Senior Accounts Payable Specialist

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Accounts Payable Specialist to help build and scale the financial operations that support our engineering and supply chain teams. You are responsible for managing high-volume accounts payable operations, ensuring accurate and timely processing of vendor invoices while maintaining strong internal controls and compliance with company policies. This role works closely with purchasing, receiving, and business partners to resolve invoice discrepancies and help establish scalable systems as we rapidly grow.

Responsibilities

• Process a high volume of vendor invoices accurately and efficiently.
• Perform two-way and three-way matching of invoices, purchase orders (POs), and receiving documents.
• Review invoices for proper coding, approvals, and supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve invoice discrepancies, pricing variances, quantity differences, and unmatched transactions.
• Coordinate with vendors and internal departments to resolve payment and PO-related issues.
• Monitor AP aging and ensure timely payment of invoices in accordance with payment terms.
• Process employee expense reimbursements and corporate credit card transactions, as applicable.
• Maintain vendor master records and ensure accurate vendor information.
• Prepare and process weekly payment runs, including ACH, wire transfers, and check payments.
• Support month-end and year-end closing activities by reconciling AP balances and accruals.
• Assist with 1099 reporting, sales tax and property tax filing and year-end vendor tax compliance.
• Maintain organized electronic and physical AP records for audit support.
• Respond to vendor inquiries professionally and resolve payment issues promptly.
• Recommend and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and strengthen internal controls.
• Prepare and post monthly AP accrual journal entries for goods and services received but not yet invoiced.
• Assist with prepaid expenses, fixed assets, and other month-end accounting activities.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, accounting standards

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 5+ years of accounting experience in a high-volume environment with significant exposure to accounts payable.
• Experience using Ramp for Accounts Payable, invoice processing, expense management, corporate card administration, and vendor payments
• Experience working with purchase orders (POs), procure-to-pay (P2P) workflows, and three-way matching.
• Experience processing hundreds of invoices per month while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Experience with inventory accounting and high-volume purchasing environments.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including PivotTables, Vlookup/Xlookup, and data analysis
• Experience with ERP systems such as Quickbooks online, NetSuite, Oracle, SAP, or similar.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to partner cross-functionally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in manufacturing, aerospace, hardware, or other inventory-intensive industries.
• Experience supporting engineering or production organizations.
• Knowledge of inventory costing, manufacturing operations, and inventory controls.
• Experience with ERP implementations or finance systems optimization.
• Familiarity with SOX controls and audit support.
• Experience building scalable AP processes in a high-growth startup environment.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $83,000 - $91,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.