Purchasing Support Specialist

ITV; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media company is looking for a Purchasing Support Specialist to join their Group Finance team in Manchester. This role involves ensuring compliance within the Purchase to Pay process, supporting financial operations, and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives. Ideal candidates will have strong analytical skills, substantial experience in Accounts Payable, and proficiency in Excel and financial software.

Qualifications

• Significant experience within Accounts Payable.
• Very good understanding of the purchasing process steps.
• Ability to analyze and present data effectively.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with company financial policies.
• Generate supplier account reports and monitor claims.
• Assist in creating and managing purchase orders.

Skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Process improvement mindset

Organisational skills

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Oracle Fusion

Job description

Workplace: ITV Manchester, Media City - expectation is 2-3 days in the office.

The team..

In Group Finance, we support teams across the whole of ITV, helping them create content and products that millions of people interact with every single day. When you join us, you enter a fun working environment with opportunities to learn, to grow and make a real difference. Small enough that your impact’s felt in the business, but big enough that your impact reaches millions of people.

To enhance our support, ITV is restructuring its Third Party Payments team, shifting towards a compliance-focused approach to drive change, ensure policy adherence, and optimise workflow efficiency making the purchase to pay process seamless.

The role..

The Purchasing Support Specialist assists in ensuring compliant and effective Purchase to Pay and the smooth and efficient operation of requisition to payment activities. This includes helping with purchase order queries, supplier and business communications and data analysis to drive compliance throughout the processes. A key focus will be driving business user compliance against Company Policy through auditing, monitoring and reporting.

This role requires strong analytical and influencing skills with expert knowledge in all

Purchase to Pay (PTP) functions, and a keen eye for detail. This high-profile role will drive compliance through behavioural change, accurate and quality data and by creating strong stakeholder relationships using factual data.

Some of your key day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Ensure compliance with company financial policies and procedures through accurate reporting and assessments.
• Generate supplier account reports, monitor overdue claims, and support risk mitigation efforts.
• Assist in the creation and management of purchase orders in line with company guidelines.
  Identify and resolve discrepancies between invoices, purchase orders, and receipts in collaboration with relevant teams.
• Support the implementation of process improvements and compliance initiatives with internal stakeholders.
• Deliver training and guidance on purchasing compliance and policy adherence.
• Maintain and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as required.
• Track team KPIs and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support onboarding and training of new team members and promote knowledge sharing within the team.
• Actively pursue personal development opportunities and contribute to team success.

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)

• Significant experience within Accounts Payable
• Very good understanding of the purchasing process steps
• Can demonstrate a significant understanding of the end to end requisition to pay process
• Can provide evidence of analysing and presenting data across all levels of an organisation
• Has a basic understanding of general ledger / double entry
• Excellent proficiency using Excel / Google sheets

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

• Can demonstrate a process improvement mindset
• Experience of working with Finance ERPs (Oracle Fusion an advantage).
• Experience of working in a Shared Services / GBS environment is preferred.
• Has a good understanding of accounting principles.
• Has excellent Requisition to Pay understanding.
• Can demonstrate resilience and the ability to adapt as required.
• Attention to detail and strong analytical skills.
• Ability to navigate complex processes and provide recommendations.
• Risk and fraud awareness.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities.
• Adaptability and ability to stay updated on process and business changes.
• Ability to manage inquiries and resolve disputes professionally.

Please note, on occasion we may receive a very large volume of applications which means applications for a role may close earlier than the referenced closing date. We’d encourage you to apply as soon as possible if interested.