Job description template

Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist

You will own day-to-day Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) operations, ensuring invoices, payments, and collections are processed accurately and on time. You will partner with internal teams to resolve billing and payment issues, maintain clean vendor/customer records, and support month-end close readiness with reliable reconciliations.

Responsibilities

Process and verify incoming vendor invoices, match to purchase orders/receipts as applicable, and route approvals to support timely payment runs
Prepare and execute scheduled AP payment activities while maintaining audit-ready documentation for invoices and approvals
Issue customer invoices, confirm billing details, and apply payments/adjustments accurately to customer accounts
Investigate and resolve AR inquiries (billing discrepancies, deductions, payment posting issues) in coordination with Sales/Operations/Customer Support as needed
Maintain vendor and customer master data accuracy (including addresses, tax/ID details, payment terms, and bank/beneficiary updates)
Reconcile AP/AR subledger activity to general ledger accounts and support month-end close reporting
Track open items, aging, and exceptions; escalate risks to collections or vendor payment timing to protect cash flow

Must-have qualifications

Hands-on experience processing Accounts Payable transactions through approval and payment workflows
Hands-on experience managing Accounts Receivable activities including invoicing, payment posting, and basic collections follow-up
Proficiency reconciling AP/AR subledgers to the general ledger and investigating discrepancies
Working knowledge of accounting controls for invoice/payment accuracy and documentation (e.g., approval evidence, audit trail)
Experience using accounting systems (ERP/accounting software) to record, search, and update transactions accurately
Strong attention to detail with the ability to work independently on well-defined tasks and follow established procedures

Nice to have

Experience with month-end close activities and AP/AR reconciliations under deadlines
Familiarity with SOX-like controls or external audit readiness for AP/AR
Experience partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to resolve invoice/billing disputes
Experience supporting cash application and customer account maintenance at scale

What success looks like in 12 months

AP and AR processing quality
On-time cash flow support
Reconciliations and close readiness
Exception resolution and aging hygiene
System and master data integrity

Logistics

Full-time (40 hours a week), remote from Latin America.
Working hours overlap with US business hours.

About the company

[About your company: what you build, your stage and team size]

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Interview scorecard

Score every candidate against the same bar

Ensure accurate, timely, audit-ready AP and AR processing while improving reliability of reconciliations, aging, and exception handling.

Outcomes to measure

What this hire should deliver in the first year. Replace [N] with your own targets.

AP and AR processing quality. Measure: Maintain invoice/payment and billing accuracy with error/rework rate below [X]% across processed AP/AR items
On-time cash flow support. Measure: Process and post items to meet required payment and billing cutoffs for [X]% of scheduled cycles; reduce overdue AR items by [X]% by end of month [M]
Reconciliations and close readiness. Measure: Complete AP/AR reconciliations and resolve reconciling items within [X] business days of month-end for [X]% of months
Exception resolution and aging hygiene. Measure: Reduce open exceptions (unmatched invoices, billing disputes, unposted cash) by [X]% and improve AR aging distribution by [X] buckets by end of [M]
System and master data integrity. Measure: Achieve vendor/customer master data accuracy with [X]% of updates validated and no recurrence of top [N] data issues after [M]

Competencies and weights

What to evaluate, how much it counts and what a strong answer looks like.

AP transaction accuracy · 24%
Direct ownership of invoice verification, approvals, documentation, and payment readiness depends on accuracy and control awareness. Evaluated in Round 1.

Weak: Processes invoices or payments without consistently verifying required fields, matches, or approval evidence.
Meets the bar: Verifies invoices and supporting documentation against required criteria and prepares items for payment runs with correct coding.
Strong: Consistently identifies mismatches early, ensures approvals and audit trail completeness, and prevents recurring AP exceptions through proactive checks.

AR billing and cash application · 20%
Successful AR work requires correct invoicing, payment application, and follow-up on discrepancies to protect cash flow. Evaluated in Round 1.

Weak: Invoicing or cash application errors lead to incorrect balances or repeated customer account cleanup.
Meets the bar: Issues invoices accurately, posts payments to the correct customer accounts, and resolves straightforward AR discrepancies.
Strong: Improves cash application reliability, quickly traces root causes of misposts, and reduces back-and-forth with clear customer communications.

Reconciliation and investigation · 18%
The role must reconcile AP/AR to the general ledger and resolve differences quickly and correctly. Evaluated in Round 2.

Weak: Produces reconciliations without clear tie-outs or struggles to explain and correct discrepancies.
Meets the bar: Completes AP/AR reconciliations, documents discrepancy drivers, and resolves issues within agreed timelines.
Strong: Diagnoses complex reconciling items, prevents reoccurrence, and communicates status and impact clearly during month-end.

