Customer Service Specialist, Accounts Payable Help Desk, Americas

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

The P2P Customer Service Specialist, Accounts Payable Help Desk – Americas serves as the primary point of contact for employees and suppliers, delivering high‑quality support across Procure‑to‑Pay inquiries. This role is critical to ensure accurate, timely invoice processing and payment execution, while minimizing disruptions to supplier relationships and business operations.

The role focuses on resolving complex PO, invoice, and payment issues, managing high‑volume inquiries, and ensuring compliance with P2P policies and controls. It requires strong ERP expertise (Coupa, SAP, Oracle), advanced reconciliation skills, and proactive communication to drive issue resolution and improve the overall service experience.

This position also acts as a Tier 2 Subject Matter Expert, supporting escalations and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives within the AP Help Desk.

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and is based in Charlotte, NC.

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as an employee and supplier advocate by delivering exceptional customer service while resolving P2P–related inquiries.

• Act as the primary point of contact for internal stakeholders and suppliers regarding PO’s, invoices, payment status, discrepancies, reconciliations, and P2P processes.

• Research, analyze, and resolve complex PO, invoice and payment issues, including mismatches, payment delays, pricing discrepancies, missing documentation, and reconciliation variances.

• Manage and prioritize ServiceNow tickets to ensure timely resolution in alignment with defined SLAs and customer expectations.

• Investigate and resolve escalated P2P disputes by applying Xylem policies, procedures, and internal controls to ensure accurate, compliant outcomes.

• Serve as a subject matter expert for ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Coupa, Oracle), providing support for workflow issues, access challenges, and transaction troubleshooting.

• Identify recurring issues, trends, and common pain points; provide insights and recommendations to leadership to drive process improvements and prevent repeat issues.

• Support the creation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of training materials, SOPs, and knowledge articles to promote self-service and user adoption.

• Monitor help desk metrics and performance indicators, working collaboratively to meet or exceed productivity and customer satisfaction targets.

• Appropriately escalate complex or high-risk issues while maintaining ownership and accountability through resolution.

• Uphold the highest standards of integrity, ethics, confidentiality, and professionalism in all internal and external interactions.

• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives, special projects, cross functional efforts, and additional responsibilities as business needs evolve.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong customer‑service orientation with a focus on building trust, partnership, and positive user experiences.

• Ability to interpret and consistently apply policies and procedures to make sound, compliant decisions.

• Advanced problem‑solving skills with the ability to analyze root causes and proactively identify solutions.

• Proven ability to manage multiple requests and priorities in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment.

• Exceptional attention to detail and follow‑through to ensure accurate, timely, and complete resolution of issues.

• High level of accuracy in processing, auditing, and reviewing financial transactions.

• Advanced written and verbal communication skills (English), with professionalism and clarity when interacting with suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively across teams and functions.

• Demonstrated ability to handle complex, escalated inquiries as a Tier 2 subject matter expert.

• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to identify root causes and recommend process improvements.

Experience and Skills

• 3+ years of experience supporting suppliers or internal stakeholders with PO, invoice, and payment inquiries.

• Solid understanding of the P2P lifecycle, including invoice processing, payment execution, and reconciliation.

• Experience working in a high‑volume Finance Shared Services or help desk environment.  Resolves 80-90% of issues independently.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills are necessary for handling supplier and employee inquiries professionally.

• High attention to detail, strong problem-solving abilities, and the ability to work under deadlines

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Experience working in a high volume Global Finance Shared Services or help desk environment.
• Hands‑on experience with ticketing tools such as ServiceNow.

• Proficient in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Coupa) and strong Microsoft Excel skills are essential, familiarity with automation or AI-enabled tools is a plus.

Join the global Xylem team to be a part of innovative technology solutions transforming water usage, conservation, and re-use. Our products impact public utilities, industrial sectors, residential areas, and commercial buildings, with a commitment to providing smart metering, network technologies, and advanced analytics for water, electric, and gas utilities. Partner with us in creating a world where water challenges are met with ingenuity and dedication; where we recognize the power of inclusion and belonging in driving innovation and allowing us to compete more effectively around the world.