Senior AP Specialist
Role Overview
The Senior AP Specialist independently manages the day-to-day accounts payable operation at X Games including vendor onboarding, invoice processing, athlete payments, event staffing costs, and payment runs.
Reporting to the VP, Global Controller, this role ensures every vendor, athlete, and staffing partner is paid accurately and on time, with clean documentation and strong controls behind every payment.
This is more than a transaction-processing role.
We're looking for someone who takes ownership, spots problems before they become fire drills, and builds processes that hold up as volume grows.
Live events create bursts of high-volume, time-sensitive payments across many payee types, and this person will make sure we handle them well.
When the team needs it, you'll also step into accounts receivable to keep billing and collections moving.
As X Games grows, this role has the opportunity to grow into a leadership position as the team expands.
You're detail-oriented, pragmatic, and comfortable managing high transaction volume and tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and strong internal controls.
You’re equally comfortable investigating a reconciliation difference, resolving a vendor issue, or improving a workflow that isn’t working.
Key Skills for This Role
Full Job Posting
Key Responsibilities
- Accounts Payable: Own the end-to-end AP cycle, including vendor onboarding coordination and maintenance, invoice processing, GL coding, approval workflows, payment runs, and AP aging. Ensure invoices are accurately recorded,properly supported, approved, and paid according to established terms and internal controls.
- Athlete Payments: Manage payments to athletes, including prize money, appearance fees, and other contracted amounts. Collect and validate W-9 and W-8BEN documentation before payment, apply required tax withholding for foreign payees, coordinate domestic and international wires, and ensure payments go out promptly after each event.
- Temporary Staffing and Event Labor: Process and reconcile invoices from staffing agencies and event labor vendors. Validate hours, headcount, and rates against contracts and event schedules, resolve discrepancies with vendors and event operations, and ensure event labor costs are accurately accrued and coded by event.
- Event Settlements: Support vendor settlements for live events and league operations, partnering with event and production teams to capture costs completely and close out each event's payables cleanly.
- Reconciliations and Month-End Close: Own AP subledger reconciliations, review outstanding payables, and coordinate with the Accounting Manager on AP-related accruals and month-end close activities.
- Vendor Relationships: Serve as the primary contact for vendor, athlete, and staffing partner payment questions. Communicate promptly and professionally, and work across departments to resolve issues quickly.
- Controls, Tax, and Compliance: Maintain strong AP controls, including verification of vendor bank detail changes and other payment fraud safeguards. Collect and maintain vendor tax documentation, assist with 1099 and 1042-S reporting, and support audit requests and applicable withholding procedures in coordination with Accounting.
- Systems and Process Improvement: Work within NetSuite, Ramp, and other financial systems to keep vendor and AP data accurate. Identify bottlenecks and control gaps, improve automation and workflows, and maintain procedures that scale with transaction volume.
- Additional Responsibilities): Perform other related duties and support additional accounting and finance activities as needed to meet evolving business needs.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
- 3+ years of progressive accounts payable experience, with demonstrated ability to independently manage the full AP cycle.
- Experience with payee tax compliance, including W-9 and W-8BEN collection, 1099 reporting; International Payment and tax reporting experience is a plus.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to manage high transaction volume and competing deadlines.
- Strong understanding of AP accounting, accruals, cut-off, reconciliations, aging analysis, and general GAAP fundamentals.
- Experience supporting month-end close and reconciling AP subledgers to the general ledger.
- Proficiency with ERP and financial systems; NetSuite experience is strongly preferred. Experience with Ramp or similar platforms is a plus.
- Experience in live events, sports, entertainment, or heavy AP volume environments is a plus.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
- Experience with payee tax compliance, including W-9 and W-8BEN collection, 1099 reporting; International Payment and tax reporting experience is a plus.
- Proficiency with ERP and financial systems; NetSuite experience is strongly preferred. Experience with Ramp or similar platforms is a plus.
- Experience in live events, sports, entertainment, or heavy AP volume environments is a plus.
About X Games
Privately held action-sports events and league operator serving athletes, fans, and brand partners worldwide.
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