Associate, Vendor Payables - Settlement

Acrisure•Grand Rapids, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Vendor Payables Settlement Associate to support the preparation, validation, and release of outbound payments across the Vendor Payables organization. This role partners closely with the Vendor Payables Settlement Specialist and Acrisure’s Treasury teams to execute scheduled payment runs, coordinate funding requirements, and resolve payment exceptions such as voids and reissues, returned or misapplied payments, outstanding checks, and refunds. The Associate serves as an individual contributor within the team, executing defined, rules-based settlement work in accordance with documented SOPs, SLAs, and internal controls. Because payment release is a controlled and time-sensitive activity, this role calls for exceptional accuracy, disciplined adherence to approval and segregation-of-duties requirements, and sound judgment about when an issue must be escalated rather than worked around. The role collaborates daily with Settlement Specialists, Lead Analysts, Treasury, suppliers, and Acrisure’s third-party processing partner. This role is based in Grand Rapids, MI.

Requirements

Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, with an understanding that payment errors carry direct financial, supplier, and reputational consequences.
Working knowledge of payment methods and settlement mechanics (check, ACH/EFT, wire, virtual card) and the ability to interpret bank and payment file detail.
Demonstrated ability to follow controls, approval limits, and segregation-of-duties requirements consistently, and the judgment to stop work and escalate when something does not reconcile.
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to research transactional data, trace payments, and identify discrepancies.
Effective written and verbal communication skills, including supplier follow-up and day-to-day coordination with Treasury and internal stakeholders.
Ability to prioritize work, meet firm daily cutoffs, and adapt in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and urgent requests.
Discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential banking, supplier, and payment information.
Ability to collaborate across teams and maintain a professional, customer-service-oriented approach.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field preferred.
1+ year of experience in Accounts Payable, payment or treasury operations, banking, or related operational support preferred.
Experience in a shared services, outsourced, or multi-entity environment preferred.
Strong Excel skills for reconciliation, tracking, and analysis.
Experience with Workday Financials or comparable vendor payables systems preferred; exposure to banking portals, positive pay, or treasury tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

Support scheduled payment runs across all payment methods (check, ACH/EFT, wire, and virtual card) in accordance with documented payment calendars, cutoffs, and approval requirements.
Validate payment data, approvals, due dates, and remittance information before payment release
Generate payable cash-requirement reports and assist with check printing, positive pay file submission, and check distribution.
Support in-house and manual check processing, including request validation, logging, secure handling, and recordkeeping.
Confirm that each run is funded and properly authorized before payments are released; hold and escalate any run that is not.
Compile and submit the recurring payment forecast to Treasury, ensuring every entity and run type is represented in each cycle — including zero-dollar runs — so funding requirements are never missed.
Partner with domestic and international Treasury contacts on funding timing, cross-border and multi-currency runs, and payment rejections.
Provide Treasury with supporting detail needed for cash positioning, bank account activity, and payment inquiries.
Monitor acquired and newly integrated entities moving through settlement and flag any run operating outside the standard forecast and release cycle.
Process and research voids, reissues, ACH returns, rejected payments, stop payments, refunds, and payment discrepancies; coordinate resolution with suppliers, banks, and Treasury.
Maintain outstanding check tracking and support stale-dated check and unclaimed property processes.
Investigate settlement issues and escalate complex exceptions as appropriate.
Ensure refunded or returned funds are accurately applied.
Validate banking information, supplier records, and payment data changes prior to payment release.
Adhere to internal controls, approval requirements, and segregation-of-duties standards.
Identify and escalate potential fraud risks or suspicious payment activity.
Maintain secure access to payment systems, banking platforms, and related applications.
Respond to payment inquiries and settlement-related ServiceNow requests; triage and route to the appropriate team, and communicate resolution.
Provide payment status updates and expected release timing to suppliers and internal stakeholders, escalating anything that falls outside established rules.
Conduct supplier outreach to obtain banking documentation, W-9s, ACH forms, or remittance clarification needed to complete a payment.
Maintain payment tracking logs, settlement reports, and operational dashboards.
Compile data and inputs for weekly and periodic settlement metrics and operational dashboards.
Support 1099 processing through data gathering, payee validation, and inquiry follow-up.
Support reconciliation of payment clearing and settlement accounts by verifying payment status, researching unreconciled items, and assisting in clearing exceptions.
Assist with audit, SOX, and information requests
Coordinate intake and clarifications with the third-party processing provider and route exceptions through defined escalation channels.
Review payment-related outputs produced by the provider for accuracy and completeness, and flag recurring errors to the Settlement Specialist.
Support onboarding of newly acquired partners into the standard settlement and funding process, including run scheduling, banking validation, and documentation collection.
Provide surge support during onboarding waves, volume spikes, and stabilization periods.