Ap​/ar Clerk

AR/AP Clerk

The AR/AP Clerk is responsible for overseeing day-to-day accounts receivable and accounts payable activities, ensuring accurate billing, timely collections, and efficient vendor payments. This role plays a critical part in managing cash flow, maintaining strong relationships with customers and suppliers, and ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures. The position offers a long-term opportunity with room for growth in a fully onsite environment.

Responsibilities

• Generate customer invoices, discounts, and credits, including contract-based billing tied to production and shipments, and send customer account statements.
• Apply customer payments accurately and reconcile customer account statements to ensure up-to-date and correct balances.
• Monitor customer aging reports and lead collection efforts, including weekly reporting of aged customer accounts.
• Maintain and monitor customer master data, including payment terms, early pay discounts, and cash flow timing.
• Collaborate closely with sales and operations teams to resolve billing discrepancies related to pricing, freight, delivery, and other customer payment issues.
• Communicate credit policies and procedures to internal and external stakeholders and ensure they are followed to support efficient credit and claims processing.
• Manage credit risk by evaluating customer creditworthiness and setting appropriate customer credit limits.
• Oversee the EDI system processing accounts payable invoices, including the three-way matching process (purchase order, receipt, invoice) to ensure accuracy.
• Resolve discrepancies with purchasing, receiving, and vendors to ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices.
• Coordinate with purchasing and other departments to ensure timely payments to critical suppliers and avoid production disruptions.
• Maintain vendor master data and ensure compliance with procurement policies and procedures.
• Monitor and optimize vendor payment terms, early payment discounts, and cash flow timing to support overall financial performance.
• Prepare AR/AP aging reports, cash receipt and purchase forecasts, and supplier payment schedules to support management decision-making.
• Track key performance indicators such as days sales outstanding (DSO), days payables outstanding (DPO), invoice cycle time, and supplier on-time payments.
• Assist with internal and external audits as needed, providing documentation and explanations related to AR and AP activities.
• Ensure accurate general ledger postings related to accounts receivable, accounts payable, and purchase orders, and support reconciliation activities.
• Support continuous improvement of AR/AP processes by identifying discrepancies, recommending solutions, and helping implement process efficiencies.

Essential Skills

• 3+ years of experience in accounts payable, accounts receivable, or general accounting, preferably within a manufacturing or distribution environment.
• Hands-on experience with high-volume transaction processing, such as handling 1,000+ invoices per month.
• Practical experience with ERP systems commonly used in manufacturing, such as SAP, Oracle, Net Suite, or Microsoft Dynamics.
• Strong understanding of accounts receivable and accounts payable processes, including invoice processing, billing, collections, and vendor payments.
• Proficiency in three-way matching involving purchase orders, receipts, and invoices.
• Experience with reconciliation activities, including bank reconciliation and customer and vendor account reconciliation.
• Solid bookkeeping and general ledger knowledge to support accurate financial recording.
• Strong Microsoft Office proficiency, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• High attention to detail and accuracy, particularly in environments with multiple functional organizations and contract-based billing.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to identify discrepancies and improve process inefficiencies.
• Demonstrated organizational skills with the ability to manage high volumes of transactions and competing priorities.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills for collaborating with operations, sales, purchasing, and external partners.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working in manufacturing or distribution settings and familiarity with related operational processes.
• Comfort working with automated invoicing systems and familiarity with EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) systems, preferred but not required.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with customers and vendors to support timely payments and issue resolution.
• Capability to track and interpret KPIs such as DSO, DPO, invoice cycle time, and supplier on-time payments.
• Experience preparing aging reports, cash receipt and purchase forecasts, and supplier payment schedules.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills for effective collaboration with operations, sales, and purchasing teams.
• Ability to work independently while also contributing to a collaborative, process-focused…