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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for AP Clerk

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

The Accounts Payable (AP) Clerk is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely processing of vendor invoices, expense reports, and disbursements while maintaining strong vendor relationships and internal controls. This role combines day-to-day transactional work (invoice coding, approvals, payment runs) with reconciliation, reporting, and continuous process improvement to support month-end close and cash flow management. Ideal candidates bring strong attention to detail, proficiency with ERP/AP automation tools, and a customer-service mindset when interacting with vendors and internal stakeholders.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Accounts Payable Clerk / Accounts Payable Specialist (Junior level)
  • Accounts Receivable Clerk, Billing Specialist, or Accounting Clerk
  • Administrative Assistant with bookkeeping exposure

Advancement To:

  • Senior AP Clerk / AP Supervisor
  • Accounts Payable Team Lead or AP Manager
  • Staff Accountant / General Ledger Accountant

Lateral Moves:

  • Payroll Specialist
  • Procurement / Accounts Payable Analyst
  • Billing & Collections Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Receive, review and accurately code vendor invoices and expense reports in the ERP system, ensuring correct GL account allocation, cost center assignment, and proper supporting documentation for audit readiness.
  • Perform three-way matching (invoice, purchase order, and receiving report) for purchase order-based invoices and resolve discrepancies by communicating with purchasing, receiving and vendors to expedite exceptions.
  • Process daily payment runs (ACH, wire, check, virtual card) according to payment terms and cash flow priorities while ensuring payments are executed securely and reconciled to bank activity.
  • Maintain and reconcile the accounts payable aging report weekly and monthly, identify past-due invoices, and coordinate collections or dispute resolution with vendors and internal stakeholders.
  • Prepare and post AP-related journal entries and accruals for month-end close, including accrual reversals, prepaids, and AP clearing account reconciliations to support accurate financial statements.
  • Reconcile vendor statements monthly and investigate discrepancies by researching invoice history, purchase orders, and payment confirmations, then follow up with vendors to obtain credits or corrected invoices.
  • Set up and maintain vendor master records including W-9 collection, tax classification, payment terms, remittance addresses, and banking details for ACH/Wire to minimize duplication and ensure tax compliance.
  • Execute vendor onboarding procedures and perform due diligence for new vendors, including background checks, tax form collection (1099/ W-9), and appropriate approvals per internal control policies.
  • Administer and reconcile employee expense reports, enforce company travel and expense policies, and work with employees to correct policy violations or incomplete documentation prior to reimbursement.
  • Support AP automation initiatives (e-invoicing, OCR, workflow approvals) by validating system imports, troubleshooting exceptions, and recommending configuration changes to improve efficiency.
  • Maintain internal controls for invoice approvals, segregation of duties, and payment authorizations; document processes and participate in audit support activities including SOX testing when applicable.
  • Respond to vendor inquiries related to invoice status, payment timing and remittance details in a professional and timely manner while tracking open issues until resolution.
  • Execute month-end close activities including validating AP balances, preparing reconciliations and schedules, and providing supporting documentation for auditors and accounting management.
  • Process credit memos, voids and short payments accurately, ensuring appropriate GL adjustments and vendor notifications are completed promptly.
  • Perform cash application support and coordinate with Treasury for unapplied payments or payment investigations, supplying remittance details and research summaries as needed.
  • Monitor and apply early payment discounts and manage vendor payment terms to optimize working capital while preserving vendor relationships.
  • Assist with sales and use tax, VAT, or other indirect tax calculations and reporting for AP transactions as needed, ensuring compliance with multi-jurisdictional requirements.
  • Review and reconcile intercompany invoices and billings as part of AP operations, ensuring correct cross-charges and elimination entries are supported for consolidation.
  • Create and maintain AP process documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and training materials for cross-training team members and supporting scale-up or offboarding activities.
  • Participate in continuous improvement projects to reduce invoice cycle time, increase straight-through processing rates, and improve accuracy by leveraging automation and data-driven analysis.
  • Track and report key AP metrics (days payable outstanding, invoice processing turnaround time, percentage of automated invoices) to management and recommend corrective actions.
  • Support ad-hoc financial requests such as audit support, month/quarter close documentation, regulatory inquiries, or special projects that require AP data extraction and verification.
  • Ensure secure handling of sensitive information such as bank account details, employee reimbursements, and vendor tax identifiers to maintain confidentiality and comply with company policies.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist procurement and purchasing teams with invoice coding disputes and vendor inquiry escalations that require accounting judgment or additional documentation.
  • Collaborate with accounts receivable, billing and treasury teams to reconcile cash movements, resolve unapplied payments, and improve end-to-end order-to-cash and procure-to-pay workflows.
  • Provide training and mentorship to junior AP staff or cross-functional colleagues on invoice processing best practices, ERP navigation, and internal controls.
  • Participate in periodic system upgrades, ERP implementations or AP automation rollouts, performing user acceptance testing (UAT), documenting defects, and supporting go-live activities.
  • Support corporate tax and payroll teams during year-end 1099/1096 preparation and distribution by ensuring vendor records are complete and properly classified.
  • Contribute to vendor rationalization and master data cleanup projects by identifying duplicate vendors, stale accounts, and opportunities to centralize payments or consolidate remittance processes.
  • Support cash forecasting by providing AP payment schedule inputs and advising on upcoming large disbursements or seasonal supplier payment patterns.
  • Help implement and sustain a paperless invoice processing program and manage relationships with third-party AP service providers or payment processors (e.g., Bill.com, Tipalti).

