Accounts Payable Lead

Advania UK; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 312,000 - 324,000; Full time

Job summary

Advania UK is seeking a hands-on junior leader to bridge the Accounts Payable Assistants and AP Manager in the South Africa team. You will mentor staff, coordinate workloads, and support transformation projects across the Group.

You will act as the primary contact for the SA AP team, drive process improvements, and collaborate on automation opportunities while maintaining strong controls and accurate processing.

Qualifications

• Hands-on AP experience in high-volume environment.
• Experience coaching or mentoring colleagues.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• End-to-end AP knowledge: invoices, reconciliations, payments, month-end controls.
• Experience with process improvement or finance transformation is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and practical problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary day-to-day contact for the South Africa Accounts Payable team.
• Mentor, coach and support Accounts Payable Assistants, encouraging knowledge sharing.
• Coordinate priorities and workloads to support accurate, timely delivery and team coverage.
• Provide first-line escalation support for complex supplier, invoice, reconciliation and payment queries.
• Support AP activities across all Group entities.
• Partner with the AP Manager on transformation, technology and process improvements.
• Help implement standardized AP processes across entities where practical.
• Lead and maintain process documentation and SOPs.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls and service quality, including automation and AI opportunities.
• Support month-end activities, reporting and audit requests.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Coaching

Stakeholder management

Microsoft Excel

ERP systems

Tools

Microsoft Excel

ERP systems

Job description

Position Overview

This is a hands‑on junior leadership role positioned between the Accounts Payable Assistants and the Accounts Payable Manager. You will be the primary contact for the South Africa team, providing daily support and direction while partnering with the Manager on larger transformation projects across the Group.

Salary & Benefits

The budgeted salary for this role is between 28,000 ZAR - 29,000 ZAR monthly.

Hybrid working

We recognise the benefits that remote and flexible working brings. We operate a hybrid working policy that allows our employees to balance time in the office and time from home. Each team within our organisation can decide how to implement this policy.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary day‑to‑day contact for the South Africa Accounts Payable team.
• Mentor, coach and support Accounts Payable Assistants, encouraging knowledge sharing and cross‑training.
• Coordinate priorities and workloads to support accurate, timely delivery and effective team cover.
• Provide practical guidance and first‑line escalation support for complex supplier, invoice, reconciliation and payment queries.
• Support Accounts Payable activities across all Group entities.
• Partner with the Accounts Payable Manager on transformation, technology and process‑improvement projects.
• Help implement consistent, standardised Accounts Payable processes across entities, where practical.
• Lead and maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls and service quality, including appropriate automation and AI opportunities.
• Support month‑end activities, reporting, audit requests and the resolution of aged or high‑risk items.

Qualifications & Experience

• Strong hands‑on Accounts Payable experience in a high‑volume environment.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or guiding colleagues.
• Confidence to act as a first point of contact and escalation for an operational team.
• Sound knowledge of end‑to‑end Accounts Payable processes, including invoice processing, supplier reconciliations, payment support, month‑end and controls.
• Experience contributing to process improvement, system implementation or finance transformation initiatives will be an advantage.
• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and practical problem solving ability.
• Ability to balance daily operational priorities with longer‑term project work.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and accounting or ERP systems.
• A collaborative, supportive and delivery‑focused leadership style.
• Comfortable rolling up their sleeves and getting involved in the detail of transactional

About Us

We are the tech company with people at heart.

At Advania, we believe in empowering people to create sustainable value through the clever use of technology. As one of Microsoft's leading partners in the UK, specialising in Azure, Security, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365, we have a proven track record of success in delivering transformational IT services.

Tech is created for people. Our services impact every part of life. We are passionate about understanding your issues, your business, your needs. Our business is built around understanding people, and our employees are empowered to act on this understanding every day.

Our Selection Process

We are committed to ensuring an equitable experience for all candidates, regardless of race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis as protected by applicable law.

Please do let us know if you’ll need any reasonable adjustments as part of the selection process by highlighting these on your application form.

As part of our commitment to our clients we will need to carry out background checks, including a criminal record check, for all offers of employment. If you have any unspent criminal convictions or questions about the screening process, please notify your recruiter once the application has been submitted.