Specialist, Global Accounts Payable Expense

Job Description

We have an opening for a Specialist, Global Accounts Payable Expense. 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.

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;
• Manage T&E processing queues and cycle times, ensuring the team meets or exceeds defined throughput and accuracy targets.

T&E Policy Compliance & Exception Management

• 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;
• Maintain a T&E exception log with trend reporting, presenting findings and recommended policy or process changes on a regular cadence.

Corporate & Purchasing Card Reconciliation

• 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;
• Cook with card program providers on transaction disputes, chargebacks, and data feed issues affecting reconciliation accuracy;
• Prepare card reconciliation reports and exception summaries for leadership review.

Virtual Payables Program Operations

• Manage day-to-day operations of the firm’s virtual payables program, including transaction monitoring, vendor enrollment support, and program performance tracking;
• Maintain virtual card utilization rates, rebate capture, and vendor adoption, identifying opportunities to expand program coverage and financial benefit;
• Coordinate with banking partners and internal stakeholders on program configuration, vendor onboarding to virtual payments, and issue resolution.

T&E Audit & Controls

• 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;
• Identify and escalate control gaps, process exceptions, and potential fraud indicators within the T&E function promptly.

Second-Line Escalation & Issue Resolution

• 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;
• Document escalation patterns within T&E workflows and recommend process or policy changes to reduce recurring exceptions.

Cross-Training & Backup Coverage

• 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;
• Provide guidance to Processors on T&E-related inquiries, including policy questions, reimbursement status, and card program procedures.

Systems & Process Support

• 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;
• Support system testing, configuration validation, and user acceptance activities during T&E platform evaluations or P2P implementation workstreams.

Qualifications

• 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.

Pay

• Boston: Minimum $64,000, Maximum $79,500 annually;
• Washington, DC: Minimum $59,900, Maximum $74,600 annually;
• Los Angeles: Minimum $59,900, Maximum $74,600 annually;
• San Francisco: Minimum $64,000, Maximum $79,500 annually;
• Palo Alto: Minimum $64,000, Maximum $79,500 annually;
• New York: Minimum $64,000, Maximum $79,500 annually.