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Accounts payable processing: invoice receipt, coding, three-way match, approvals, and payment execution (ACH/wire/check/virtual card).
  • ERP systems expertise (experience with systems such as NetSuite, Oracle/PeopleSoft, SAP, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics) for invoice entry, vendor maintenance and payment processing.
  • AP automation and e-invoicing tools: experience with Bill.com, Coupa, Ariba, Tipalti, Basware, or OCR solutions to increase straight-through processing.
  • Advanced Excel skills including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, conditional formatting and data cleansing for reconciliations and reporting.
  • Bank reconciliation and cash disbursement reconciliation experience, including handling unapplied payments and payment investigations.
  • Month-end close knowledge: preparing accruals, reconciling AP subledger to the general ledger, and producing supporting schedules for auditors.
  • Familiarity with tax requirements related to AP such as 1099 reporting, VAT/GST treatment, withholding tax and basic indirect tax implications.
  • Internal controls and SOX compliance experience, including maintaining segregation of duties, sample testing and process documentation for audits.
  • Vendor master data maintenance, onboarding, and remediation skills including tax form (W-9) collection and validation.
  • Strong documentation skills including creating SOPs, process flows and procedural checklists; experience with version-controlled documentation appreciated.
  • Ability to use workflow engines and ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira) to manage invoice exceptions and vendor inquiries.
  • Basic accounting fundamentals and journal entry preparation to support GL reconciliation and month-end adjustments.
  • Familiarity with banking platforms for ACH, wire initiation and positive pay controls, and knowledge of secure payment processes.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy when reviewing invoices, coding entries, and reconciling accounts.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for professional interaction with vendors, internal partners, and auditors.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to meet daily deadlines, payment runs and month-end close responsibilities in high-volume environments.
  • Problem-solving and investigative mindset to research discrepancies, identify root causes and implement preventative measures.
  • Customer-service orientation with the ability to maintain vendor relationships while enforcing company policies.
  • Team player who collaborates across finance, procurement and operations to resolve issues and drive process improvement.
  • High level of integrity and discretion when handling confidential vendor bank information, payroll reimbursements and tax documents.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new systems, automation tools and updated compliance requirements.
  • Initiative and continuous improvement focus to propose workflow changes, reduce exceptions and increase automation.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
High school diploma or equivalent; vocational bookkeeping training acceptable.

Preferred Education:
Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Economics
  • Supply Chain / Procurement

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1–5 years of accounts payable, bookkeeping or general accounting experience; entry-level roles may start at 0–1 year with strong ERP/Excel aptitude.

Preferred:
3+ years of hands-on AP experience in a medium to high-volume environment, demonstrated proficiency with one or more ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, Oracle, SAP), experience with AP automation platforms (Bill.com, Coupa, Tipalti) and familiarity with month-end close and vendor reconciliation processes. Experience supporting SOX controls, multi-currency transactions, or multinational vendor payments is a plus.

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