Accounts Payable Officer

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused healthcare provider in the UK seeks an Accounts Payable Assistant to manage invoice processing and payments. Ideal candidates should have at least 4 GCSEs including Maths and English, along with experience in a finance department, preferably in healthcare. Strong IT skills and the ability to prioritize workloads are essential. Join an organization dedicated to delivering high-quality care and making a positive impact in the community.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 GCSEs including Maths and English.
• Previous experience in a finance department is essential.
• Core IT skills, including competence in basic level MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Support the Accounts Payable function by processing purchase orders and invoices.
• Match invoices to approved purchase orders.
• Prepare and process supplier payments per payment terms.

Skills

Core IT skills

Basic understanding of double entry Bookkeeping

Ability to prioritize workload

Education

Minimum 4 GCSEs including Maths and English

ECDL

NVQ Level 4 or equivalent experience

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the IC S in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

To support the Accounts Payable function by ensuring accurate processing of purchase orders, invoices, and payments in line with financial policies and procedures.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Invoice Processing
  • Receive, review, and add supplier invoices to the financial system in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Match invoices to approved purchase orders and goods received notes.
  • Resolve any discrepancies between purchase orders, receipts, and invoices.
• Purchase Order Management
  • Ensure all goods and services are supported by valid purchase orders.
  • Monitor and follow up on unmatched or pending POs to ensure timely closure.
  • Report non‑compliance or irregularities to the Finance Manager or Procurement team.
• Payments and Reconciliation
  • Prepare and process supplier payments in line with agreed payment terms.
  • Reconcile supplier statements and resolve outstanding or aged items.
  • Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records of all AP transactions.
• Supplier Liaison
  • Respond promptly to supplier queries regarding invoices, payments, and PO status.
  • Maintain professional relationships with suppliers while ensuring compliance with internal policies.
  • Update and verify supplier details within the financial system.
• Reporting and Support
  • Support internal and external audit processes by providing necessary documentation.
  • Contribute to process improvement and system enhancement initiatives.
• System and Compliance
  • Use the financial system to record invoices and manage Accounts Payable data.
  • Support data cleansing and migration activities during system implementation.
  • Ensure compliance with financial policies, internal controls, and audit requirements.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria:

• Minimum 4 GCSEs including Maths and English.
• Evidence of role based training.

Desirable criteria:

• ECDL.
• NVQ Level 4 or equivalent experience.

Work Experience

Essential criteria:

• Previous experience in a finance department.
• Previous experience in Acute Healthcare.
• Maintaining cash books.

Desirable criteria:

• Financial reconciliations.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria:

• Core IT skills, including competence in basic level MS Office software.
• Basic understanding of double entry Bookkeeping.
• Able to prioritise own workload.

Desirable criteria:

• Knowledge of Acute Healthcare accounting systems and computerised banking software systems.

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• JD and person specification (PDF, 125.4KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship Information for Applicants (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Candidates Guidance on Applying (PDF, 175.2KB)
• Candidate Guidance on the use of AI (PDF, 3.8MB)