Job Details

Accounts Payable Coordinator - Digital Learning at UT - UTK

Position Number: 6274989
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Position Type: Business - Accounting

Accounts Payable Coordinator - Digital Learning at UT - UTK
Knoxville, TN, United States

Job Identification: 3291
Job Category: Financial
Posting Date: 06/03/2025
Job Schedule: Full Time
Locations: 1331 Circle Park, Knoxville, TN, 37996, US

Job Description
The University of Tennessee's Digital Learning team is seeking an experienced Accounts Payable Coordinator to support the university's mission of delivering high-quality, accessible online education. This pivotal role ensures the smooth execution of financial transactions and plays a key part in maintaining fiscal integrity across procurement, travel, and compliance processes. As a core member of our Finance & Administration team, you will collaborate with faculty, staff, and vendors to support the innovative work of Digital Learning-an initiative dedicated to transforming the future of education for learners across Tennessee and beyond.

Responsibilities
Financial

Invoice Processing: Accurately and promptly process vendor invoices in accordance with university policies and timelines, ensuring data integrity and proper documentation.
Procurement Coordination: Manage the purchase of approved items via the university marketplace or via Procurement Card, organizing and maintaining all related documentation including order forms, receipts and approvals.
Journal Entries: Prepare and submit journal entries in compliance with accounting standards with complete and accurate supporting documentation.
Petty Cash Management: Process petty cash transactions for all Digital Learning operations, maintaining proper records and ensuring policy compliance
Vendor File Maintenance: Maintain up-to-date =vendor records, including initiating new vendor setups and ensuring compliance with university requirements.
Ledger Reconciliation: Reconcile monthly financial ledgers, investigate discrepancies and ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial data.
Asset Management: Track and manage physical and digital assets ensuring accurate reporting and compliance with asset management policies.
Contracts & Purchase Orders: Input and monitor contracts and purchase orders into the financial system, ensuring accuracy and policy alignment.
Cash Handling: Prepare and record cash deposits in accordance with university cash handling policies.
Financial Reporting: Generate ad hoc financial reports and data summaries to support decision-making and stakeholder needs.
Training & Support: Develop and deliver training sessions and guidance materials to staff on topics related to accounts payable, accounts receivable, travel, and related financial procedures.
Process Improvement: Evaluate financial workflows and recommend enhancements to increase efficiency, accuracy and service quality in coordination with the Assistant Dean of Finance & Administration.

Travel

Travel Policy Expertise: Serves as the unit's Subject Matter Expert (SME) on university travel policies and procedures, providing guidance and support to faculty and staff to ensure full compliance.
Tavel Delegate Duties: Act as the designated travel delegate, accurately entering travel expenses on behalf of unit staff and maintaining proper documentation for all transactions.
Pre-Trip Review: Review and audit employee travel requests in accordance with university policies prior to travel approval
Reimbursement Processing: Prepare and submit employee reimbursement requests, ensuring timely and accurate processing with all required supporting documentation.
Guest Travel Coordination: Arrange guest travel logistics and prepare corresponding expense reports.

Communications

Vendor Relations: Act as the primary point of contact for vendors regarding invoice status, payment timing, and purchase order discrepancies. Ensure prompt, professional and courteous communication to ensure prompt issue resolution and strong working relationships.
Cross-Department Collaboration: Proactively engage with university departments to resolve questions related to contracts, invoice approvals, and financial transaction workflows.
Internal Reporting: Provide regular status updates to internal stakeholders on outstanding payments, contract processing and pending actions to prevent delays.
Professional Communication: Convey complex financial information clearly and effectively to both financial and non-financial personnel, maintaining a high standard of professionalism in all interactions
Responsive Support: Address inquiries from faculty, staff, and external partners, prioritizing accuracy and customer service in all communications.
Process Alignment: Collaborate closely with procurement, travel, and finance units to align processes, share critical updates, and resolve interdepartmental concerns.
Instructional Materials: Develop and distribute user-friendly guides related to invoicing, travel reimbursements, and contract procedures to enhance staff understanding and compliance.

Compliance

Records Management: Maintain comprehensive and well-organized electronic accounts payable records, ensuring all invoices, receipts, payment authorizations, contracts, and supporting documentation are accurately filed according to university policies and applicable audit standards.
Financial Data Integrity: Verify that all financial records are properly coded, approved, and are entered into the system in alignment with established internal controls to mitigate risks of errors, fraud, or duplication.
Workflow Oversight: Track and monitor document workflows to confirm timely approvals and processing; identify bottlenecks and discrepancies and take corrective action when necessary.
Retention and Archiving: Enforce adherence to institutional and regulatory document retention schedules, ensuring proper archiving or secure disposal of records in accordance with legal and audit compliance guidelines.
Audit Support: Actively support audit processes by retrieving requested documentation, ensuring files are audit-ready and addressing any identified issues promptly.
Process Improvement: Regularly review and assess recordkeeping and compliance practices; recommend and implement enhancements that improve accuracy, accessibility, and adherence to policy.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications

Education: Associate's Degree
Experience:
Minimum of 2-3 years of progressively responsible experience in accounts payable, financial operations, or a related administrative accounting role.
Demonstrated experience in processing invoices, managing vendor relations, and resolving payment discrepancies with professionalism and accuracy.
Proven ability to maintain financial records in compliance with established internal controls, document retention policies, and audit requirements.
Experience working with enterprise financial systems (e.g., Oracle), with an emphasis on data entry accuracy, workflow tracking, and system-based reporting.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of cross-departmental collaboration, stakeholder communication, and vendor negotiation.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment visa status.
A minimum of 2-3 years of progressively responsible experience in accounts payable, financial operations, or a related administrative accounting role, preferably within a higher education, nonprofit, or government environment.
Familiarity with university procurement, travel, and contracting policies, including experience as a delegate in travel systems and supporting end-users in policy compliance and reimbursement processes.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree
Experience:

Work Location

Knoxville, TN

Compensation and Benefits

UT market range: MR 06
Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

For full consideration, applicants must attach a letter of interest, resume, and the name, address, email, and phone number of three professional references, in addition to completing the applicant file to the Human Resources online application system, Taleo. This position does have the potential for a hybrid working capacity.
Screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled. DL_UT

About The College/Department/Division

Digital Learning at UT, is a unit charged with advancing UT's commitment to discovery, creativity, learning, and engagement, specifically for online learners. Using advanced and innovative technologies, Digital Learning at UT will provide scalable solutions that enhance the online learning experience and reduce barriers to student access and success, providing a tremendous impact to online learners across the state and the nation. At Digital Learning, we want to be bold and impactful, transforming the future of online education through innovative thinking and collaborative problem-solving. Join our dynamic and inclusive Digital Learning team where we take pride in teamwork, excellence, and a shared commitment to shaping the future through education and innovation.

About Us
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees-the Volunteers-who uphold the university's tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee's flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy's largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as "Best Employer for New Graduates," "One of America's Best Large Employers," and "Best Workplace for Women," and has been designated as "Best Place for Working Parents" by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!

To apply, visit https://fa-ewlq-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/3291/?mode=location