Accounts Payable Officer

Cancer Research UK; Stratford-upon-Avon; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Cancer Research UK is seeking an Accounts Payable Officer to join our Finance team in Stratford with hybrid working (office-based with 1-2 days in the office). The role involves processing high volumes of invoices, supplier payments, and delivering excellent customer service across the charity.

We value professional development and offer study support opportunities where possible. We are looking for a motivated, detail-oriented finance professional who can build strong supplier relationships,

Qualifications

• Experience in Accounts Payable processing high volumes.
• Experience in a customer-facing role is essential
• Strong communication skills and the ability to escalate to senior team members
• Experience proactively building relationships
• IT-literate and able to learn financial systems quickly
• Accurate data entry with high attention to detail
• Strong customer focus and effective query resolution
• Good time management and KPI adherence

Responsibilities

• Process high-volume Purchase Order and Non-PO invoices and related AP transactions accurately and timely.
• Run weekly BACS and CHAPS payments per schedule.
• Oversee invoice matching and resolve mismatches.
• Ensure all transactions are entered in the finance system.
• Maintain the Queries Log and follow up on invoices in query.
• Update Non Paid Staff Expenses tracker and monitor approvals.
• Deal with supplier invoices and payment queries with colleagues.
• Reconcile supplier statements with internal records.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Customer service

Communication

Relationship building

IT skills

Data entry

Time management

Invoices

Supplier payments

Tools

Finance system

Job description

£28,000 - £30,500

Reports to: Senior Finance Manager (Accounts Payable/Receivable)

Department: Finance, Governance, Assurance

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Closing date: 29 October 2026

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

Recruitment process: 1-2 stage competency based interview

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That's why we're looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented finance professional to join us as an Accounts Payable Officer. Ideally, you will have experience processing invoices and supplier payments, strong organisational skills, and a commitment to delivering excellent customer service, as you will be working closely with colleagues across the charity and managing relationships with a high volume of suppliers.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop a long-term career in finance. We are committed to supporting professional development and may be able to offer study support opportunities and other qualification pathways, depending on your level of study and experience.

What will I be doing?

• Processing high volume Purchase Order and Non-PO invoice transactions, non-staff expenses and other applicable Accounts Payable transactions in an accurate and timely manner in accordance with the agreed SLAs (Service Level Agreements)
• Carry out weekly BACS and CHAPS payment runs in line with the agreed payment schedule
• Oversee the invoice matching process and managing any mismatches or discrepancies
• Ensure all transactions are entered accurately on the finance system
• Maintain the Queries Log and ensure any invoices in query are regularly followed up on
• Update and maintain the Non Paid Staff Expenses tracker
• Regularly following up on invoices processed but not approved
• Appropriately deal with supplier queries relating to invoices & payments liaising with colleagues as appropriate
• Ensure all supplier letters detailing problems, differences and disputes are sent out automatically and followed up for resolution
• Reconcile all supplier statements received into the department to the internal records
• Manage Accounts Payable enquiries from Suppliers and End Users seeking support on Accounts Payable queries
• Ensure helpdesk calls are logged, responded to within the SLA and are effectively resolved

What skills will I need?

• Experience of working in an Accounts Payable department and/or processing a high volume of invoices
• Experience of working in a customer facing role is essential
• Ability to apply excellent communication skills, escalating complex and contentious matters to more senior team members
• Experience of proactively building relationships
• IT literate and experience and the ability to pick up financial systems quickly
• Accurate and efficient data entry with high attention to detail
• Strong customer focus, ensuring effective resolution of queries
• Effective time management, meeting KPIs and targets set

We recognise that no candidate will meet every requirement. If you're excited by this opportunity and believe you have the skills and potential to succeed, we'd love to hear from you.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We're looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you're interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we'd still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [e-mail] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.