AP Payment and Controls Lead

Beusa Energy, LLC•The Woodlands, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The AP Payment & Controls Lead is responsible for executing all AP payment activities and the controls that ensure payments are accurate, timely, compliant, and issued through approved methods. This role owns the payment run process end to end (readiness validation, batch review, ACH/check/wire execution, remittances, exception resolution, and payment related reconciliations) and enforces segregation of duties and authorization requirements in support of internal control compliance. A primary focus is vendor statement reconciliation and proactive management of invoice aging and the “ready to pay” pipeline to remove blockers, reduce aged balances, and improve on time payment performance. The role maintains key payment and aging metrics and provides actionable reporting to support best in class performance and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship.
Must be at least 18 years of age or older.
Successfully passes all applicable general pre-employment testing including but not limited to: background check, pre-employment drug screening, pre-employment fit tests, pre-employment aptitude and/or competency assessment(s).
Daily overtime required and in person, predictable attendance in The Woodlands, TX (if applicable).
Valid U.S. Driver’s License required.
Most employment is contingent upon meeting company driving standards, including 3-year U.S. driving history and an acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) in accordance with Company policy.
7+ years of progressive AP experience, including direct involvement in payment execution and reconciliations.
Strong analytical and investigative skills with attention to detail and follow through.
Strong knowledge of Accounts Payable payment processes and internal controls, including segregation of duties.
Proficiency in Excel.
Ability to work with data extracts and reconciliation reports.
Demonstrated experience researching and resolving discrepancies related to vendor statement reconciliations.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with professional vendor management capability.
Ownership mindset and execution discipline.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of financial and banking information.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field preferred but not required.
Oracle Fusion experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own and execute scheduled AP payment runs, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness in accordance with company policies, internal controls, and approval requirements.
Prepare payment batches and validate payment readiness (e.g., invoice approvals complete, holds cleared, correct entity, correct payee/vendor, correct payment method, correct terms/due date, complete supporting documentation).
Execute payments via checks, ACH, and wire transfers following established cutoffs and procedures; coordinate with Treasury/Cash Management as needed for funding and bank transmission.
Maintain strict adherence to segregation of duties requirements and payment authorization protocols; ensure appropriate approvals are obtained and retained for audit purposes.
Perform documented pre-payment controls to reduce payment leakage and risk (e.g., duplicate review, exception review, verification of approvals for non-standard payment methods and urgent/manual payments).
Own duplicate payment prevention controls, including systematic review of invoice number, vendor, amount, and payment history; investigate and resolve potential duplicates prior to release of funds.
Maintain complete, audit ready documentation for payment activity, approvals, and evidence of controls performed; support SOX/internal control testing and audit requests related to AP payments.
Perform vendor statement reconciliations for assigned suppliers on a defined cadence (and more frequently for high volume/critical vendors or vendors at risk of hold).
Identify, research, and resolve variances such as missing invoices, unapplied credits, duplicate billings, pricing discrepancies, and payment application issues.
Drive resolution through coordination with vendors and internal teams (AP processing, Procurement, Receiving/Operations, Accounting, Treasury) and document outcomes and next steps.
Maintain a reconciliation tracker/log (status, owner, next actions, due dates) and escalate stalled items to prevent supplier holds and payment delays.
Proactively manage invoice aging and the “ready to pay” pipeline to ensure invoices progress to payment and do not remain stalled without documented action.
Identify and clear payment blockers (pending approvals, receipt/3-way match issues, PO discrepancies, coding/documentation gaps) by coordinating with internal stakeholders and suppliers.
Reinforce payment readiness standards and cutoffs to reduce last minute urgent payments and improve on time payment performance.
Provide visibility to upcoming payment needs and constraints (e.g., invoices due, high-risk suppliers, critical milestones) to support predictable payment execution.
Manage and monitor vendor prepayments, down payments, and milestone-based payments in accordance with contract terms, approval requirements, and internal controls.
Validate supporting documentation prior to release of prepayments, including contract terms, milestone confirmation, required approvals, and proper system coding.
Maintain a centralized tracker of all active prepayments and milestone payment schedules, including payment amounts, remaining balances, expected delivery/milestone dates, and clearing status.
Coordinate with Procurement, Operations, Engineering, and Accounting to confirm milestone completion and appropriate recognition or application of prepayments.
Ensure prepayments are properly recorded, applied, and cleared against subsequent invoices in a timely manner to prevent overpayment or duplicate payment risk.
Monitor open prepayment balances and aging; escalate discrepancies or stalled projects to appropriate stakeholders.
Support accurate financial reporting by ensuring prepayment balances are reviewed and reconciled periodically and properly reflected in the general ledger.
Maintain, analyze, and report key payment performance metrics and trends, including (as applicable): On time payment performance, Payment method mix (ACH vs check vs wire) and compliance with payment method standards, Duplicate payments prevented / exception trends, Invoice aging indicators and ready to pay pipeline health, Payment exception rates (returns/rejects/voids/reissues) and time to resolution, Vendor reconciliation completion rate and open discrepancy aging, Credits identified/captured and unapplied credit resolution.
Manage payment related vendor inquiries with professional, timely communication and follow through; provide accurate payment status and remittance support.
Research and resolve payment exceptions including returned/rejected payments, voids/reissues, stop payments, remittance discrepancies, and bank related issues; ensure outcomes are documented and controls followed.
Identify recurring issues and root causes; recommend improvements to strengthen controls, reduce exceptions, increase predictability, and enhance vendor experience.
Train and reinforce payment readiness standards for AP staff (readiness criteria, documentation requirements, cutoff discipline, and escalation paths) to improve flow and reduce last minute urgent payment activity.
May support system stabilization and process documentation related to payment and reconciliation workflows.
Performs other related duties as assigned to assist with successful operations and business continuity.