Accounting Analyst

Position Summary

The Onboarding & Payments Operations Analyst manages the end-to-end onboarding and payment lifecycle for universities colleges scholarship recipients and grant beneficiaries. This role is responsible for collecting and validating documentation setting up suppliers and payees and processing payments accurately timely and in compliance with internal controls tax and audit requirements.

Serving as a primary point of contact for external institutions and internal partners the Analyst plays a critical role in maintaining data integrity resolving payment issues and improving onboarding and accounts payable processes. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented highly organized and comfortable working independently in a fast-paced mission-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Recipient & University Onboarding

• Collect review and validate onboarding documentation including W-9s W-8s student verification letters banking instructions and address confirmations.
• Ensure completeness accuracy and compliance of all submitted information.
• Validate banking and payee details and resolve discrepancies through direct outreach to institutions or individual recipients.

Supplier & Payee Setup

• Create update and maintain supplier and payee records for universities students and other recipients in the financial system.
• Partner with internal stakeholders including Education and Accounts Payable teams to resolve onboarding and setup issues.

Payment Processing

• Accurately enter and process payment requests ensuring proper coding documentation and approvals.
• Verify that invoices and supporting documentation align with payment requests and audit standards.
• Process payments related to scholarships grants stipends reimbursements and institutional agreements.
• Monitor payment batches confirm successful processing and escalate exceptions as needed.
• Investigate and resolve payment delays returns or discrepancies.
• Respond to payment inquiries with professionalism accuracy and timeliness.

Compliance & Documentation

• Maintain complete and audit-ready documentation in accordance with internal controls and regulatory requirements.
• Support year-end and compliance activities including 1099 validation and audit requests as needed.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve onboarding and payment workflows.
• Identify process gaps or inefficiencies and recommend solutions to enhance accuracy efficiency and service.

Qualifications

Preferred Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in finance Accounting Business or Operations Management OR equivalent of 3-5 concurrent years of experience in Accounts Payable Supplier/Vendor Management Grants Administration or a related finance or operations role.
• Working knowledge of W-9/W-8 requirements and accounts payable documentation standards.
• Strong attention to detail and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for working with internal teams universities and individual recipients.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently and meet deadlines.
• Experience supporting scholarships grants or higher education payment programs.
• Familiarity with internal controls compliance requirements banking verification and fraud mitigation.
• Prior work in environments with high-volume or complex payment processing.

Core Competencies

• Exceptional attention to detail
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Customer-service mindset
• Critical thinking and problem-solving ability
• Accountability and follow-through
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

This role is based in our Washington D.C. office. A reasonable rate of compensation for this position is between $75000-$85000 per year. ACS employees work a hybrid schedule consisting of working onsite two days per work week as decided by functional area. The balance of the week is open to working remotely though employees are always welcome onsite each day if they choose.

ACS currently provides the following benefits for this position: paid vacation leave paid sick leave paid holidays health insurance flexible spending account or health care savings account dental insurance life insurance vision insurance retirement benefits short- and long-term disability and 4-week work from anywhere; each benefit is subject to the terms of the applicable program. Additional benefits may apply based on skills experience and location.

Any actual offer of employment reflecting the total compensation package and benefits will be made in the sole discretion of ACS. ACS reserves the right to amend or modify its employment benefits and compensation structure at any time.

Required Experience:

IC