Accounting Specialist Job Description and Skills

Accounting specialist job description: what the role involves, the skills and competencies to assess when hiring, and how to test candidates.

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Accounting

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Accounting Specialist Job Description and Skills

Accounting specialist job description: what the role involves, the skills and competencies to assess when hiring, and how to test candidates.

Book a demo

Accounting

mins

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Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist

About the role

An Accounting Specialist (Accounts Receivable/Payable) job description covers processing customer and vendor payments, keeping account records accurate, and reconciling balances. The role protects the organization’s cash position and supports month-end close and audits. Hiring managers should assess accounts receivable and payable processing, Excel and data accuracy, customer and vendor communication, and AI fluency.

The Accounting Specialist, also called an Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist, handles incoming customer payments and outgoing vendor payments, reviews invoices and statements, and keeps vendor and client records current. The same person helps with month-end close, annual close, and audit requests. Typical duties include:

Process accounts payable and receivable transactions, including bank deposits and wire transfers.
Reconcile payable and receivable accounts so every payment is correctly posted.
Resolve billing and payment issues with vendors and customers.

What are the essential Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist skills?

Five essential skills cover payment processing, Excel accuracy, numerical entry, vendor and customer communication, and AI fluency.

Skill	Why it matters	Bryq assessment and level
Accounts receivable and payable processing	Keeps payments, invoices, and records accurate and correctly posted.	Accounting Roles
Spreadsheet and data accuracy in Excel	Supports reconciliations and reports built on numerical data.	Microsoft Excel (intermediate)
Numerical data entry and verification	Reliable entry protects invoice amounts and bank details.	Typing (intermediate)
Customer and vendor communication	Resolves billing and payment issues with a service-oriented approach.	Customer Care Roles
AI fluency	Lets the specialist use AI tools and verify their output.	AI Fluency Assessment (functional)

The core of the job is processing and reconciling payables and receivables accurately in Excel and accounting software. Reliable numerical entry supports verifying invoice amounts and bank details, and service-oriented communication resolves billing issues. AI fluency helps the specialist check AI-assisted invoice capture and matching.

Levels are a starting point. Bryq lets you set the level each role needs.

Which nice-to-have skills help an Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist stand out?

Time management, analytical review of discrepancies, ethical handling of confidential financial information, and broader Microsoft Office proficiency add value but are not needed on day one.

Time management and prioritizing deadlines. helps the specialist meet payment and close deadlines.
Analytical review of discrepancies. speeds up finding the cause of mismatches.
Ethical handling of confidential financial information. protects sensitive vendor and customer data.
Broader Microsoft Office proficiency. supports reports and correspondence beyond Excel.

Use these skills as tie-breakers between candidates who are equally strong on the essentials. Never screen out candidates who can learn them on the job.

Which competencies predict success as an Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist?

Communication and Learning Agility are the essential competencies for this role.

Communication. explains discrepancies and follows up on late payments in writing and by phone.
Learning Agility. keeps pace with changing software, close procedures, audit requests, and AI tools, and learns from reconciliation errors.

Optional competencies are Empathy, which helps in collections conversations, and Leadership Potential, which adds a view of future growth.

What AI skills does an Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist need?

An Accounting Specialist should use AI fluency for invoice processing, reconciliation, and collections, and verify every output before acting on it.

AI-enabled invoice capture, coding suggestions, and matching are changing daily payables and receivables work. Errors in payments or records carry financial and audit risk, so AI output must be checked before it is used.

Use AI-based invoice capture to extract vendor, amount, and coding data, then verify it against purchase orders before approval.
Use AI to flag mismatches and unusual transactions during bank and account reconciliations for human review.
Draft polite payment reminder and dispute-resolution emails with AI, then edit them for accuracy and tone before sending.

How do you assess Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist candidates with Bryq?

Bryq measures all the essential skills and traits for an Accounting Specialist in one integrated candidate profile: cognitive ability, personality traits, soft and hard skills, including AI fluency. Bryq builds an ideal profile for the role and matches candidates against it.

Profile Fit: measures cognitive ability and personality, matched against the ideal profile for the role.
Accounting Roles: measures accounts receivable and payable processing.
Microsoft Excel: measures spreadsheet and data accuracy.
Typing: measures numerical data entry and verification.
Customer Care Roles: measures customer and vendor communication.
AI Fluency Assessment: measures how well candidates use AI tools and verify their output.
Optional add-ons: Time Management, Analytical Skills, Ethical Judgment, and Microsoft Office cover the nice-to-have skills.
Competency profile: competency mapping covers Communication and Learning Agility, with Empathy and Leadership Potential as additions.

