AP Manager

Illinois Crane Inc; Conshohocken (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Illinois Crane Inc. is seeking an Accounts Payable Manager to lead the AP function for a manufacturing company in the Midwest. The role emphasizes vendor management, process improvements, and team development to support timely, accurate payables.

The AP Manager will own vendor relationships, ensure reconciliations, and enforce internal controls while coordinating with the Corporate Controller through regular updates and escalation as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field preferred.
• Experience leading AP teams or functions.
• Strong understanding of AP processes and controls.
• Proficiency with Beanworks or similar AP systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the AP function and ensure timely, accurate processing of payables.
• Maintain vendor relationships and ensure timely reconciliations of statements.
• Enforce duplicate-payment controls and monitor aging of payables.
• Provide weekly status reports to the Corporate Controller.
• Develop and mentor AP team members and maintain process documentation.

Skills

Team management

Vendor management

Accounts Payable

Process improvement

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

Tools

Beanworks

Job description

24/7 emergency service always available to our customers.

A rewarding career serving the manufacturing industry awaits you at Illinois Crane! As an employee at Illinois Crane Incorporated, you will enjoy being part of a dedicated team of professionals– a group of experts providing plant automation and material handling solutions on a daily basis to some of the largest manufacturers in the Midwest!Illinois Crane is always looking for people experienced in the plant automation/material handling field who are eager to work in a dynamic, team-oriented environment. The company seeks people with exceptional skills… people with the drive and desire to provide superior service to their customers …people that always strive for the highest level of professionalism …people who want to SUCCEED!

The Accounts Payable Manager is the single point of accountability for the AP function: the people, the process, and the results. The AP Manager owns vendor relationships from a payables standpoint, the accuracy and timeliness of all AP work product, and the management and development of the AP team. The Corporate Controller is an escalation point — not the first line of contact for vendors, and not the working manager of the AP staff.

Reporting Structure

• Direct reports: all members of the AP team, including the AP Supervisor and the AP Specialist. All AP staff report to the AP Manager; no member of the AP team reports to another member of the team.
• Work direction: the AP Manager — and only the AP Manager — assigns work, sets meeting requirements, and reviews performance for AP staff.

Core Responsibilities

1. Team management and development

• Maintain a professional, accountable team environment. Address interpersonal conflicts directly and promptly; conflicts within the team are resolved by the AP Manager, not escalated around her.
• Maintain a current, written role description for each team member, reviewed with and signed by the employee. Expectations, tasks, and boundaries are documented — not assumed.
• Manage performance: set expectations, coach, document recurring issues, and apply corrective action with HR support when needed.
• Own every question brought by a team member: answer it, or research it and return with an answer within one business day. Redirecting staff to other departments as a default is not acceptable.
• Run a single, defined team meeting cadence. One-on-one meetings between the AP Manager and a team member include only those two people unless the AP Manager decides otherwise.

2. AP operations and quality control

• Own the accuracy of AP work product. Maintain an error log and a quality-review process; recurring errors trigger a documented corrective plan (training, review, or escalation).
• Ensure vendor statements are reviewed and reconciled monthly, with the AP Manager’s documented sign-off. Discrepancies are worked to resolution, not carried.
• Operate a duplicate-payment control before every payment run. Duplicate payments are a zero-tolerance standard.
• Ensure invoices are processed accurately and timely and payments go out per the approved cash plan, with remittances sent.
• Own the AP aging: know every significant balance, work past-due accounts proactively, and resolve credit holds before they affect operations.
• Be the vendor-facing contact for payment questions and payment plans within approved authority. Vendors call the AP Manager — not the Controller.
• Escalate to the Corporate Controller only per the escalation matrix: when financial authority above the AP Manager’s limit is required, or when a vendor specifically requires leadership.

4. Coverage and continuity

• Maintain a documented absence-coverage plan. When a team member is out, critical tasks — invoice processing, payment runs, vendor inquiries, statement reconciliation — are kept current by the AP Manager or assigned coverage.
• Work performed by the AP Manager while covering is accurate and self-reviewed before release; returning employees should not find their work undone.

5. Reporting

• Provide the Corporate Controller a written weekly status every Friday: aging summary, vendor issues and payment plans, statement reconciliation status, error trends, and team workload — delivered without prompting.

6. Functional and administrative duties

• Prepare and file annual 1099s accurately and by the IRS deadline, including W-9 collection and vendor record maintenance throughout the year.
• Maintain compliance with business licenses and registrations relevant to the AP function: track renewal dates and complete renewals before expiration — no lapses.
• Communicate proactively with the team and affected departments: vendor holds, releases, and payment status changes are announced promptly — the team should never learn of a hold from the vendor.
• Maintain full working proficiency in Beanworks and all AP systems; serve as the first line of support and training for the team — the AP Manager must be able to answer how-to questions, not redirect them.
• Keep the company’s D&B report current and accurate, and monitor it for changes that could affect vendor credit terms.
• Administer the corporate credit card program: card issuance and limits, timely collection of receipts and coding, and monthly reconciliation of all card accounts.
• This list is not exhaustive: the AP Manager performs other duties as assigned by the Corporate Controller and remains responsible for the complete and accurate operation of the AP function, whether or not a specific task is enumerated here.