Specialist, Global Accounts Payable Expense

Paul Hastings•Boston, MA

12d•$59,900 - $79,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Expense Specialist is the dedicated owner of travel and expense operations within the Global Accounts Payable function at Paul Hastings. This role carries full responsibility for T&E processing, policy compliance enforcement, employee expense reimbursement, T&E audit and exception management, corporate and purchasing card reconciliation, and virtual payables program operations. The Expense Specialist owns the T&E ecosystem end-to-end — serving as the firm’s day-to-day authority on expense policy, card program operations, and travel-related financial controls. Responsibilities also include second-line escalation support for Processors, cross-training and backup coordination, and advanced compliance workflows. The ideal candidate combines deep T&E functional expertise with the judgment to interpret policy in ambiguous situations, the discipline to enforce controls consistently, and the professionalism to partner with attorneys, partners, and firm leadership on sensitive expense matters.

Requirements

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, conditional formatting, data analysis at volume); Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate policy decisions clearly and professionally to attorneys, partners, and firm leadership; Proven ability to operate effectively in environments with competing priorities, tight deadlines, and high standards for accuracy and compliance; Familiarity with Elite 3E or comparable legal industry ERP/financial management systems; and Familiarity with process improvement methodologies or SOP documentation standards.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field;
Minimum 5+ years of experience in accounts payable, travel and expense management, or a related finance operations function, with direct experience in T&E processing and card program reconciliation;
Demonstrated expertise in expense report review, policy compliance enforcement, and employee reimbursement processing;
Experience with corporate card program reconciliation, including firm-paid vs. personal charge resolution and cardholder follow-up;
Strong working knowledge of GAAP and SOX compliance requirements as they relate to T&E and the AP function;
Direct experience with Emburse (Chrome River) for expense reporting and invoice management;
Experience with corporate travel management platforms such as AMEX GBT, SAP Concur, Navan, or equivalent;
Experience with virtual payables or virtual card programs (single-use accounts, supplier enrollment, rebate optimization);
Exposure to procure-to-pay (P2P) platforms such as Zycus, Coupa, or equivalent;
Experience supporting T&E platform evaluations, RFP processes, or system implementations;
Prior experience in a law firm or professional services environment.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end processing of employee expense reports, ensuring accuracy, policy compliance, proper documentation, and timely reimbursement within established SLAs; Review and process complex and high-value expense submissions, including partner travel, international expenses, client entertainment, and multi-currency transactions; Verify receipts, GL coding, matter/client allocations, and approval routing for all T&E submissions, resolving discrepancies and returning non-compliant reports with clear guidance; Process employee reimbursements across all payment methods, coordinating with Payroll where applicable for integration with pay cycles; and Manage T&E processing queues and cycle times, ensuring the team meets or exceeds defined throughput and accuracy targets.
Serve as the firm’s day-to-day authority on travel and expense policy, interpreting and applying policy requirements to individual transactions and escalated scenarios; Review of T&E policy exceptions, out-of-policy submissions, and approval override requests — providing documented recommendations to the AP Analyst, Supervisor and leadership on disposition; Monitor expense submissions for patterns of non-compliance, policy circumvention, or unusual activity, escalating findings to the AP Analyst, Supervisor and leadership; Partner with the Travel department and firm leadership on policy clarification, edge case resolution, and policy update recommendations informed by processing trends; and Maintain a T&E exception log with trend reporting, presenting findings and recommended policy or process changes on a regular cadence.
Own the reconciliation of corporate and purchasing card transactions across AMEX GBT, Wells Fargo WellsOne, and other firm card programs, ensuring all charges are properly documented, coded, and reconciled within established timelines; Investigate and resolve card transaction discrepancies, including firm-paid vs. personal designation issues, missing receipts, duplicate charges, and unauthorized transactions; Monitor card statement cycles and reconciliation deadlines, driving timely completion and escalating delinquent cardholders or unresolved items to the leadership team; Coordinate with card program providers on transaction disputes, chargebacks, and data feed issues affecting reconciliation accuracy; and Prepare card reconciliation reports and exception summaries for leadership review.
Manage day-to-day operations of the firm’s virtual payables program, including transaction monitoring, vendor enrollment support, and program performance tracking; Monitor virtual card utilization rates, rebate capture, and vendor adoption, identifying opportunities to expand program coverage and financial benefit; and Coordinate with banking partners and internal stakeholders on program configuration, vendor onboarding to virtual payments, and issue resolution.
Conduct periodic audits of expense reports and card transactions to verify policy compliance, documentation completeness, and approval accuracy; Ensure all T&E activities comply with GAAP standards, SOX controls, and firm-specific policies and procedures; Maintain complete, audit-ready documentation for all expense transactions, card reconciliations, and policy exception decisions; Support internal and external audit requests related to travel and expense management, card programs, and T&E controls; and Identify and escalate control gaps, process exceptions, and potential fraud indicators within the T&E function promptly.
Serve as a second-line escalation point for Processors and Coordinators on T&E-related transactions, system exceptions, policy interpretation questions, and complex expense submissions; Investigate and resolve escalated expense items that exceed Processor-level authority or require cross-functional coordination with the Travel Director, office administration, or firm leadership; and Document escalation patterns within T&E workflows and recommend process or policy changes to reduce recurring exceptions.
Serve as backup coverage for the AP Coordinator and peer Specialists during planned absences, peak periods, or team transitions; Maintain cross-training documentation for T&E processing, card reconciliation, and virtual payables workflows to ensure operational continuity; and Provide guidance to Processors on T&E-related inquiries, including policy questions, reimbursement status, and card program procedures.
Monitor the centralized AP mailbox for T&E-related inquiries, expense report submissions, card questions, and reimbursement requests, triaging per defined SLAs; Categorize and route T&E items to the appropriate workflow, escalating policy exceptions or compliance concerns as needed; and Track T&E-related mailbox response times and SLA adherence, flagging trends or bottlenecks to the AP Supervisor.
Operate proficiently within Emburse (Chrome River) for expense report processing, invoice workflow management, and reporting; Navigate ERP and AP systems including Elite 3E, and support data validation during new system implementations or platform migrations; Serve as a first point of contact for internal T&E platform inquiries related to expense report submission, approval routing, and reimbursement status; Contribute to process improvement initiatives within the T&E function, including workflow redesign, automation opportunities, and documentation of standard operating procedures; and Support system testing, configuration validation, and user acceptance activities during T&E platform evaluations or P2P implementation workstreams.
Meet or exceed defined targets for T&E processing accuracy, reimbursement cycle time, card reconciliation timeliness, and policy compliance rates as measured by team KPIs; Maintain continuous visibility with the AP Supervisor on T&E operational status, emerging risks, and open items; and Model a standard of policy expertise, processing discipline, and professional judgment that strengthens the firm’s T&E control environment.

Benefits

Medical
Dental
Vision
Life/AD&D
Long Term Care
Short- and Long-Term Disability
Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account
Healthcare Concierge and Advocacy
Lifestyle Spending Account
Voluntary 401(k) Plan and Profit Sharing
10 Paid Holidays per year
generous PTO Program
Family Support including Paid Parental Leave, Fertility Benefits, Breast Milk Shipping, Back-up Child Care, Elder Care, and Tutoring
Wellbeing programs (Employee Assistance Program, Relationship Support, Mental Health, Menopause and Midlife Health and Well-Being Events)
Retirement Plan Consulting
Anniversary Bonus Program
Professional Development Programs
Transportation and Commuter Benefits
International Travel Insurance
Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Accident Insurance
Auto/Home/Pet Insurance
Prepaid Legal Insurance
Employee Discounts