Accounts Payable Operations Lead – Automation & Growth

AerFin; Crawley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary Bonus

Volunteering Leave

Life Assurance

Pension Scheme

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Healthcare Scheme

Annual leave 28 days (+5 optional)

Electric Vehicle Leasing

Grandternity Leave

Appreciation & Festive Reward

Social events

Job summary

AerFin is seeking a Finance Operations Manager for Accounts Payable based in Crawley or Newport. You will lead the AP team, drive process improvements, and ensure strong controls while supporting ERP implementation. This is a permanent, full-time role reporting to Head of Financial Operations within a growing aviation services group.

Ideal candidates will have proven AP leadership, experience in a complex, international business, and a track record of delivering automation and accurate reporting.

Qualifications

• Experience managing Accounts Payable in a large, fast-paced organisation.
• Strong knowledge of AP processes, financial controls and banking administration.
• Experience leading a transactional finance team and driving automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the AP team, setting clear priorities and ensuring timely processing, payments and reconciliations.
• Improve end-to-end AP processes, controls and automation to reduce delays and errors.
• Drive PO, coding, approvals and No PO No Pay compliance.
• Strengthen supplier onboarding, master-data and bank-detail controls.
• Oversee payment preparation and banking administration with segregation of duties.
• Coordinate short-term cash forecasting and visibility of upcoming payments.
• Own AP KPIs, control reporting, procedures and improvement plans.
• Support month-end reporting and resolution of AP balances and statements.
• Act as AP automation SME for ERP design, data cleansing, testing and training.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to embed accountable, consistent processes.
• Support audit, SOX readiness and control testing with clear documentation.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

People leadership

Process improvement

Education

Accounting/Finance qualification desirable

Job description

AerFin is seeking a Finance Operations Manager for Accounts Payable based in Crawley or Newport. You will lead the AP team, drive process improvements, and ensure strong controls while supporting ERP implementation. This is a permanent, full-time role reporting to Head of Financial Operations within a growing aviation services group.

Ideal candidates will have proven AP leadership, experience in a complex, international business, and a track record of delivering automation and accurate reporting.