Accounts Payable Specialist

Requisition ID: 24137
Grace, a Standard Industries company, is a leading global supplier of catalysts, engineered materials and fine chemicals. We provide innovative products, technologies and services which our customers use to manufacture everyday products like renewable fuels, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, cosmetics, food packaging, beer, edible oils and more. Our thousands of employees help shape a better future at our global headquarters in Columbia, MD and locations worldwide.

Job Description
Grace is seeking an
Accounts Payable Specialist
(Disbursement) to join our AP - Disbursement team This role reports to the AP Manager located at the GBS in Manila.

This position is responsible in performing high-level analysis of the different processes within the Accounts Payable team and come up with recommendations and/or projects that would promote efficient AP operations. This role also is responsible for processing payments of posted invoices in SAP and ensuring that payments have been transmitted accurately and timely for Asia Pacific, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and parts of Latin America, including verification for accuracy of transactions and compliance with company policy, data entry in financial system and vendor inquiries, and ensure SOX compliance.

This position is an experienced Subject Matter Expert (SME) with comprehensive knowledge of interdependent processes within Global Operations, covering invoice processing, verification, posting, master data management, and PCM.

Responsibilities

• Executes all types of payments (Automatic Payment Runs and Manual Payments) across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

• Generates and manages regular reports for stakeholders (Cash Management, Treasury, Top Management, and other Towers), including:

• Daily Payment Forecast

• Quarterly GOC Transaction Activities
• Outstanding Checks Review & Investigation
• Unclaimed Property Review and AP Open Reports

• Annual Tax Reporting: 1042/1042S and 1099 preparation, analysis, printing, and distribution

• Conducts analytical reviews and detailed investigations on:

• Missed Discounts, Early & On-Time Payments

• Payment Rejections, Returned Payments

• Duplicate Payments, Mismatched Terms, Credit Memos, Aged Open Items

• Oversees clearing processes (e.g., Direct Debits, Local Payments) and Intercompany Netting

• Acts as a key support for resolving Tier 3 S2P Helpdesk tickets and deep-dive analysis for escalated payment issues
• Leads and coordinates process improvement projects within Global Operations
• Participates in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for system/process changes and new company code setups

Responsibilities (continued)

• Provides cross-training and refresher sessions to enhance S2P Helpdesk capabilities
• Maintains and updates all disbursement process documentation (Work Instructions and Process Narratives)
• Supports internal and external audits through yearly walkthroughs and documentation

• Regularly performs various reconciliations:

• Vendor and Account Reconciliations

• Audit Balances (External vendors and quarterly vendor checks)
• Passthrough, VCA, and PCO Reconciliations

• Responds to and fulfills reconciliation requests from internal audit and S2P

• Interfaces with local sites and banks to resolve payment-related issues

• Acts as a strategic partner by providing insights and feedback for process improvements
• Ensures team alignment with key performance indicators (KPIs) and contributes to target achievement
• Leads multi-functional initiatives with coordination from RPA, IT, and SAP IT teams for technical implementation

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy or equivalent.
• At least five years' work experience in Accounts Payable and Disbursement/Payments.
• Knowledgeable in SAP – purchasing, materials management and reconciliation.
• Knowledgeable in Readsoft application and ARIBA Network.
• Proficient in MS applications, including but not limited to Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Facilitative leadership skills and project management skills.
• Detail oriented and demonstrates ability to consistently meet targets and SLA.
• Results oriented; proactive and can work with minimal supervision.
• Strong interpersonal skills-ability to communicate to all levels in the organization and across functions.
• Inclination to a continuous improvement culture for the process.
• Proven ability to work independently with little direction, along with being able to work effectively in as part of a Source to Pay support team.
• Strong/Highly analytical and problem solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience in a multi-national and/or shared service companies.

Grace is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Grace via email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Grace. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Grace as a result of the referral or through other means.