Senior AP Specialist

Meritage Hospitality Group is seeking a Senior AP Specialist to join the team!

This role supports a broad range of Accounts Payable and operational accounting activities across a multi-entity environment. The ideal candidate is a strong AP professional who is comfortable balancing day-to-day transactional execution with problem-solving responsibilities such as reconciliations, discrepancy resolution, payment research, operational support, and process coordination.

This is not strictly an invoice entry role. Success in this position requires strong ownership, attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and the ability to independently work through issues while collaborating effectively with internal teams and vendors.

At Meritage, we value team members who are dependable, solutions-oriented, adaptable, and willing to jump in where needed. Our Accounting team operates in a fast-paced environment where collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational support are highly valued.

We are proud to operate under our core values:

• Uncommon Hospitality
• Run It Like You Own It
• Collective Genius
• The Sky is the Limit
• We Love What We Do

This position is primarily in-office during onboarding and training, with flexibility for a hybrid work arrangement after the introductory period based on performance, team needs, and business support requirements.

Typical schedule is Monday-Friday, approximately 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

What You'll Do:

• Process, review, code, and validate a high volume of invoices and vendor payments across multiple entities
• Support ACH, check, wire, and related payment activity while ensuring timely and accurate processing
• Perform vendor statement reconciliations and resolve payment discrepancies, credits, unapplied balances, and outstanding items
• Research and work through invoice exceptions, approval delays, vendor inquiries, and operational payment issues
• Support operational AP activities related to utilities, leases, recurring vendor activity, and multi-location operations
• Assist with utility account management, account maintenance, project transitions, vendor account validations, and operational support tied to automation initiatives
• Review, reconcile, and support posting of utility accruals and related month-end close activities
• Assist with AP reconciliations, accrual support, outstanding item cleanup, and period-end accounting support
• Support administrative operational processes including garnishments, vehicle management, license management, mail processing, shared inbox support, vendor communications, and related coordination activities
• Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation and ensure compliance with company policies and internal controls
• Identify process improvement opportunities and support workflow efficiency, visibility, and operational consistency initiatives
• Provide backup support for operational accounting and AP functions including payment processing and check printing as needed

What We Expect From You

• 3-5+ years of progressive Accounts Payable or related operational accounting experience
• Associate's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education, training, and relevant work experience will be considered.
• Strong AP processing, payment execution, reconciliation, and issue-resolution experience
• Experience supporting high-volume or multi-location environments preferred
• Microsoft Dynamics GP / Great Plains experience preferred
• Experience working within paperless workflow and document management systems preferred
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and manage competing deadlines
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and vendor relationship management skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a team-oriented environment

What You Can Expect From Us

As a member of Meritage, you will enjoy the following benefits:

• Competitive base salary and bonus plans
• Health insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and HSA options
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• 401k
• Meal discounts at all Meritage affiliated restaurants
• Plus various additional perks and benefits

Who We Are

Meritage Hospitality Group, headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, is one of the nation's premier restaurant operators with more than 300 restaurants operating in 15 states. We are one of the largest Wendy's franchisees and just opened our first Bojangles restaurant. In addition to quick service, we have developed West Michigan casual dining concepts The Blue Porch and Morning Belle. Each of our concepts deliver a distinct dining experience for our guests and a work environment rich with opportunity for our approximately 10,000 team members.

At Meritage, we are Inspired by Opportunity and Achieve Success Through Service. We live by our five Core Values - Uncommon Hospitality, Run It Like You Own It, Collective Genius, The Sky is the Limit, and We Love What We Do.

Now is the time to join!

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Inclusion is at the heart of our business.