Dir Accounts Payable

Follett Higher Education•Westchester, IL

About The Position

Follett Higher Education is a leading educational service provider and omnichannel retailer, providing students, faculty, staff, parents, and fans with the course materials, learning tools, and retail services needed to successfully support the collegiate journey. Follett Higher Education supports over 6 million students through its 1,100 physical and 1,750 eCommerce campus stores across North America. The Director of Accounts Payable will lead all aspects of the day-to-day operations for the accounts payable functions, including supervising accounts payable staff, providing accounting services, implementing financial policies and procedures, and maintaining appropriate internal controls. Works to improve departmental work methods to enhance efficiencies. The position is responsible for the efficient and accurate processing of supplier invoices (both expenses and merchandise) as well as any associated adjustments. The Director is the key point of contact for both external stakeholders (e.g., Vendors) and internal stakeholders (e.g., Sourcing, GM & PUB Merchant team, plus other Finance teams, etc.) to address any concerns or issues in a timely manner. Under the direction of the CFO, the individual will cooperatively work to manage cash flow, optimize system processing, and will not hesitate to roll up their sleeves to address any issues associated with the Accounts Payable function.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business or accounting preferred or equivalent.
10+ years of Accounts Payable experience.
A self-starter who can manage in an environment of change and with a significant workload.
Must possess high-level communication skills, presence, and engagement to build strong business relationships with multiple stakeholders.
The candidate will be a change agent who is flexible, in a rapid-paced environment, and possesses solid problem-solving skills and attention to detail to identify, investigate, and resolve anomalies in the data.
Ability to work collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, and outside parties to maximize performance, creativity, problem-solving, and results.
Proficient in project management skills.

Nice To Haves

Accounting designation preferred, but not required.
Experience in the retail industry, while not required, is preferred.
Experience working with a geographically distributed team, including offshore, is preferred.
Direct experience in AP change (new systems and/or new processes) obtained either through merger integration or corporate restructuring is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Manages the Accounts Payable function for Follett, including the activities of the AP processing staff engaged in payment processing, chargeback transaction validation, store support, and vendor relationship management.
Timely and accurate processing of vendor invoices (expense, merchandise).
Prepares a variety of reports (monthly, quarterly, and annually) and takes proactive steps to resolve issues and direct attention to key risk areas.
Monitor the invoice processing activities and proactively manage any issues impacting the accuracy or timeliness of vendor payments.
Act as the "face" of the Accounts Payable team and exhibit a high degree of customer service for internal "customers/business partners" across the organization. Resolve any performance issues / challenges that are escalated for resolution both within Follett and external suppliers.
Develop and evaluate employee performance and workloads, determine priorities, and implement changes to improve productivity and increase efficiency.
Manages monthly closing of AP and posting of month-end information and ensures the accuracy of Account Reconciliations.
Responsible for the performance of the geographically distributed AP team, including development, training, and promotions/recruitment/terminations.
Responsible for overseeing and ensuring the performance standards of the AP services provided by an outsourcing vendor.
Leads and participates in special projects and supports the CFO as required.