Specialist, Accounts Payable

Aspire Public Schools NorCal — Specialist, Accounts Payable

About Aspire NorCal

Founded in 1998, Aspire Public Schools has served scholars and communities across California for nearly three decades. With Aspire Los Angeles transitioning into an independent organization, the Bay Area and Central Valley regions are coming together to form Aspire NorCal, operating 22 schools serving approximately 10,000 scholars across Northern California (Oakland, Richmond, East Palo Alto, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, and Ceres).

This evolution comes at an important moment for Aspire. Changes in California’s funding, policy, enrollment, and operating environment have created an opportunity to rethink how the organization supports its schools and scholars in its next chapter. The formation of Aspire NorCal creates an opportunity to strengthen support for schools across teams previously organized by geography, improve the consistency and effectiveness of school support, and create clear accountability systems for organizational and scholar outcomes. The new model will require the organization to balance greater coherence across Aspire NorCal with responsiveness to the different communities and contexts of its schools.

Aspire NorCal enters this transition with a long-standing mission focused on post-secondary success and a deep commitment to educational equity, along with decades of institutional knowledge across its schools and teams. Preserving those strengths while building Aspire NorCal as a unified region will be central to the work ahead.

About the role

The Accounts Payable Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring vendors are paid on time by processing a high volume of invoices with a high level of accuracy, reconciling vendor statements on a regular basis, and preparing batches of payments for weekly processing.

The Accounts Payable Specialist also trains teammates in best practices and use of the Coupa procurement and expense system, ensures accounts payable fiscal control policies are followed, and assists in implementing cost-saving and streamlining measures.

Key Responsibilities

• Process high volumes of AP invoices and expense reports accurately through knowledge of the chart of accounts.
• Understand and support Aspire's fiscal control policies for vendor and employee expense purchases and AP best practices.
• Work collaboratively across departments to ensure AP coding is accurate.
• Own and maintain vendor records, including reviewing and processing new vendors in the accounting system and filing vendor invoices.
• Prepare AP and employee expense check lists for weekly check runs and record direct charges to bank accounts.
• Reconcile vendor accounts, review outstanding payments, and provide effective solutions to outstanding issues.
• Multitask and work under time constraints, especially on check run days.
• Perform and assist with other accounting processes, such as process documentation, account reconciliations, and adjusting reclassifications.
• Use accounting, purchasing, and other systems for complex troubleshooting, and fulfill ongoing and ad hoc reporting requests using Coupa, Abila MIP, and Excel, including legal spend reporting.
• Manages the American Express card program activity monthly and processes new card requests, setting limits in line with fiscal control policies.
• Maintain positive relationships with vendors and partners, and ensure Aspire maximizes the benefits its vendors offer.
• Review invoices, expense reports, check requests, and new vendor requests for compliance with fiscal policies.
• Provide training and materials to internal users on Coupa purchasing and expense systems, and streamline purchasing and invoice processes with vendors and internal staff.
• Manage internal and external inquiries to the AP team through the Zendesk ticketing system.
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, and values, including antiracism, and uphold confidentiality standards and the code of ethical behavior.
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.
• Support the new Service Level Agreement (SLA) under which Aspire NorCal will provide finance, accounting, and payroll services to Aspire LA.

Education

High school diploma or GED equivalent.

Experience

2+ years of accounts payable experience using Coupa or a similar purchasing system.

Experience with automated accounting systems; proficiency with the Microsoft suite.

Skills and competencies

• Understanding of accounting practices and principles.
• Ability to research vendor issues and provide effective solutions.
• Strong customer service orientation; ability to address difficult situations or escalate to a supervisor.
• Works well across teams and maintains positive, professional relationships.
• Appropriate follow-up and sense of urgency; alerts supervisor to errors and issues in a timely manner.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Growth mindset and a passion for learning and using the Coupa system to streamline processes.

Compensation and benefits

• The salary range for this role is $73,220 to $93,993 annually in accordance with our salary schedule policy, commensurate with experience. This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
• Eligible for Aspire health benefits
• Retirement through CalSTRS or CalPERS, depending on the role's credential requirements, with a 403(b) option
• Paid time off and additional teammate benefits to be determined in accordance with updated employee value proposition to be shared prior to offer.
• Aspire NorCal is conducting a comprehensive study of our employee value proposition, which could lead to material changes in July 2027.

Location and work arrangement

Work location and in-person expectations for this role are being finalized as part of our broader NorCal planning. We will share clarity with candidates in the coming weeks

Aspire NorCal expects to provide Finance, Accounting, Payroll, and Retirement services to Aspire LA under a multi-year service agreement, and part of this department’s budget is expected to depend on that agreement. If the agreement is not finalized, is not renewed, or ends early, Aspire NorCal may reduce the department’s size accordingly, and any position in the departments listed above may be impacted. Employment with Aspire is at-will

Application Deadline: November 20, 2026.

Equal opportunity

Aspire Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Aspire Public Schools provides reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process.

Disclaimer

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.