Senior Accounts Payable Specialist (Spanish)

Senior Accounts Payable Specialist – Latin America (LATAM)

Department: Finance – Accounts Payable
Reports To: Accounts Payable Manager
Region: Latin America (LATAM)
Level: Senior Specialist

Position Summary

The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist – Latin America (LATAM) will be responsible for managing end-to-end Accounts Payable activities across multiple Latin American countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Central America.

The role requires strong knowledge of Accounts Payable operations, local tax requirements, payment processing, vendor management, reconciliations, and financial controls. The successful candidate will work closely with the Global Accounts Payable team, Controllers, Accounting, FP&A, Procurement, Treasury, business stakeholders, and external vendors to ensure invoices and payments are processed accurately, timely, and in accordance with company policies and local requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end AP activities across assigned LATAM countries.
• Review and process supplier invoices accurately and within agreed timelines.
• Validate invoice details, supporting documentation, accounting codes, departments, cost centers, and business approvals.
• Ensure invoices are appropriately recorded in NetSuite.
• Monitor outstanding invoices and ensure timely resolution of processing exceptions.
• Maintain accurate AP aging and follow up on overdue or blocked invoices.

• Coordinate appropriate application of VAT, withholding tax (WHT), and other applicable local taxes.
• Review invoices for compliance with country-specific invoicing and documentation requirements.
• Work closely with local Controllers, Accounting teams, and tax specialists to resolve tax-related exceptions.
• Support tax validation processes and integrations involving systems such as LATAMREADY, where applicable.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and audit trails for invoices and payments.

• Prepare and coordinate supplier payment runs in accordance with established payment calendars.
• Validate vendor banking information and payment documentation before payment.
• Prepare or upload payment files through applicable banking platforms.
• Coordinate payment review and approval with authorized signatories.
• Monitor rejected, returned, or failed payments and ensure timely resolution.
• Ensure payments are correctly applied against invoices in NetSuite.
• Support urgent and exception payments in accordance with established approval requirements.

• Respond to supplier inquiries regarding invoices, payment status, and outstanding balances.
• Support vendor onboarding and validation of required supplier documentation.
• Review vendor statements and perform supplier account reconciliations.
• Investigate duplicate invoices, payment discrepancies, credit notes, and aged balances.
• Maintain effective relationships with key suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Perform AP subledger and General Ledger reconciliations.
• Investigate and resolve AP reconciliation differences.
• Support month-end and year-end closing activities.
• Review outstanding invoices, accrual requirements, aged payables, and unapplied payments.
• Provide supporting documentation for internal and external audits.

• Ensure compliance with the company's Delegation of Authority (DOA), approval matrix, procurement policies, and internal controls.
• Identify potential duplicate invoices, incorrect payments, tax issues, and control gaps.
• Support standardization of AP processes across LATAM countries.
• Maintain and update AP Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Identify opportunities for automation and process improvements.
• Participate in AP transformation, ERP, banking, and system implementation initiatives.

• Work closely with Controllers, Accounting, FP&A, Treasury, Procurement, Tax, HR, and business teams across LATAM.
• Coordinate with local country teams to resolve invoice, tax, banking, and payment issues.
• Escalate critical payment risks and unresolved issues to AP leadership.
• Provide regular updates on outstanding invoices, payment status, and operational risks.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8+ years of Accounts Payable experience, preferably supporting multiple LATAM countries.
• Strong understanding of the complete Procure-to-Pay (P2P) / Accounts Payable lifecycle.
• Experience with LATAM VAT, withholding taxes, and local invoice requirements is strongly preferred.
• Experience with NetSuite or another major ERP system.
• Experience with online banking platforms and payment processing.
• Strong knowledge of vendor reconciliations, AP aging, month-end close, and financial controls.
• Advanced or strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working within a global or multinational organization is preferred.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong Accounts Payable and accounting knowledge
• LATAM tax and regulatory awareness
• High attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong analytical and reconciliation skills
• Ability to manage multiple countries and priorities
• Strong problem-solving and issue-resolution skills
• Effective stakeholder and vendor communication
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision
• Strong ownership and accountability
• Process improvement mindset
• Ability to work effectively across different time zones and cultures

Preferred Experience

• Multi-country LATAM Accounts Payable experience
• NetSuite
• LATAMREADY or similar LATAM localization/tax solutions
• Electronic invoicing and local tax documentation
• Banking portals and payment file processing
• AP automation and workflow tools
• ERP/process transformation projects
• Experience working within a Global Business Services (GBS) or Shared Services environment