AP / AR Specialist

Posting Duration: This posting will be closed May 15, 2025 and will only be extended if we need to see more candidates to fill the position.

Position Summary:

Forum is seeking a detail-oriented and highly organized Accounts Payable / Receivable Specialist to join our dynamic accounting team. This role will be responsible for the accurate and timely processing of corporate accounts payable, vendor management, the preparation of property billings and full ownership of expense report process. The ideal candidate will be a proactive individual with a strong understanding of accounting principles and excellent communication skills. This position offers an opportunity to contribute significantly to the financial operations of the company and work closely with the Senior Associate – Accountant and the Director – Corporate & Development Controller.

Key Responsibilities:

• Accurately code and enter all Forum corporate AP invoices into the accounting system.
• Obtain necessary approvals for invoices and ensure proper coding to general ledger accounts.
• Investigate and resolve vendors’ billing inquiries in regard to payment status, in a professional and timely manner, collaborating with internal teams as needed.
• Manage the vendor onboarding process, including setting up new vendors through Vendor Café and/or direct W-9 entry, ensuring compliance with company policies.
• Record payments accurately and efficiently, applying them to the correct accounts.
• Prepare monthly billings for reimbursable expenses to properties, ensuring accuracy and timely distribution, and actively monitor collections.
• Take full ownership of the expense report process, including reviewing employee submissions for adherence to policy, processing for payment, and ensuring proper documentation.
• Assist with the efficient distribution of incoming and outgoing mail.
• Provide essential support to the Senior Associate – Accountant and the Director – Corporate & Development Controller with various tasks and requests.
• Complete other duties and projects assigned to support the overall goals of the accounting department.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Deadline driven with the ability to handle multiple tasks and for multiple projects
• Highly organized and detail oriented
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a small company, team environment
• Professional in demeanor, actions, and attitude toward colleagues and external stakeholders
• Looks for ways to improve processes or streamline workflows

Essential Functions:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 products, specifically Excel.
• Accurately code and enter all Forum corporate accounts payable invoices into the accounting system
• Prepare monthly billings for reimbursable expenses to properties, ensuring accuracy and timely distribution, and actively monitor collections.
• Strong knowledge in the expense report process, including reviewing employee submissions for adherence to policy, processing for payment, and ensuring proper documentation.
• Highly organized and detail oriented

Education & Technical Skills:

• Undergraduate degree in Accounting or Business Administration, or related work experience required
• Two+ years prior accounting experience, including experience in Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable preferred but not required
• Strong skills in Microsoft Office 365 products including Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Prior Real Estate industry experience preferred but not required
• Yardi experience preferred but not required

Supervisory Responsibilities: None at this time.

Competencies: To perform this job successfully, the individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Achievement Focus: Demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; measures self against standard of excellence; recognizes and acts on opportunities; sets and achieves challenging goals; takes calculated risks to accomplish goals.
2. Quality: Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality.
3. Problem-Solving: Develops alternative solutions; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; identifies problems in a timely manner; resolves problems in early stages; works well in group problem-solving situations.
4. Dependability: Commits to doing the best job possible; follows instructions, responds to management direction; keeps commitments; meets attendance and punctuality guidelines; responds to requests for service and assistance; takes responsibility for own actions.
5. Judgment: Displays willingness to make decisions; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; makes timely decisions.
6. Communications: Exhibits good listening and comprehension; expresses ideas and thoughts well in written form; expresses ideas and thoughts well verbally; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods.
7. Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; contributes to building a positive team spirit; exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; gives and welcomes feedback; puts success of team above own interests.

In addition to the above job-specific competencies, all Forum employees are expected to demonstrate these Forum core competencies:

1. Adaptability: Accepts criticism and feedback; accustomed to a culture of rapid and constant change and easily adjusts to changing priorities and conditions; manages competing demands.
2. Innovation: Develops innovative approaches and ideas; displays original thinking and creativity; generates suggestions for improving work; meets challenges with resourcefulness.
3. Collaboration: Recognizes and cultivates strong interpersonal relationships and cross-functional collaborations; generates value and uses motivation to influence and create change; seeks not to control but to inspire; facilitates dissemination and sharing of knowledge and information.
4. Accountable: Keeps and follows-through on commitments; readily takes ownership of achieving results by exhibiting responsibility and initiative; displays open, proactive communication that builds trust.
5. Initiative: Asks for help when needed; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; seeks increased responsibilities; takes independent actions and calculated risks; undertakes self-development activities; volunteers readily.
6. Respectful: Displays integrity and honesty; maintains professional demeanor and composure in tense situations; exhibits fairs and generous behavior; readily owns up to mistakes and admits when wrong; strives to “get it right”; displays loyalty even when tough to do so.

Forum Values:

• Blaze the future. Take initiative. Push what’s possible. Own your path but stay nimble. Embrace change and always challenge the status quo. (Entrepreneurial)
• Dare to be clear. Certainty is impossible, but clarity is essential. Eliminate the noise and focus your strategy to achieve something better, something great. (Clear)
• Stay open. Have the courage to make yourself vulnerable. Communicate honestly and respectfully. Share mistakes and trust one another. (Vulnerable, Transparency)
• Make it better together. Go all in. Get messy. Welcome new ideas and share yours freely. Be a sponge. Bump heads. Take it out. Listen. Learn. Repeat. (Collaborative)

Physical Demands: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Compensation Information:  Base salary range is $50,000 to $62,000. This range is estimated for this role; actual pay may be different.

Benefits for full-time employees currently include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, employee assistance program, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, 401(k) with company match program, 11 paid company holidays, self-managed PTO, anniversary milestone program/awards, gift matching program.  We are currently in a 4-day hybrid environment.