Specialist, Global Onboarding

Paul Hastings•Washington, DC

69d•$59,900 - $74,600•Hybrid

About The Position

The Specialist, Global Onboarding will serve as the centralized gatekeeper for vendor and user setup, compliance verification, and master data management within the Global Accounts Payable function. This role is essential to the firm’s P2P implementation success, SOX controls framework, and segregation of duties within AP. The Onboarding Specialist owns the full vendor lifecycle — from initial intake and compliance screening through ongoing master data governance and inactive vendor cleanup. The role is also critical for 1099 processing, year-end tax and audit reporting, and ad hoc analytics that support vendor strategy. As a Coordinator-level position, the Onboarding Specialist operates with a high degree of autonomy, partners directly with Procurement on vendor analytics and payment term optimization and plays a foundational role in ensuring the integrity of the data that drives the end-to-end AP operation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field
Minimum 4 years of experience in accounts payable, vendor management, or a related finance operations function, with direct experience in vendor onboarding and master data management
Experience with OFAC/sanctions screening and debarment verification processes
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, conditional formatting, data analysis at volume)
Experience operating in a high-volume, fast-paced, paperless environment with strict accuracy and compliance standards
Direct experience with Elite 3E or comparable legal industry ERP/financial management systems
Familiarity with Emburse (Chrome River) for expense reporting and invoice management
Experience with procure-to-pay (P2P) platforms such as Zycus, Coupa, or equivalent, including vendor master data migration or implementation support
Experience administering a vendor self-service portal or supplier management platform
Prior experience in a law firm or professional services environment
Experience with vendor performance management or scorecard frameworks
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop vendor-facing documentation and internal SOPs
Demonstrated expertise in vendor compliance verification, including W-9/W-8 validation, banking verification, and 1099 reporting
Strong working knowledge of GAAP, SOX compliance requirements, and segregation of duties as they relate to vendor setup and the AP function
Exposure to data visualization or reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or Cognos
Familiarity with IRS 1099 regulatory requirements and electronic filing processes

Responsibilities

Serve as the centralized point of intake for all new vendor setup requests, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and compliance before activation in the ERP and P2P systems.
Collect, validate, and process vendor documentation including W-9s, W-8s, certificates of insurance, banking information, and any required contractual or legal attachments.
Validate ACH and wire banking details through established verification protocols to prevent fraudulent or erroneous payment routing.
Configure vendor records in Elite 3E, Emburse (Chrome River) and Zycus, including payment terms, remittance preferences, GL default coding, and currency settings.
Manage user setup and access provisioning within AP and P2P platforms in coordination with IT and system administrators.
Perform OFAC/sanctions screening and debarment verification for all new and existing vendors in accordance with federal regulatory requirements and firm policy.
Ensure all vendor onboarding activities comply with GAAP standards, SOX controls, and firm-specific segregation of duties requirements.
Maintain a compliance checklist and onboarding workflow that enforces required approvals, documentation thresholds, and screening steps before vendor activation.
Flag and escalate compliance exceptions, incomplete documentation, or suspicious vendor profiles to the Global Analyst, AP Supervisor, and leadership.
Support internal and external audit requests related to vendor onboarding, master data integrity, and compliance verification processes.
Own the vendor master file across all AP and P2P systems, ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and completeness on an ongoing basis.
Perform periodic vendor master audits to identify and remediate duplicate records, incomplete profiles, outdated banking information, and data quality issues.
Execute vendor performance score carding in partnership with the Global Analyst and Procurement, evaluating compliance, responsiveness, and data quality metrics.
Lead inactive vendor cleanup initiatives, deactivating vendors with no recent activity per firm-defined thresholds and maintaining documentation of all changes.
Establish and enforce data governance standards for vendor records, including naming conventions, categorization, and required field completeness.
Serve as the primary administrator for the Zycus supplier portal and Elite 3E, managing vendor self-service registration, profile updates, and communication workflows.
Monitor portal adoption, troubleshoot vendor access issues, and coordinate with Zycus support and IT on system configuration or enhancement needs.
Develop and maintain vendor-facing onboarding guides and portal reference materials to support a seamless registration experience.
Own the annual 1099 reporting cycle, including vendor classification validation, TIN matching, threshold monitoring, and timely filing with the IRS.
Coordinate year-end vendor data cleanup to ensure accurate 1099 reporting, including resolution of missing or mismatched TINs and W-9 re-solicitation.
Generate year-end reports for tax and audit preparation, including vendor spend summaries, payment type breakdowns, and compliance status reports.
Partner with the Procurement, Finance, Tax team and Controller’s Office to ensure alignment of reporting requirements, deadlines, and regulatory changes.
Develop and deliver ad hoc reports and analytics on vendor onboarding volume, cycle time, compliance rates, and master data quality metrics.
Partner with Procurement to deliver vendor concentration analysis, payment term optimization insights, and early payment discount capture opportunities tied to onboarding and vendor master data.
Analyze vendor payment terms and discount structures during onboarding to identify working capital improvement opportunities and flag non-standard terms for review.
Support the Global AP Analyst with data extracts, vendor master reporting, and analytics inputs as needed for leadership reporting packages.
Monitor the centralized AP mailbox for vendor onboarding requests, new vendor inquiries, and master data change requests, triaging per defined SLAs.
Categorize and route vendor-related items to the appropriate workflow, escalating exceptions or compliance concerns as needed.
Serve as backup coverage for peer Coordinators and Specialists during planned absences or peak periods.
Maintain cross-training documentation for vendor onboarding and master data workflows to ensure operational continuity.
Provide guidance to Processors on vendor-related inquiries, including payment term questions, vendor status lookups, and documentation requirements.
Play a foundational role in the P2P implementation, owning vendor master data migration, validation, and enrichment workstreams.
Support system testing, configuration validation, and user acceptance activities related to vendor onboarding and master data modules.
Partner with IT, Procurement, and the Zycus implementation team to ensure vendor data structures meet operational and reporting requirements.
Contribute to the design of vendor onboarding workflows, approval routing, and compliance checkpoints within the new P2P platform.
Meet or exceed defined targets for onboarding cycle time, master data accuracy, compliance screening completion, and 1099 filing timeliness as measured by team KPIs.
Proactively communicate status on assigned work, flag risks or delays, and close the loop on open items.
Model a standard of data stewardship, compliance rigor, and operational discipline that supports the integrity of the entire AP function.

Benefits

Medical
Dental
Vision
Life/AD&D
Long Term Care
Short- and Long-Term Disability
Flexible Spending Accounts
Health Savings Account
Healthcare Concierge and Advocacy
Lifestyle Spending Account
Voluntary 401(k) Plan
Profit Sharing
10 Paid Holidays per year
generous PTO Program
Paid Parental Leave
Fertility Benefits
Breast Milk Shipping
Back-up Child Care
Elder Care
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
Accident Insurance
Auto/Home/Pet Insurance
Prepaid Legal Insurance
Employee Discounts
opportunity to earn bonuses based on individual contribution and firm profitability