Payments Lead

British Sugar Plc; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK company is seeking an Accounts Payable Supervisor to manage the AP team, ensuring all payments are executed following effective fraud prevention controls. This role includes delivering high-quality services, producing monthly reports, and supervising the team. The ideal candidate will possess an accounting qualification, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and be adept with Excel and Power BI. A commitment to workplace respect and inclusivity is paramount.

Qualifications

• Transformation experience is preferred.
• Ability to influence effectively at all levels.
• Capable of challenging constructively and prioritizing workload.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the AP team and manage their workload.
• Deliver a high-quality Accounts Payable service.
• Ensure effective controls to prevent fraud.
• Produce monthly AP cash forecasting.

Skills

Knowledge of credit control or accounts payable functions

Advanced Excel skills

Power BI experience

Strong interpersonal skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to analyse data

Experience of supervising a team

Education

Accounting qualification (AAT or part-qualified CIMA/ACCA)

Minimum of 5 GCSEs grade A-C including English and Maths

Job description

Supervise the AP team and manage the workload and team training needs to ensure all expenses and invoices for British Sugar, AB Sugar, Silver Spoon and Allinsons are paid as per the payment terms, payment run schedule and with effective controls maintained to prevent fraud (in line with ABF policy).

Key Responsibilities

• Link between AP team and Leadership teams.
• Deliver a high quality Accounts Payable service to the business.

Core Accountabilities – Governance and Controls

• Ensuring that there are effective controls and integrities in place for P2P to prevent fraudulent activity.
• Create and distribute monthly KPI packs to FLT and sites.
• Drive down non‑compliance in P2P process by working with different areas of the business at both central office and sites.
• Maintain the Anti Bribery & Corruption (AB&C) register including verification of authorisation forms to actual spend. Investigative work to identify any spend made without pre‑authorisation.
• Review employee expense claims in SAP Concur to ensure they are accurately coded with relevant approvals, receipts and back up information.

Payment Process

• Process overseas payments within Findur.
• Authorisation of self‑billing interfaces.
• Process one‑off payment requests in Docusign.
• Ensure any urgent payments required are processed during Payments Manager cover.

Processing

• Working with outsourced invoice scanning company to ensure accurate input of Supplier invoices and credit notes into the ledger.
• Produce monthly AP cash forecasting for Treasury.
• Targeting of aged items to drive down unapproved invoice statistics.
• Monitoring debit balances and ensuring funds are recovered in a timely manner.
• Provide support to AP team helping to resolve day to day queries.

Other Responsibilities

• Production of balance sheet reconciliations ensuring any reconciling items cleared in a timely manner in line with the Financial Control Framework.
• Provide cover for and assist the Payments Manager.
• Lead and develop the Accounts Payable team, developing a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Reduction in aged invoice items and elimination of any invoice queries over 60 days.
• Production of weekly invoice in query report.
• Instrumental in supporting continuous improvement projects within the AP team.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of credit control or accounts payable functions.
• Accounting qualification (AAT or part‑qualified CIMA/ACCA).
• Minimum of 5 GCSEs grade A‑C inc. English and Maths.
• Understands the importance of safe working within job/function/team.
• Experience of supervising a team.
• Transformation experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Power BI experience.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ability to influence effectively at all levels.
• Ability to analyse data and synthesise key messages.
• Capable of challenging constructively.
• Works on own initiative.
• Able to prioritise and manage own workload balancing conflicting priorities.
• Able to work within and be part of a high performing team.

We are committed to creating an environment where all our people are treated with respect and given the opportunities to succeed. We want British Sugar to be a great, inclusive place to work for everyone.

£41,505 to £44,000 per annum