Accounts Payable Officer

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust is seeking an Accounts Payable professional to join their busy team in London. The role involves processing supplier invoices, maintaining relationships with budget holders, and ensuring compliance with invoicing policies. The successful candidate will have a degree or equivalent experience, with significant expertise in Accounts Payable, and will play a key role in enhancing efficiency within the team.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Accounts Payable is essential.
• NHS or healthcare experience is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices and issue payments in a timely manner.
• Monitor invoices on hold and resolve queries.
• Collaborate with Procurement & Finance for expenditure management.

Skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

IT reporting tools

High-level written communication skills

High-level verbal communication skills

Education

Degree level or equivalent experience

Finance qualification or ongoing studies

Job description

Job Overview

The purpose of this role is to assist in completing all assigned AP tasks, processing Supplier invoices, and issuing payments in a timely manner in accordance with the Trusts invoicing policy. Additionally, the role involves supporting a culture of continuous improvement by proactively identifying areas to enhance efficiency and reduce risk.

Main Duties of the Job

1. Review and manage inbox accordingly.
2. Effectively chase approvers.
3. Monitor invoices on hold for credit notes to ensure they have valid reasons.
4. Maintain ongoing relationships with NHS SBS.
5. Assist with preparation and queries related to returns for AoB.
6. Resolve queries arising from mismatches reported in the AoB exercise.
7. Monitor the returns report weekly for recurring issues and liaise directly with suppliers for resolution.
8. Maintain and chase suppliers paying by cheque and encourage electronic payments.
9. Forward invoices received directly to the Trust to NHS SBS at the agreed address.
10. Ensure financial transactions on the AP system comply with SFI’s.
11. Report possible fraud incidences to the manager for further investigation.
12. Monitor and report significant increases in invoice volumes or outstanding queries.
13. Respond within 48 hours to any communication regarding impending legal action.
14. Collaborate with Procurement & Finance, budget holders, and suppliers to transfer expenditure from non-PO to PO where possible. Manage non-PO rules to aid in invoice redirection for coding and approval.
15. Handle period-end routines to ensure deadlines are met.
16. Perform additional duties as required by the Accounts Payables & Receivable Manager.

Working for Our Organisation

The Accounts Payable Team is a vital, busy team known across divisions and with budget holders. It involves regular liaison with internal and external customers, including daily interactions. The team also works closely with the Shared Business Service team (SBS) and Procurement. Most supplier payments are processed by this team, benefiting from organizational networking.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust, we strongly encourage vaccination to protect everyone involved in healthcare settings.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Review scanned invoice images from NHS SBS to determine the correct budget holder or return to NHS SBS if matched to a PO.
2. Review notifications related to PO invoices in the PO TOM work list and take appropriate actions such as goods receipt, price acceptance, or credit notes. Investigate and resolve invoice queries and monitor supplier statements.
3. Monitor users who delay invoice processing beyond escalation periods and liaise with budget holders for improvement.
4. Ensure invoices on hold for credit notes are valid and not excessively delayed.
5. Maintain relationships with NHS SBS.
6. Assist with preparation and queries related to balance agreements.
7. Resolve queries from the Agreement of Balances exercise.

Please see the full JD for detailed responsibilities.

Person Specification

Education

• Essential: Degree level or equivalent experience
• Desirable: Finance qualification or ongoing studies

Experience

• Essential: Significant experience in Accounts Payable
• Desirable: NHS or healthcare experience

Skills and Knowledge

• Essential: Proficiency in Microsoft Office and IT reporting tools
• Desirable: High-level written and verbal communication skills