Senior Accounts Payable Specialist

Senior Accounts Payable Specialist
Location: Philadelphia, PA (hybrid schedule)
Employment Type: Contract-to-Hire
Department: Finance - Disbursements

Position Overview
The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring accurate and timely claims payments and reimbursements across the organization. This team is responsible for managing high-dollar payment activity, performing complex reconciliations, resolving payment discrepancies, and maintaining compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.

This is a detail-intensive finance role supporting multiple claims platforms and banking processes. The ideal candidate brings 3-5 years of finance or accounting experience, strong reconciliation expertise, and advanced Excel skills.

Key Responsibilities
Reconciliation & Financial Controls

• Own and execute multiple complex daily, weekly, and monthly reconciliation processes across migrated and non-migrated claims systems
• Balance high-volume, high-dollar claims payments and identify discrepancies
• Research and resolve mismatches between claims, payments, and banking records
• Rotate across approximately five different claims systems and manage assigned reconciliation processes independently
• Support escheatment processes including daily/monthly reconciliations, variance research, vendor updates, and due diligence reporting
• Identify and process outstanding checks for due diligence and uncashed check workflows

Payments & Banking Operations

• Process daily payment cycles in People Soft, including:
  • Internal and external check processing
  • Bank file uploads
  • Stop payments (system and bank)
  • Check copy requests and research inquiries
• Prepare and decision Positive Pay exception files through banking portals
• Assemble and verify funding requests for clients
• Monitor and process IRS levies and provider garnishments in partnership with Legal
• Review and respond to Service Now incident tickets submitted to Disbursements

Research, Compliance & Reporting

• Conduct research and investigations related to payment discrepancies and client inquiries
• Perform 1099-related functions including testing, balancing, TIN mismatch resolution, and returned mail processing
• Maintain and update departmental procedures and desk-level documentation
• Participate in audits, ad hoc research projects, and cross-functional initiatives

Systems & Projects

• Actively participate in testing for People Soft upgrades and bank payment testing
• Learn and navigate multiple internal applications (Health Proof, Health Rules, Care First Bridge, PNC ECHO, COR, CMS, etc.)
• Contribute to complex projects and process improvement initiatives
• Support team knowledge transfer as retirements shift responsibilities

Required Qualifications

• 3-5 years of finance, accounting, AP, or disbursements experience
• Experience managing high-dollar financial transactions
• Strong reconciliation experience with the ability to independently own balancing processes
• Advanced Excel skills required, including:
  • Pivot Tables
  • VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP
  • IF/WHEN functions
  • Complex formulas used for reconciliation and variance analysis
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Highly organized with the ability to manage changing priorities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision as well as collaboratively within a team

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Experience with People Soft
• Experience in healthcare finance or claims payments
• Exposure to DLPs (Desktop Level Procedures) or documentation ownership
• Training or cross-training experience
• Project management exposure

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate and timely completion of assigned reconciliations
• Strong ownership of payment processes
• Proactive identification and resolution of discrepancies
• Effective collaboration with Claims, Legal, Banking partners, and internal stakeholders
• Consistent adherence to financial controls and company policies