Accounts Payable Specialist

iQ Student Accommodation; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Site visits across the UK

Job summary

iQ Student Accommodation is seeking an organised, proactive Accounts Payable Specialist to join our Finance Team. You will be the key contact for Purchase to Pay activities, ensuring invoices and payments are processed accurately and efficiently, with frequent collaboration across sites, corporate teams and our outsourced provider.

You will visit UK sites, support onboarding of new suppliers, deliver training on P2P processes and help drive improvements in payment performance and controls.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in Accounts Payable, Purchase-to-Pay or similar finance role.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills.
• Confidence managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to build strong relationships with colleagues, suppliers and external partners.
• Proactive, solution-focused mindset with a drive for continuous improvement.
• Experience with outsourced finance providers is advantageous but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Managing supplier relationships and ensuring payments are processed accurately and on time.
• Acting as the go-to contact for Purchase Orders, invoices and payment-related queries across the business.
• Working with site and corporate teams to reduce outstanding invoices and improve payment performance.
• Leading monthly supplier statement reconciliations and resolving discrepancies.
• Coordinating ad hoc and urgent payments, including supplier verification procedures.
• Supporting onboarding of new suppliers with Procurement.
• Delivering training on Purchase-to-Pay processes across the organisation.
• Building relationships with internal stakeholders and our Accounts Payable partner.
• Identifying opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
• Supporting audits, compliance activities and financial controls within Accounts Payable.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Attention to detail

Organisational skills

Prioritisation

Communication

Stakeholder management

Continuous improvement

Job description

iQ is one of the UK's biggest providers of student accommodation, committed to giving our 37,000 students in 86 sites across 29 UK cities their best year yet.

Our London and Manchester based support teams are the cog that keeps the iQ wheels turning, providing our brilliant site teams with everything they need to deliver a fantastic student experience every day.

iQers are a pretty special bunch. Our team is bursting with independent thinkers and problem solvers, who join us to explore what's possible and build a career as part of a diverse, fun and supportive team. If you have people skills, personality and potential then you have all the makings of a great iQer.

We're looking for an organised, proactive and relationship focused Accounts Payable Specilaist to join our Finance Team. This role sits within our Group Reporting & Controls function and is ideal for someone who enjoys working with people, solving problems and driving process improvements.

As the key point of contact for Purchase to Pay activities, you'll work closely with colleagues across our sites, corporate teams, suppliers and our outsourced Accounts Payable provider, ensuring invoices and payments are processed accurately and efficiently.

You'll also have the opportunity to visit our student accommodation sites across the UK, building strong relationships and supporting teams on the ground.

Want to know what it's really like to work at iQ? Check us out on Glassdoor and hear directly from our people.

We operate a hybrid working model with 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home / site location.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing supplier relationships and ensuring payments are processed accurately and on time.
• Acting as the go-to contact for Purchase Orders, invoices and payment-related queries across the business.
• Working closely with site and corporate teams to reduce outstanding invoices and improve payment performance.
• Leading monthly supplier statement reconciliations and resolving discrepancies.
• Coordinating ad hoc and urgent payments, including supplier verification procedures.
• Supporting the onboarding of new suppliers alongside the Procurement team.
• Delivering training and guidance on Purchase-to-Pay processes across the organisation.
• Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and our outsourced Accounts Payable partner.
• Identifying opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
• Supporting audits, compliance activities and financial controls within the Accounts Payable cycle.
• Assisting with exciting business projects, including the onboarding of new and acquired properties.

Skills and Experience:

• Previous experience within Accounts Payable, Purchase-to-Pay or a similar finance role.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills.
• Confidence managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues, suppliers and external partners.
• A proactive, solution-focused mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.
• Experience working with outsourced finance providers would be advantageous but is not essential.