MELISSA ELLISON
Raleigh,NC
Summary
Finance operations professional with 10+ years of progressive experience across accounts payable, payment operations, reconciliations, financial controls, and team leadership. Experienced in corporate disbursements, wire payments, payment-cycle reconciliation, payment exception resolution, vendor banking matters, and executive payment approvals. Proven ability to partner with Treasury, Accounting, Procurement, Tax, and business stakeholders to resolve complex financial issues and maintain effective payment controls. SAP and Concur experience with a strong background in process improvement, financial systems, and high-volume transaction environments. Currently pursuing an M.S. in Fraud Forensics Examination.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Supervisor, Accounts Payable
UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORPORATION
Durham, NC
03.2023 - Current
- Lead day-to-day Accounts Payable operations and supervise AP Specialists, overseeing workflow distribution, performance, training, and resolution of complex payment and invoice issues.
- Review and release vendor invoices and payment requests, ensuring transactions progress through appropriate workflows and approval controls for timely payment execution.
- Prepare bi-weekly payment proposal reports and cycle summaries for CEO/CFO approval, supporting scheduled and out-of-cycle corporate disbursements.
- Manage escalated payment issues involving vendor banking details, purchase orders, tax requirements, vendor master data, GL coding, and payment exceptions, coordinating resolution across Finance functions.
- Partner with Treasury and cross-functional stakeholders on payment-related matters, returned payments, discrepancies, and other operational exceptions.
- Maintain oversight of payment processes and supporting documentation to strengthen financial controls and reduce payment risk.
- Manage vendor and internal customer relationships while coordinating with Procurement, Tax, Accounting, Treasury, and business stakeholders.
- Partner with IT, Enterprise Applications & Services (EAS), Treasury, Procurement, Tax, Accounting, and other cross-functional teams on system implementations, process enhancements, testing, issue resolution, and Finance transformation initiatives.
- Led the implementation and rollout of the company's new Corporate Card Policy, partnering with leadership to develop the rollout strategy, establish a cross-functional implementation team, coordinate communications, and support organization-wide adoption.
- Selected to serve on a cross-functional initiative to evaluate and implement an AI-enabled solution for AP mailbox management and workflow automation; led vendor outreach by distributing vendor information/proposal requests, coordinating vendor meetings and demonstrations, and supporting the vendor evaluation and selection process.
- Serve as the AP point person for implementation of the selected AI solution (AP mailbox), partnering with the vendor and internal stakeholders to coordinate implementation activities, business requirements, testing, and deployment, with go-live targeted within 8–12 weeks.
- Administer and support SAP Concur processes and identify workflow improvements that increase efficiency, accuracy, and control.
Senior Accounts Payable Specialist
UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORPORATION
Durham, NC
11.2018 - 03.2023
- Processed weekly out-of-cycle and special payment runs and reconciled semi-monthly payment cycles against payment releases to ensure completeness and accuracy.
- Partnered directly with Treasury to ensure payment manager files were prepared and ready for execution.
- Reconciled AP-related general ledger accounts and researched discrepancies to support accurate financial reporting.
- Supported payment operations involving vendor setup, credit applications, returned payments, voided checks, and unclaimed property reconciliations.
- Reviewed PO and non-PO invoices for appropriate GL accounts, cost centers, WBS elements, approvals, and supporting documentation.
- Managed recurring payment obligations, including leases and rents, to ensure payments were executed according to contractual requirements.
- Supervised a direct report, providing day-to-day guidance, workload prioritization, training, and performance support while ensuring timely completion of AP and payment activities.
Lead Accounts Payable Specialist
MARTIN ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS
Cary, NC
05.2015 - 11.2018
- Processed wire payments for weekly and mid-month payment cycles while ensuring appropriate authorization and supporting documentation.
- Coded invoices and payment requests across GL accounts, purchase orders, cost centers, and internal orders; verified proper approvals prior to payment.
- Reconciled vendor statements and company credit cards and investigated payment discrepancies and past-due items.
- Processed approximately 1,200 payables monthly while maintaining payment deadlines and capturing available discounts.
- Supported AP-related audits and sales/use tax activities and managed vendor payment inquiries.
- Designed and implemented a paperless invoice-scanning process between Shipping and Accounting to improve document workflow.
- Reviewed and validated expense reports for accuracy and compliance with company policies.
Shift Manager
Springmoor Life Care Retirement
Raleigh, NC
05.2015 - 06.2017
Benefits Specialist
Xerox HR Solutions
Cary, NC
01.2013 - 02.2015
Program Support Assistant / MAS (Release of Information)
Veteran Administration Medical Center
05.2009 - 12.2011
Education
Master of Science - Fraud Forensics Examination
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV05-2027
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
North Carolina Central University
12-2021
Skills
- Payment Operations & Disbursements
- Wire Payments
- Payment Cycle Reconciliation
- Payment Exception Resolution
- Vendor Banking & Master Data
- Financial Controls
- GL Reconciliation
- Executive Payment Reporting
- Vendor Management
- Process Improvement
- Cross-Functional Finance Operations
- SAP
- SAP Concur
- Microsoft Excel
- PowerPoint
- ReadSoft
- Kofax
- OCR / Data Capture
ADDITIONAL CREDENTIAL
Notary Public, State of North Carolina
Timeline
Supervisor, Accounts Payable
UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORPORATION
03.2023 - Current
Senior Accounts Payable Specialist
UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORPORATION
11.2018 - 03.2023
Lead Accounts Payable Specialist
MARTIN ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS
05.2015 - 11.2018
Shift Manager
Springmoor Life Care Retirement
05.2015 - 06.2017
Benefits Specialist
Xerox HR Solutions
01.2013 - 02.2015
Program Support Assistant / MAS (Release of Information)
Veteran Administration Medical Center
05.2009 - 12.2011
Master of Science - Fraud Forensics Examination
West Virginia University
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
North Carolina Central University