Accounting controls and audit trail · 16%
AP/AR correctness depends on following controls, maintaining documentation, and preventing duplicate or unsupported transactions. Evaluated in Round 2.

Weak: Relies on verbal confirmation or incomplete documentation and cannot describe control checks performed.
Meets the bar: Follows established controls for approvals, documentation, and required fields; maintains audit-ready evidence.
Strong: Proactively strengthens adherence to controls by spotting control gaps, improving documentation completeness, and ensuring exceptions are properly authorized.

Independent ownership · 12%
Mid-level independence is required to manage well-defined processes and keep cycles moving with minimal supervision. Evaluated in Round 3.

Weak: Needs frequent prompting to complete routine tasks or repeatedly misses deadlines without escalation.
Meets the bar: Manages defined AP/AR workflows end-to-end, meets cycle timelines, and escalates risks appropriately.
Strong: Anticipates bottlenecks, drives tasks to completion with clear updates, and maintains quality even when priorities shift.

Stakeholder communication · 10%
Resolving invoice/billing/payment issues requires clear, professional communication with internal partners and customers. Evaluated in Round 3.

Weak: Communicates unclearly, delays resolution, or escalates without sufficient detail.
Meets the bar: Provides timely, specific status updates and gathers needed information to resolve issues.
Strong: Leads issue resolution with structured information, sets expectations, and reduces repeat disputes through better upstream coordination.

Interview questions

Questions for every interview round

Each round has an owner, a time box and questions that test the competencies above.

Round 1: AP/AR Fundamentals
AP/AR Operations Lead · 45 min

Walk me through how you process an AP invoice from receipt to approval and payment. What checks do you perform before sending it for payment?
Describe a time you had an AR discrepancy (e.g., wrong amount, missing invoice, or misapplied payment). How did you identify the root cause and correct it?
How do you ensure payment runs are accurate and supported by documentation? What do you do when you find missing or mismatched information?
What steps do you take to keep AR balances accurate as payments and adjustments come in?

Round 2: Controls and Reconciliations
Accounting Manager · 55 min

Tell me how you reconcile AP and AR subledger activity to the general ledger. What are the most common reconciling items you’ve seen?
Give an example of a reconciliation difference you couldn’t immediately explain. How did you investigate and what was the outcome?
Describe your approach to maintaining an audit trail for AP/AR transactions. What documentation do you consider essential and how do you verify it?
How do you prevent duplicate payments or duplicate billing when systems or data are imperfect?

Round 3: Independent Delivery and Issue Resolution
Finance Business Partner · 50 min

Describe a period where you owned AP/AR work independently. How did you prioritize tasks and ensure on-time completion?
Tell me about a dispute or exception you had to resolve across teams (Sales/Operations/Customer Support). How did you communicate, track progress, and close it out?
What metrics or indicators do you personally watch for AP/AR health (aging, exceptions, processing timeliness), and how do you act when they trend poorly?
Describe how you handle a backlog of open items while maintaining accuracy and controls. What was your strategy?

Red flags to watch for

Frequently reprocesses items due to avoidable errors and cannot explain how they prevent repeats.
Cannot describe a clear audit trail or approval/documentation process for AP/AR transactions.
Relies on others to investigate reconciling items rather than performing structured root-cause analysis.
Avoids escalating risks (aging, overdue items, payment timing) even when deadlines are at risk.
Struggles to maintain accurate balances due to inconsistent cash application or data entry discipline.

How much does it cost to hire an Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist in Latin America?

In 2026, a senior Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist in Latin America costs $2,625 to $3,000 a month all-in, versus $5,125 in the US: up to 49% less. Mid-level starts at $1,750.

Country

Mid-level

Senior

Argentina

$1,750

$2,625

Brazil

$1,875

$2,875

Colombia

$1,750

$2,625

Mexico

$2,000

$3,000

United States

$4,000

$5,125

Monthly cost in USD, all-in: the talent's salary plus Teilur's flat 20% fee, from our 2026 rates. The United States row shows what the same role typically costs there.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist do?

Typical responsibilities include: process and verify incoming vendor invoices, match to purchase orders/receipts as applicable, and route approvals to support timely payment runs; prepare and execute scheduled AP payment activities while maintaining audit-ready documentation for invoices and approvals; issue customer invoices, confirm billing details, and apply payments/adjustments accurately to customer accounts. The full list is in the template above.

How much does it cost to hire an Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist in Latin America?

In 2026, a senior Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist in Latin America costs $2,625 to $3,000 a month all-in, versus $5,125 in the US: up to 49% less. Mid-level starts at $1,750.

Can I customize this Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist job description?

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Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist Job Description Template