Accounts Payable Specialist

Location: Miami, Florida

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: Utilities, Heavy Civil & Wastewater Construction/Specialty Contractor

We are a leading utilities and wastewater infrastructure contractor delivering high-impact solutions across Florida. Our work spans utility installation and rehabilitation, civil infrastructure, roadway support, trenchless rehabilitation, and wastewater maintenance projects. We partner with municipalities, developers, and private sector clients to deliver projects safely, on time, and within budget.

The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist is responsible for managing the full-cycle accounts payable function within a construction and project-based accounting environment. This role plays a critical part in maintaining accurate job cost reporting, enforcing purchase order and approval controls, executing vendor payments, and ensuring compliance with contractual, lien, tax, and audit requirements.

This position partners closely with Project Managers, Operations, and Accounting leadership to ensure vendor invoices and payments are processed accurately, allocated to the correct jobs, phases, and cost codes, and reflected properly in financial and job cost reporting. Experience with construction ERP systems (Foundation preferred) is highly desirable.

• Process vendor invoices with accurate job, phase, cost code, and cost type coding.
• Verify invoices against approved purchase orders, subcontracts, and receiving documentation.
• Ensure compliance with retainage, tax treatment, and contract-specific billing terms.
• Resolve discrepancies between invoices, job budgets, and committed costs.
• Monitor and evaluate payments in alignment with contractual payment terms and company cash flow priorities.
• Maintain accurate Job-to-Date (JTD) cost reporting.

• Enforce purchase order workflows and approval controls.
• Assist with setup, maintenance, and modification of purchase orders, subcontracts, and commitments.
• Monitor committed vs. actual cost variances and escalate issues to Project Management and Accounting.
• Ensure all commitment changes are properly documented and approved.
• Prepare and process vendor payments via check, ACH, wire transfer, and credit card in accordance with vendor payment terms.
• Execute payment runs and ensure all payments are properly recorded in the accounting system.
• Prepare checks for signature, retain payment records, and track outstanding checks.
• Prepare ACH and wire payment proposals and route for approval.
• Process stop payments and payment reversals as needed.
• Review banking activity and payment security controls regularly.
• Verify payment legitimacy and escalate suspicious activity immediately.
• Confirm vendor banking changes through independent verification.
• Support strong internal controls over cash disbursements.
• Maintain vendor records including W-9s, insurance certificates, and compliance documentation.
• Review vendor statements to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Follow up on missing invoices and resolve discrepancies.
• Request, track, and file lien waivers and releases prior to payment.
• Escalate vendor disputes to the Controller as needed.

• Post daily bank and corporate credit card transactions.
• Reconcile bank and corporate credit card accounts monthly.
• Support AP subledger-to-GL reconciliation and month-end close activities.
• Assist with accruals and cutoff procedures.
• Escalate open items that may delay close to the Controller.

• Collect and maintain Form W-9 documentation.
• Prepare annual Forms 1099-NEC, 1099-INT, and Form 1096.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Maintain strong internal controls and audit-ready documentation.
• Exercise confidentiality and integrity in financial reporting.

• Serve as a liaison between Accounting, Operations, and Project Management.
• Provide guidance to junior AP staff on construction accounting best practices.
• Support the Controller and CFO with ad hoc projects and process improvement initiatives.

• 4+ years of experience in construction or project-based accounts payable.
• Experience with construction ERP systems (Foundation ERP preferred).
• Strong understanding of job costing, purchase orders, retainage, and lien requirements.
• Proficiency in GAAP accounting principles.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Bilingual (Professional English & Spanish) preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.