort located along the banks of the Potomac River. Here modern design blends with a storied past to redefine luxury. A place where travel and business are occasions worth celebrating, attention to every detail is the standard, and intrigue can be found just beyond every curve.

Location

The Watergate Hotel is centrally located in Washington, D.C., a city of political power, prestige, and elegance is culturally rich with theaters, museums, architectural splendors and unforgettable national memorials. The Watergate Hotel is situated within walking distance of the best the city has to offer.

Strategic Intent

Bill and collect all revenue owed to the hotel in an accurate, assist AP on processing invoices, timely manner in accordance with accounting policies and procedures.

Organizational Structure

REPORTS TO: Assistant Director of Finance

Position Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Accounts Payable/ Staff Accountant to support the Finance team in both transactional oversight and core accounting functions.

While invoice data entry is managed by an outsourced provider, this role will serve as the primary in-house owner of the AP cycle, ensuring accuracy, vendor integrity, and timely payment execution. In addition, this position will play a key role in month-end close, accrula, reconciliations, and financial reporting support.

This is an excellent opportunity for a candidate looking to grow from AP into a broader accounting role within a dynamic hospitality environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and validate invoices processed by the outsourced AP provider for accuracy and proper coding
• Manage vendor setup and maintenance, ensuring compliance with company standards and documentation requirements
• Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor inquiries, responding to payment status requests and resolving discrepancies
• Prepare and manage weekly payment runs (ACH, wire, checks) in coordination with Finance leadership
• Generate and distribute remittance advice to vendors
• Maintain and monitor AP aging to ensure timely payments and adherence to payment terms
• Coordinate with internal departments and outsourced partners to resolve invoice or billing issues
• Assist with month-end close, including preparation of journal entries and supporting schedules
• Perform account reconciliations (AP, accruals and other balance sheet accounts)
• Support accrual and expense recognition processes to ensure accurate financial reporting
• Analyze expense trends and variances against budget and prior periods
• Maintain organized and audit-ready financial documentation
• Assist in preparation of internal financial reports
• Support audits and compliance-related requests as needed
• Investigate Chargeback Disputes and respond in a timely fashion. Also manage chargeback reconciliation for month end.
• Log daily tax-exempt reconciliation and prepare tax recon spreadsheet for monthly business tax payment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, related or field
• 1–2 years of accounting or AP experience (hospitality experience preferred but not required)
• Strong understanding of accounts payable processes and basic accounting principles
• Experience with accounting systems (e.g., Oracle OPERA, Infor, BirchStreet, SUN Systems or similar) preferred but not required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to manage vendor relationships professionally
• Ability to balance transactional responsibilities with analytical accounting work
• Problem-solving and process improvement orientation
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment