Accounts Payable Specialist

Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Accounts Payable (AP) Specialist plays a critical role in supporting full cycle payment for Mistral Group to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and compliance. With a specialized focus on project accounting, the AP Specialist is responsible for ensuring that all financial transactions are accurately coded and tracked to the appropriate projects and cost centers.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Invoice Processing and Payment Management

• Review, verify and process vendor invoices against purchase orders and contracts.
• Ensure proper coding of invoices to specific construction projects and cost categories.
• Schedule and prepare payments via cheque, EFT (electronic funds transfer), etc.
• Reconcile vendor statements and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Ensure timely payment of vendor invoices and employee reimbursements; monitor accounts to ensure payments are current.
• Address and document all AP discrepancies and follow up with internal stakeholders and vendors to resolve issues
• Conduct root cause analysis for issues and propose corrective/preventative actions
• Utilize accounting software and ERP systems to manage AP workflows.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and automation.
• Participate in system upgrades and testing, as required.

Project Accounting

• Accurately process vendor and subcontractor invoices, ensuring proper coding to project accounts, cost categories, and phases.
• Regularly reconcile vendor statements and resolve discrepancies to maintain accurate financial records.
• Allocate costs to appropriate construction projects and assist in tracking expenditures against budgets.
• Work closely with project managers, procurement, and site teams to clarify invoice details and resolve issues.
• Adhere to internal controls, regulatory requirements, and contract obligations, including lien waivers and documentation standards.
• Assist in preparing job cost reports, budget vs. actual analyses, and other financial summaries to support project oversight.
• Organize and retain all AP-related documentation for audits, financial reviews, and project closeouts.
• Operate construction-specific accounting and ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, QuickBooks) to manage AP workflows.

Vendor Management

• Maintain vendor records and ensure all data is up to date (e.g. banking information, tax forms, etc.).
• Serve as primary point of contact for vendor inquiries related to payments.
• Communicate with vendors to address any payment-related issues or discrepancies.
• Reconcile vendor statements and resolve outstanding balances.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and subcontractors.

Reporting and Reconciliation

• Assist in month-end and year-end close processes.
• Reconcile AP accounts and prepare reports for management.
• Monitor and report key metrics (e.g. days payable outstanding, cash flow impact, etc.).
• Review and process employee expense reports in compliance with Mistral Group policies.
• Communicate with employees to resolve expense-related issues.
• Reconcile corporate credit card expenses.

Compliance and Documentation

• Ensure compliance with Mistral Group policies, internal controls, accounting policies, and financial regulations.
• Maintain organized and complete documentation for audits and financial reviews.
• Support lien waiver collection and subcontractor compliance tracking.

Other (5%)

• Works in a safe manner and ensures department operations are carried out in a safe manner in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, associated regulations, Mistral Group of Companies’ policies, procedures, and other associated legislation.
• Other related duties, as assigned.

The successful candidate will possess the following:

Education

• Degree or diploma in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or a related field.

Experience

• Three (3) to five (5) years of full-cycle accounts payable experience, preferably in the real estate development or construction industry.
• Strong proficiency of accounts payable processes, internal controls, and construction accounting practices (job costing, lien releases, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience working with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite or QuickBooks) and expense software programs (Expensify, Concur).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Working knowledge of accounting principles, specifically project accounting.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong communication, both written and verbal, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated organization skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and/or tasks, often with competing deadlines.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships and influence change.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and within a team-based environment.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Outlook, Excel, etc.).

A combination of education, training and experience may be considered.

We thank all applicants for their interest in the posted position, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Consistent with our core values, Mistral Group of Companies is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection experience, and work environment. We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment process up to the point of undue hardship. If you require accommodations, please contact Human Resources ([email protected]) to make appropriate arrangements.

Be advised that Mistral Group of Companies frequently audits resumes of internal and external applicants to validate the accuracy and trustworthiness of information provided. Falsification of information provided at any time throughout the recruitment process may result is disqualification. Internal applicants may be subject to discipline up to and including termination.