Accounts Payable Team Lead

Overview

In this role you own a key finance function, leading the Accounts Payable and Disbursements teams as they grow. You drive process improvements, support system changes, and build strong cross-business relationships. Based in Manchester with hybrid work, you shape how the team operates and contributes to wider finance goals. You will influence senior stakeholders and support audits and continuous improvement initiatives.

Pay / Benefits

• hybrid working (Manchester)
• inclusive environment
• adjustments or additional support for candidates
• valued and rewarded culture

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Accounts Payable and Disbursements teams, ensuring workloads, invoices, payments and reconciliations meet SLAs
• Develop and support team members, fostering a positive culture and reporting monthly KPIs to senior Finance stakeholders
• Oversee supplier statement reconciliations, creditor balances and weekly payment runs across AP, Disbursements and Expenses; resolve queries with internal and external stakeholders
• Identify opportunities to improve and automate processes, support system implementations, and deliver training on process changes
• Assist with the annual audit as required

Key requirements

• Experience managing, developing and motivating a finance or transactional team
• Resource planning skills to balance workloads and priorities
• Experience leading teams through change, process improvement or transformation
• Problem-solving and root cause analysis with focus on automation and efficiency
• Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills
• Confidence influencing senior stakeholders, fee earners and budget holders

• Stakeholder management
• Leadership and team development
• Change management
• Experience in Accounts Payable/Disbursements or high-volume transactional finance
• Experience supporting finance system implementations or changes
• Knowledge of supplier reconciliations, payment runs and purchase-to-pay processes

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