AP Manager

*Accounts Payable Manager | Food Manufacturing | Black Country, West Midlands*Location

Black Country, West Midlands

Contract

Permanent, full time

Salary

Circa £55,000 plus benefits

Sector

Food Manufacturing

Team

Leading an Accounts Payable team of five

An opportunity has opened up for an experienced Accounts Payable Manager to join a large, well established food manufacturing business based in the Black Country. This is a highly cash generative, operationally focused organisation, and the AP function sits right at the heart of how it runs. You will be leading a stable, hardworking team at an interesting point, with a Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation currently under way.

*About the role*

Reporting into the finance leadership team, you will take full ownership of the purchase ledger and lead a team of five, including a senior AP team member who acts as your number two, three AP clerks handling the day to day transactional workload, and an administrator supporting invoice scanning and processing.

The team is settled, works well together and simply gets on with it. What the business is looking for now is a manager who can build on those foundations, raise standards further and bring real people leadership to the function. You will be the key decision maker within AP, handling the more complex supplier conversations and making sure the process runs accurately and on time.

There is a structured handover planned with the outgoing manager, so you will be well supported as you settle in.

*Key responsibilities*

Lead, manage and develop an Accounts Payable team of five, setting clear expectations and building a strong performance culture

Own the end to end purchase ledger process, including PO matching, invoice processing, supplier payments and supplier statement reconciliations

Act as the senior point of escalation for supplier queries, disputes and tricky conversations

Maintain best practice and strict adherence to controls, policies and process guidelines

Play an active role in the ongoing Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation, including automated PO matching and a move away from paper based invoicing

Manage people matters in a fair, consistent and compliant way

Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders across operations, purchasing and finance

Support month end, cash management and reporting requirements from an AP perspective

*What we are looking for*

Proven experience managing an Accounts Payable within a large business

Strong people management skills, with confidence managing performance and handling difficult conversations professionally - where needed.

A strong but approachable personality, someone personable who can still hold the line and keep appropriate professional boundaries

Excellent communication skills with both internal teams and external suppliers

A practical, commercially minded approach, able to think for yourself rather than relying purely on process

Experience of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is desirable but not essential

Manufacturing, FMCG or operational business experience would be an advantage

*Why apply*

A permanent leadership role in a large, financially strong and stable business

A settled, hardworking team that is ready for a manager to develop them further

Exposure to a live ERP implementation and the chance to shape how the function runs going forward

A collaborative, down to earth culture where people get on and deliver

A planned handover period to set you up for success

*Interested?* If you are an Accounts Payable Manager, Purchase Ledger Manager or experienced AP Team Leader ready for your next step, I would be glad to hear from you. Apply directly or get in touch for a confidential conversation about the role. Interviews will be taking place in early November, so early applications are encouraged.

Trinity House Group |