Finance & Payments Operations Specialist
Department: Finance & Payments Operations
Reports To: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Location: Freeport, Illinois - Must be able to work in person. NOT a Hybrid position.
Employment Type: Full-Time
Position Summary
The Finance & Payments Operations Specialist is responsible for managing the company's day-to-day accounting operations while supporting the complete merchant lifecycle for embedded payments platform. This hybrid role combines traditional accounting responsibilities with payments operations, merchant onboarding, underwriting support, settlement, reconciliation, and merchant support.
Reporting directly to the CFO, this position serves as the operational bridge between finance, accounting, customer service, sales, and payments. As company grows, responsibilities may gradually transition from traditional accounting toward specialized payments operations while maintaining financial accuracy and operational excellence.
Core Functional Areas
1. Accounting Operations
Accounts Receivable
- Generate recurring monthly invoices
- Process service and project billing
- Apply customer payments
- Monitor collections
- Resolve billing discrepancies
- Maintain customer accounts
Accounts Payable
- Process vendor invoices
- Prepare payment batches
- Maintain vendor records
- Assist with annual 1099 reporting
Cash Management
- Daily cash posting
- Bank reconciliations
- Credit card reconciliation
- Cash reporting
General Accounting
- Journal entries
- Balance sheet reconciliations
- Month-end close support
2. Payments Operations
Merchant Onboarding
- Assist with merchant applications
- KYC/KYB document collection
- Underwriting documentation
- Merchant setup
- Boarding coordination
Risk Administration
- Monitor chargebacks
- Track disputes
- Monitor returns
- Assist with underwriting reviews
- Maintain risk documentation
Merchant Support
- Respond to merchant inquiries
- Research funding questions
- Resolve statement issues
- Escalate technical matters
- Maintain knowledge base
Sales Operations Support
- Prepare pricing worksheets
- Support proposal generation
- Assist with merchant pricing
- Explain underwriting requirements
- Maintain sales collateral
3. Operational Excellence
- Identify automation opportunities
- Improve accounting workflows
- Improve payment workflows
- Create SOPs
- Maintain documentation
- Recommend process improvements
- Support software implementations
Desired Qualifications
- Associate or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field
- 3–5 years of accounting, bookkeeping, banking, fintech, or financial operations experience
- Strong understanding of accounting principles
- Experience with CRMs, payment processing, merchant services, or banking is preferred
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
- Excellent customer service skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to manage confidential financial information
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Success Measures
Accounting
- 99.5% invoice accuracy
- Same-day cash posting
- Month-end close completed on schedule
- Timely vendor payments
- Accurate reconciliations
- Low aging and collections issues
Payments
- Merchant onboarding completed within SLA
- Settlement exceptions resolved promptly
- Funding accuracy above 99.9%
- Chargeback response targets met
- High merchant satisfaction
- Accurate underwriting documentation
Overall
- Continuous process improvement
- Increased automation
- Strong cross-functional collaboration
- Reliable operational support
Benefits
- Hourly range $22.00 - $27.00
- Health Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Paid Holidays and Vacation
- 401(k) Plan
Interested/qualified individuals should immediately reply to this post on Indeed with a resume and brief cover letter with salary expectations.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
Pay: $22.00 - $27.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
Education:
Work Location: In person
