Senior Accounts Payable Officer

Vacancy Name: Senior Accounts Payable Officer

Vacancy No: VN

Contract Type: EFT

Location: Cape Town

Overall Purpose: Reporting to the Accounts Payable Supervisor, the Senior Accounts Payable Officer will provide financial and administrative support to all operating entities across the Stonehage Fleming Group.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Maintaining the purchase ledgers of the Group operating entities, including liaising with department heads, chasing outstanding invoices and expense authorisations, posting invoices and staff expense forms whilst maintaining a full and accurate document repository.
2. Communicate effectively with the manager / business / finance / vendors in a professional manner to address and resolve queries, attend meetings and escalate concerns where appropriate.
3. Adhere to business policies, procedures and financial controls, whilst identifying and reviewing ineffective controls and proposing continuous improvement of processes.
4. Timeous resolution of open items in the shared mailbox, delegating to AP Officers, escalating and following up where appropriate to ensure emails are addressed and stakeholder expectations are managed.
5. Prepare and review (1st or 2nd level checks) payment files for approval and processing payments on the banking platform, daily updates of cash ledgers and perform / review reconciliations where required.
6. Review bank accounts, vendor and credit care ageing weekly liaising with the responsible AP Officer.
7. Perform and review the month end close on the bank accounts, vendor and credit card ageing and request missing recurring invoices.
8. Identify and resolve long outstanding and credit balances on the credit card ageing and debit balances on the vendor ageing.
9. Work with GL accountants to establish a cash forecast to ensure the required cash is available in the correct bank accounts for the proposed payments.
10. Review fixed asset reconciled accounts and execute internal and external audit queries within the required period.
11. Review and approve vendor changes and ensure the new vendor on-boarding process is followed.
12. Assist in the planning and/or implementation of changes impacting the AP team (e.g., UAT / updating procedures, etc.).
13. Play a guiding and mentoring role to support team members, particularly more junior Accounts Payable Officers by sharing knowledge, training, participating in recruitment, and stepping in to resolve more complicated AP matters.
14. Input into the performance reviews of more junior AP Officers.
15. Ad hoc requests.

Qualifications and Experience:

1. Accounting qualification.
2. 3-5 years accounts payable or accounting experience.
3. Knowledge of global VAT matters.
4. Significant purchase ledger experience.
5. Knowledge of Microsoft BC systems (an advantage).

Competencies, Skills and Behaviours:

1. Excellent attention to detail and accurate data entry.
2. Numerate.
3. Strong organisational skills.
4. Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills and MS Office.
5. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective working relationships.
6. Team player who is willing to help others and cover for colleagues when they are absent.
7. Leadership orientation.
8. Ability to work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines.
9. Pro-active and solutions focused.
10. French, German and/or Hebrew language skills would be an advantage.

We offer you the opportunity to work in an open environment within an international, fast-growing organization.

Education Level:

Degree or Equivalent

Experience Level:

Senior

Benefits: