Senior Accounts Technician - Accounts Payable

Allianz UK; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Performance-based bonus

Pension scheme

Employee discounts

Job summary

Allianz UK is seeking a Senior Accounts Technician to join the Accounts Payable team in a hybrid role based in Guildford. You will act as the AP SME, drive process improvements and support audits, while mentoring colleagues and coordinating with offshore teams.

The role requires strong SAP/BEx knowledge, Excel skills and professional accounting qualifications. Salary is circa £55,000 with a comprehensive reward package and flexible working options.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Accounts or Accounts Payable.
• Experience with SAP and reporting tools (BEx).
• Part-qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/ACA) or equivalent.
• Experience collaborating with offshore/geographically dispersed teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Accounts Payable SME for your workstream, providing technical leadership and ensuring processes and controls align with global operating models and policies.
• Improve the controls environment and support audit recommendations to strengthen governance and mitigate risk.
• Drive continuous improvement in AP through automation, standardisation and process simplification.
• Own and coordinate external audit processes for your area with stakeholder engagement.
• Support projects relating to Accounting Harmonisation and payment process improvements.
• Develop strong relationships with internal and external customers to ensure outputs meet business requirements.
• Maintain an effective control framework for payments, reconciliations and related controls.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Stakeholder management

Analytical

Process improvement

Mentoring

Governance

Education

Part Qualified Accountant (ACCA, CIMA or ACA)

Tools

SAP

BEx

Excel

Job description

Role Description

We're looking for a motivated and detail-orientated Senior Accounts Technician to join our Accounts Payable team.

Working within our Accounts Payable team, you will play a key role in ensuring the effective delivery of reporting, controls, governance and operational excellence across the function. As a technical expert, you will use your knowledge of Accounts Payable processes, systems and controls to drive continuous improvement, support key business initiatives and provide guidance to colleagues and stakeholders. You'll be the go-to person for complex queries, helping to shape best practice across the team while providing support to the Team Leader and deputising in their absence.

Location

This role is be based in our Guildford office, please note that this is a hybrid working role with the expectation that attend the office 40% of your time.

Salary Information

Pay: Circa £55,000 per year. Pay is based on relevant experience, skills for the role, and location. Salary is only one part of our total reward package.

About You

As a Senior Accounts Technician - Accounts Payable, you will:

• Act as the Accounts Payable subject matter expert for your designated workstream, providing technical leadership and ensuring processes, controls and ways of working remain aligned to global operating models, policies, regulatory requirements and best practice.
• Improve the controls environment and support the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations to strengthen governance and mitigate risk.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement within Accounts Payable, proactively identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency, productivity, control effectiveness and service delivery through process simplification, standardisation, automation and the adoption of best practice.
• Own and coordinate the external audit process for your area, ensuring timely delivery of audit requirements and effective stakeholder engagement throughout.
• Support projects relating to Accounting Harmonisation and payment process improvements.
• Identify opportunities for process simplification, automation and standardisation, working with relevant stakeholders to develop and implement sustainable solutions.
• Develop strong relationships with both internal and external customers, understanding their needs and ensuring outputs consistently meet business requirements.
• Build and maintain an effective control framework for your area, ensuring all payments, reconciliations and associated controls are completed accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with offshore Accounts Payable teams, providing clear direction, support and constructive challenge where required to ensure consistent process execution, effective issue resolution, service excellence and adherence to agreed controls, standards and service levels.
• Support the Team Leader, mentor colleagues across the wider team, act as a referral point for complex queries and provide cover during periods of absence.
• Monitor key Accounts Payable performance indicators to identify trends, inefficiencies, service delivery issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Analyse root causes of recurring issues, control weaknesses and process inefficiencies, implementing corrective actions to deliver sustainable improvements and reduce operational risk.
• Use management information and performance data to identify trends, monitor service delivery performance and provide insights that support decision-making and continuous improvement across the Accounts Payable function.

Essential Skills

• Significant experience working within an Accounts or Accounts Payable function.
• Good knowledge of SAP and BEx systems.
• Part Qualified Accountant (ACCA, CIMA or ACA).
• Experience working collaboratively with offshore or geographically dispersed teams to achieve operational objectives.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Excel and good working knowledge of other MS applications.
• Strong understanding of how business activities translate into financial transactions and reporting.
• Capability to mentor and support colleagues within a team environment.
• Experience operating within a strong controls and governance framework.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and operational performance.

Desirable Skills

• Experience driving process improvement, automation or continuous improvement initiatives within a finance or Accounts Payable environment.
• Experience supporting internal and external audit activities.
• Experience developing management information, performance reporting or operational dashboards.
• Understanding of accounting harmonisation, transformation or finance change initiatives.
• Knowledge of the insurance or financial services sector.
• Responsible Artificial Intelligence usage.

What We Will Offer You

Recognised and rewarded for a job well done, we have a range of flexible benefits for you to choose from- so you can pick a package that’s perfect for you. We also offer flexible working options, global career opportunities across the wider Allianz Group, and fantastic career development and training. That’s on top of enjoying all the benefits you’d expect from the world’s number one insurance brand, including:

• Flexible buy/sell holiday options
• Hybrid working
• Annual performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme
• Development days
• A discount up to 50% on a range of insurance products including car, home and pet
• Retail discounts
• Volunteering days

Our Ways of Working

Do you need flexibility with the hours you work? Let us know as part of your application and if it's right for our customers, our business and for you, then we'll do everything we can to make it happen. Here at Allianz, we are signatories of the ABIs flexible working charter. We believe in supporting hybrid work patterns, which balance the needs of our customers, with your personal circumstances and our business requirements. Our aim with this is to help innovation, creativity, and you to thrive - Your work life balance is important to us.

Inclusive Support & Accessibility

At Allianz, we are committed to fostering building an inclusive, accessible workplace where everyone can thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we welcome applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates and offer tailored adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace, whether that’s assistive technology, ergonomic equipment, flexible working arrangements, mentoring or coaching. We want to encourage candidates to speak with us about any adjustments they may need. We're here to support you.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition and meet the essential criteria, you can choose to be considered through our Offer an Interview Scheme.

Closing date

4th November 2026.

Join us - Lets Care for Tomorrow.

108572 | Finance & Accounting | Professional | Non-Executive | Allianz UK | Full-Time | Permanent