Payment Specialist, Travel

corporate travel credit card programs, maintains the Emburse (Chrome River) Travel & Expense system, provides training and guidance to university personnel, and supports travel-related audits and reporting requirements. The Payment Specialist serves as a key resource for travel payment processes and collaborates with departments across the university to ensure efficient, compliant, and customer-focused service delivery.

Special Note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.

Essential Job Functions

Travel Authorization and Expense Processing:

• Compliance and Specialized Records Management (10%)
• Provide backup support for processing changes to majors, minors, and concentrations.
• Assist with the maintenance of immunization records and related student compliance requirements.
• Process and verify required student documentation in accordance with university policies.

Travel Credit Card Administration:

• Manage the University's individual and corporate travel credit card programs.
• Process applications, payments, credits, reconciliations, and account maintenance activities.
• Monitor card activity and assist with issue resolution to ensure compliance with university policy.

Travel Systems Management and Training:

• Maintain the Emburse (Chrome River) Travel & Expense system, including troubleshooting systems issues, monitoring file uploads, and coordinating with Information Technology on testing, upgrades, and enhancements.
• Provide training and user support to faculty, staff, and departmental personnel regarding travel systems and procedures.

Customer Service, Compliance and Operational Support:

• Customer Service, Compliance and Operational Support
• Serve as a resource for travel- related policies, procedures, and payment services.
• Assist departments with routine and moderately complex travel payment inquiries and issue resolutions.
• Maintain current knowledge of university, TSUS, and State of Texas travel regulations and requirements.

Records Management, Audits, and Administrative Support:

• Maintain travel expense records and supporting documentation in accordance with university retention requirements.
• Provide documentation for audits and public information requests.
• Approve requisitions in the university eProcurement system and provide backup support for travel, procurement card, and departmental operations as needed.

Minimum and Desired Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School diploma or equivalent
• An equivalent combination of education, training and directly related experience may be considered.
• Minimum of two (2) years' experience in accounts payable, travel administration, finance, accounting, purchasing, or a related administrative support role.
• Experience processing invoices, reimbursements, expense reports, or financial transactions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Desired Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in business administration, office administration or higher education administration or a related field.
• Four (4) or more years' experience in accounts payable, travel administration, finance, accounting, purchasing, or a related field.

Supplemental Information

Key Competencies:

• The ability to provide exceptional customer service to all students, faculty, staff and visitors.
• High attention to detail
• Ability to work on multiple tasks and demonstrate excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently to meet deadlines and to adapt to changing situations.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary in nature and involves extended periods of sitting, computer use, and communication by phone and email. The position requires occasional standing, walking, reaching, bending, and lifting or carrying items weighing up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Job Conditions: Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment with frequent use of standard office equipment.

Who We Are: Home to more than 18,000 students, Lamar University is among the fastest growing Texas colleges and universities. LU is a member of The Texas State University System, which is the first higher education system of Texas and maintains the lowest average tuition and fees of any university system in Texas. With more than 120-degree options and a community that cares, Lamar students are always proud to be Cardinals. Lamar University strives to educate leaders, demonstrate excellence in student learning and career readiness, and pursue research with relevance.

Lamar University is committed to fostering an environment of teamwork where all students, faculty, and staff can learn, work, and become a part of our community.

Benefits:

• Health, dental & vision insurance
• Life insurance
• State of Texas Retirement plans
• Tuition covered at 100% for employees, spouses and/or eligible dependents
• Paid time off – vacation, sick, and holidays

To see more information about the available benefits, please visit: Benefits - Lamar University

Lamar University is An Equal Opportunity Employer

Lamar University is proud to provide employment preference to veteran applicants in accordance with Texas 805 Government Code, Section 657.003.

This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215, which authorizes the employer to obtain criminal history record information.

Organization

Texas Roots. Infinite Possibilities.

Lamar University students enjoy small classes where they can build lasting friendships with professors and peers. The 270-acre campus is in Beaumont, Texas, located about 90 miles east of Houston and 25 miles west of the Louisiana border. A comprehensive public university, Lamar gives students a chance to explore a variety of interests to prepare them to succeed in whatever fields they choose.

Academics

A member of the Texas State University System, Lamar University offers 63 undergraduate, 47 master's and nine doctoral degree programs. The university has more than 13,000 students enrolled in five academic colleges - Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Fine Arts and Communication. Lamar also offers the College of Graduate Studies and academic programs such as the Center for General Studies.

Students have access to numerous opportunities for scholarships, undergraduate research and study abroad programs. Lamar University students have:

• Performed research for NASA and flown experiments on NASA reduced-gravity flights.
• Presented original research at academic conferences as undergraduates in fields including mathematics, business and sociology.
• Enjoyed a 73 percent acceptance rate to medical and dental schools in recent years, compared to a 39 percent acceptance rate statewide.
• Gone on to lead major companies and make a name for themselves in fields from art and music to nursing and engineering.

Athletics

Students can participate in or cheer on their peers in more than a dozen NCAA Division I sports. Last year, the Cardinals were Southland Conference champions in men's golf, cross country and women's tennis. The volleyball and men's basketball teams were regular season co-champs and the women's basketball team was Southland Conference East Division champion. The LU baseball program has produced several major leaguers. The women's soccer program is entering its second season. The golf team has topped national rankings in recent years.

LU is beginning to rebuild a football program. A coach was hired in 2008. The stadium and athletic complex are being renovated, and the Cardinals plan to return to the gridiron in 2010.

Campus Life

A building boom at Lamar University in the past decade has given students access to state-of-the art facilities for learning, playing, dining and living.

Residents of Cardinal Village, the modern residence halls, have private bedrooms, high-speed Internet and amenities including an outdoor pool, basketball courts and community centers. The new dining hall offers a bistro ambience with international and American cuisine.

Working out in the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center is like a trip to an exclusive gym where students have an automatic membership. Features include a 43-foot climbing wall, an elevated jogging track, new cardiovascular and weighttraining equipment, and courts for sports such as basketball, racquetball and indoor soccer. Competitive types can participate in intramural sports ranging from basketball and flag football to dodgeball, cricket and pool.

Making friends and building a social network is easy at Lamar with more than 100 clubs and organizations registered on campus. Through campus organizations, students can:

• Join a fraternity or sorority
• Get involved in community service
• Delve into a cause
• Nurture spiritual beliefs
• Start networking in future professions
• Do all of the above.

LU is a short drive from many outdoor adventures: a day at the beach, canoeing or fishing on area rivers and bayous, hiking in the Big Thicket National Preserve. Shopping and entertainment options also are nearby including theaters, museums and live music venues large and small.

History

Lamar University was founded in 1923 as South Park Junior College a few blocks from the current location. The name changed to Lamar College in 1932 to honor Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas and the "Father of Education" in Texas. In 1951, the school became Lamar State College of Technology, a state-supported four-year institution, the first junior college in Texas to make such a transition. The name changed to Lamar University in 1971. The university joined the Texas State University System in 1995.

Visit/Apply

Visit campus to learn more about all Lamar University has to offer. Guided campus tours normally are scheduled at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To arrange a campus visit, call (409) 880-8316 or e-mail recruitment@lamar.edu

To apply for admission, financial aid and scholarships, go to http://lamar.edu/admissions