Accounts Payable Lead

TN United Kingdom; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks an Interim Accounts Payable Manager for a 6-month contract in Cheltenham. The role involves reviewing and improving the purchase to pay process across multiple entities. The successful candidate will manage their own schedule, ensuring compliance with financial regulations and driving process improvements.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in an accounts payable role.
• Minimum of 2 years in a supervisory or managerial position.

Responsibilities

• Run day-to-day P2P activities across multiple accounts payable ledgers.
• Prepare monthly AP ageing reports as part of month-end review.
• Develop and implement reporting procedures to oversee the payment process.

Skills

Communication

Attention to Detail

Process Improvement

Excel

Education

AAT qualified

Degree in Accounting

Job description

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Interim Accounts Payable Manager

We are looking for an independent contractor to work on a project-based assignment as our Interim Accounts Payable Manager (‘AP’). The focus of the assignment is to review the current “as is” process and purchase order system, including existing process and control documentation, with the aim of refining and improving the end-to-end purchase to pay process and associated systems.

My client manages 160 entities with 3 operational entities and 45 bank accounts. The group provides outsourced accounting services across 14 entities. This is a 6-month contract role, based in our Cheltenham office. The successful candidate will work independently, managing their own schedule, project deadlines, and deliverables.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

Day-to-day accounts payable tasks including:

• Run the day-to-day P2P (Purchase to Pay activities) across multiple accounts payable ledgers
• Work independently with internal teams to ensure integration of systems and processes
• Process invoices
• Prepare payment proposals (bi-monthly & ad hoc) and load BACS, faster, and international payments into the relevant bank accounts
• Liaise with suppliers to resolve queries and request copy invoices
• Post employee expense and travel processing and review
• Reconcile company credit card transactions
• Set up new user/supplier master data across the finance systems

Reporting

• Independently run weekly Yooz & AIQ Accounts Payable reports (including direct debits)
• Prepare monthly AP ageing reports as part of month-end review
• Develop and implement reporting procedures to oversee the payment process, including reconciliations, management, and escalation of failures
• Analyse and interpret all data to understand and report on challenges to the process and reporting to management
• Implement key performance indicators to manage risk

System & process improvements

• Develop, refine, and implement Accounts Payable policies and procedures to improve the internal control framework
• Streamline & document the accounts payable process
• Ensure processes and controls are compliant with financial regulations, company policies, and audit requirements
• Identify inefficiencies across P2P process, drive automation and process improvements
• Improve automation across P2P and other finance systems

The Accounts Payable Manager is responsible for ensuring the function effectively reports and manages all risks within the operational systems and proactively identifies issues facing the function.

Person requirements

• AAT qualified or a degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• At least 5 years of experience in an accounts payable role, with a minimum of 2 years in a supervisory or managerial position
• Strong understanding of accounts payable processes, including invoice matching, payment processing, and reconciliation
• Excellent communication skills
• High attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines
• Experience in identifying inefficiencies and driving process improvements within the accounts payable function
• Able to work autonomously with excellent attention to work accuracy
• Hands-on approach to improving system and processes
• Confident with Excel (Pivot tables, VLOOKUPs etc.)