Bryq’s cognitive and personality assessments are validated by I/O psychologists. Its AI Fluency Assessment is built on peer-reviewed and subject-matter expert research, reviewed by I/O psychologists. A person makes every hiring decision.

Accounting Specialist (Accounts Receivable/Payable) job description template

Copy and paste this template, then replace the text in square brackets. To write or rewrite your own, use Bryq’s free job description AI skill, which works in Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot.

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Accounting Specialist (Accounts Receivable/Payable)
About [Company name] [Add a short description of your company.] About the role As an Accounting Specialist, you manage incoming and outgoing payments for our accounting team. You keep vendor and client records accurate and help resolve billing questions. Your work keeps our cash position reliable and supports our close and audit processes. Responsibilities Process accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions. Maintain accurate, up-to-date records for all vendor and client accounts. Review invoices and statements for accuracy, resolve discrepancies, and confirm proper coding and approval for payments. Prepare and make bank deposits, wire transfers, and other transactions. Reconcile payable and receivable accounts so all payments are accounted for and correctly posted. Communicate with vendors and customers to resolve billing and payment issues. Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports on accounts receivable and payable. Support the monthly and annual close processes, as well as internal and external audits. Qualifications Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. 2-4 years of experience in accounts receivable, accounts payable, or a similar role. Strong knowledge of basic accounting principles and ability to work with numerical data. High level of accuracy, efficiency, and accountability. Excellent communication and customer service skills. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, and experience with accounting software. Ability to handle sensitive, confidential information. Skills and competencies we look for Accurate processing of accounts receivable and payable Spreadsheet and data accuracy in Excel Careful numerical data entry and verification Clear, service-oriented communication with customers and vendors Comfort using AI tools and checking their output Strong communication Learning agility as software, procedures, and tools change Working with AI Use AI-based invoice capture and reconciliation flags to speed up your work, and verify the results against purchase orders and account records. Draft payment reminder and dispute-resolution emails with AI, and edit them for accuracy and tone before sending. What we offer [Salary range] [Benefits] [Work location and arrangement] Equal opportunity [Add your equal opportunity statement.]

Accounting Specialist (Accounts Receivable/Payable)

About [Company name]

[Add a short description of your company.]

About the role

As an Accounting Specialist, you manage incoming and outgoing payments for our accounting team. You keep vendor and client records accurate and help resolve billing questions. Your work keeps our cash position reliable and supports our close and audit processes.

Responsibilities

Process accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions.
Maintain accurate, up-to-date records for all vendor and client accounts.
Review invoices and statements for accuracy, resolve discrepancies, and confirm proper coding and approval for payments.
Prepare and make bank deposits, wire transfers, and other transactions.
Reconcile payable and receivable accounts so all payments are accounted for and correctly posted.
Communicate with vendors and customers to resolve billing and payment issues.
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports on accounts receivable and payable.
Support the monthly and annual close processes, as well as internal and external audits.

Qualifications

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
2-4 years of experience in accounts receivable, accounts payable, or a similar role.
Strong knowledge of basic accounting principles and ability to work with numerical data.
High level of accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
Excellent communication and customer service skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, and experience with accounting software.
Ability to handle sensitive, confidential information.

Skills and competencies we look for

Accurate processing of accounts receivable and payable
Spreadsheet and data accuracy in Excel
Careful numerical data entry and verification
Clear, service-oriented communication with customers and vendors
Comfort using AI tools and checking their output
Strong communication
Learning agility as software, procedures, and tools change

Working with AI

Use AI-based invoice capture and reconciliation flags to speed up your work, and verify the results against purchase orders and account records.
Draft payment reminder and dispute-resolution emails with AI, and edit them for accuracy and tone before sending.

What we offer

[Salary range]
[Benefits]
[Work location and arrangement]

Equal opportunity

[Add your equal opportunity statement.]

Frequently asked questions

An Accounting Specialist needs accounts receivable and payable processing, Excel accuracy, numerical data entry and verification, customer and vendor communication, and AI fluency.

Communication and Learning Agility matter most. The specialist explains discrepancies, follows up on late payments, and keeps up with changing software and procedures.

Yes. AI tools increasingly handle invoice capture, coding suggestions, and matching, so the specialist needs to use them and verify the output.

Use Bryq to measure cognitive ability, personality traits, soft and hard skills, including AI fluency, in one candidate profile matched against the role's ideal profile.

The role processes payments, reconciles accounts, and resolves billing issues. It has no direct reports, so Leadership Potential is an optional addition, not an essential competency.