Accounts Payable Manager - Newcastle upon Tyne

Pantalent; North East; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction and engineering company in North East England seeks an experienced Accounts Payable Manager to oversee a team. The role mandates strong leadership in managing AP processes while ensuring compliance and financial controls. Ideal candidates will have a track record in high-volume environments and excellent stakeholder management skills. The position offers significant flexibility including 40% remote work options as part of a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

25 days paid annual leave

Family friendly policies

Pension and share incentive plan

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior AP leadership role within a complex, high-volume environment.
• Demonstrated success in leading and developing mid to large teams.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, risk management, and compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing Accounts Payable team.
• Own and improve the end-to-end Accounts Payable process.
• Ensure financial controls are aligned with regulatory requirements.

Skills

Team leadership

Financial controls

Stakeholder management

Process design

Analytical skills

Tools

Oracle R12

Excel

Job description

About the role

Balfour Beatty are currently looking for anAccounts Payable Managerto join our Enabling Functions - Accounting Services team based inQuorum Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne.

In your role you will be directly responsible for managing and developing a team of Accounts Payable Clerks, ensuring your team provide a first class payables service to the business and contribute to paying our supply chain on time whilst adhering to all processes and controls. You will play a vital role in our continuous improvement journey and work across functions to support our key project deliverables in the P2P space.

What you'll be doing

As anAccounts Payable Manageryou'll:

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing AP team, fostering a culture of accountability,collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a mentor and coach to team leaders and AP staff.
• Drive engagement and performance through clear objectives, feedback, and development plans.

Process Design & Optimisation

• Own and continuously improve the end-to-end Accounts Payable process, ensuring efficiency,scalability, and alignment with business needs.
• Lead automation and digitisation initiatives to streamline invoice processing, approvals, andpayments.
• Implement KPIs and SLAS, driving performance in terms of quantitative and qualitativeassessment against targets
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Procurement, Finance, IT) to enhance upstream anddownstream processes.

Controls & Compliance

• Ensure strong financial controls are embedded across all AP activities, aligned with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Oversee audit readiness, risk mitigation, and compliance key controls frameworks.
• Monitor and report on key AP metrics, SLAs, and KPIs to drive performance and transparency.

Strategic Contribution

• Support the Head of AP in shaping the long-term vision and roadmap for the AP function.
• Represent AP in senior finance forums and cross-functional projects.
• Act as a deputy to the Head of AP, stepping in as needed for leadership and decision-making

Who we're looking for

You'll have/be:

• Proven experience in a senior AP leadership role within a complex, high-volume environment.
• Demonstrated success in leading and developing mid to large teams.
• Strong background in process design, transformation, and systems implementation (e.g., Oracle)
• Strong understanding of financial controls, risk management, and compliance frameworks.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• An ability to engage and motivate people through periods of change
• Analytic abilities, with high attention to detail and problem solving
• Ability to work under own initiative and prioritise tasks
• IT literate with strong to advanced Excel skills

Desirable

• Experience in shared services or centralised finance environments.
• Experience leading purchase to pay processes
• Oracle R12 system experience

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty Group Enabling Functions are Legal, Finance, IT and Procurement, Communications, Health Safety and Environment, HR and Sustainability. Together, they support delivery of our Build to Last strategy whilst improving efficiencies and standardising our approach, systems and processes.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visitwww.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit:https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at:[e-mail]

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.