Accounts Payable Manager

Elan Partners; United States; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Elan Partners is seeking an experienced Accounting & AP Manager to lead a combined U.S. and international AP team and support broader accounting functions. The role combines hands-on accounting with leadership of 8–10 staff and contractors across regions.

The ideal candidate has a strong AP background, is hands-on, and can build structured processes, improve controls, and drive timely month-end close across time zones.

Qualifications

• Progressive experience in Accounting and Accounts Payable.
• Strong AP foundation with broader accounting knowledge.
• Experience leading or developing accounting/AP teams.
• Understanding of month-end close and reconciliations.
• Experience with AP controls and vendor management.
• ERP systems experience; Dynamics a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead an 8–10 person US and international AP team.
• Provide structure, priorities and accountability for a junior team.
• Coach and mentor team members and conduct regular reviews.
• Support month-end close and financial statement analysis.
• Oversee AP operations and vendor master data controls.
• Drive process improvements and automation opportunities.
• Develop reporting and analytics to improve visibility.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Leadership

Excel

Power BI

Microsoft Dynamics

Month-end close

Vendor management

Financial reporting

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

Direct Hire

No Sponsorship

Hybrid

We're partnering with an established, growing organization to hire an experienced Accounting & Accounts Payable Manager to lead a combined U.S. and international AP team while supporting broader accounting and month-end responsibilities. This is a hands-on leadership opportunity for someone with a strong Accounts Payable foundation and solid general accounting experience who enjoys bringing structure to a growing function. The Accounting & AP Manager will lead a team of approximately 8-10 employees and contractors across the U.S. and internationally. Because many team members are earlier in their careers, this person will play an important role in establishing processes, developing the team, creating accountability and improving how work gets done. The ideal candidate is structured, approachable and hands-on - someone who is comfortable leading the function but equally willing to roll up their sleeves to solve a reconciliation, investigate an issue or help the team through a challenging close.

Requirements:

• 5-7+ years of progressive Accounting and Accounts Payable experience.
• Strong hands-on foundation in Accounts Payable, combined with broader general accounting knowledge.
• Previous experience leading, supervising or developing accounting/AP employees.
• Strong understanding of month-end close, balance-sheet reconciliations and general accounting principles.
• Experience with AP controls, vendor management, purchasing/receiving and payment processes.
• Ability to lead a team while remaining hands-on enough to investigate issues and help drive work through completion.
• Demonstrated ability to bring structure to a team, establish processes and improve accountability.
• Experience working with an ERP system; Microsoft Dynamics experience is a plus but not required.
• Experience with AP automation, expense-management or workflow technologies
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Power BI or similar reporting/business-intelligence experience is a plus.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Approachable communication and leadership style, particularly when working with developing/junior team members.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments, cultures and time zones.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field is welcomed but not required; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Experience within wholesale, distribution, retail, apparel, manufacturing, consumer products or another transaction-intensive environment is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities:

Lead & Develop the AP Team

• Lead a combined U.S. and international Accounts Payable team of approximately 8-10 employees and contractors.
• Provide structure, priorities and clear expectations for a relatively junior team.
• Coach and mentor team members while establishing appropriate accountability and ownership.
• Conduct regular meetings with international team leads to review priorities, workflow, issues and performance.
• Improve communication and coordination across teams working in different locations and time zones.
• Create sustainable processes and documentation that enable the team to operate consistently and efficiently.
• Build an approachable environment where team members are comfortable escalating issues while developing greater independence over time.

Accounting & Month-End Close

• Support month-end close and the preparation and analysis of financial statements.
• Maintain and reconcile various balance-sheet accounts.
• Assist with management estimates, journal entries and account analysis.
• Research unusual balances, discrepancies and variances and drive issues through resolution.
• Prepare and assist with sales tax and other required filings, as needed.
• Provide documentation and support for external audits and financial reviews.
• Lead accounting projects and special initiatives.
• Partner with other departments to improve accounting procedures, controls and workflow.

Accounts Payable Operations

• Oversee day-to-day AP operations and ensure transactions are processed accurately and timely.
• Proactively review AP aging and identify issues before they accelerate.
• Ensure internal and external AP inquiries are resolved effectively.
• Oversee vendor master data and appropriate controls surrounding vendor setup and changes.
• Monitor corporate credit-card and employee-expense activity, reconciliation and timely payment.
• Manage AP workflow, transaction volume and outstanding issues.
• Provide training and guidance to team members and internal business partners.

AP Close & Reconciliations

• Manage AP-related month-end close activities.
• Review purchasing and receiving activity to ensure transactions are properly matched and recorded.
• Complete AP module close after validating monthly activity.
• Reconcile AP aging to the general ledger.
• Oversee reconciliations involving corporate cards, purchasing/receiving, AP disputes, overages and other AP-related balance-sheet accounts.
• Ensure reconciling items and outstanding issues are investigated and resolved timely.

Process Improvement & Controls

• Assess existing AP processes and help further define structure, ownership and accountability within the function.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy and scalability.
• Maintain and improve AP policies, procedures and process documentation.
• Strengthen controls surrounding vendor management, purchasing, payments and AP activity.
• Identify root causes behind recurring issues and implement sustainable solutions.
• Lead process-improvement and workflow initiatives.
• Partner with Accounting, Finance, Operations, IT and other business teams on system and process enhancements.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort through workflow automation and emerging financial technologies.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and improve operational and management reporting.
• Monitor AP metrics including invoice volume, payment activity and outstanding items.
• Prepare payment forecasts and vendor-spend analysis.
• Support 1099 and other required AP reporting.
• Utilize Excel and available business-intelligence tools to improve visibility into AP operations and performance.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to do more than maintain an existing AP operation.

The organization is looking for someone who can take ownership of the function, bring greater structure to the team and improve how the department operates while continuing to handle meaningful accounting responsibilities.

You’ll inherit an existing U.S. and international team and have the opportunity to:

• Develop people
• Strengthen processes
• Improve controls
• Increase accountability
• Implement efficiencies
• Build a more scalable AP operation

It’s a strong fit for an experienced AP/accounting professional who enjoys walking into an environment, identifying what can work better and then leading the team through those improvements.

Schedule & International Collaboration

This is a full-time position with standard Monday-Friday business hours.

Because a portion of the team is located internationally, this Manager will participate in once weekly leadership call in the early morning hours.