Director Accounts Payable - Hybrid

Surgery Partners Careers•Brentwood, TN

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, AP Operations owns the day-to-day execution and performance of the centralized Accounts Payable function. This role is accountable for the operational health of AP: transaction processing, exception resolution, staffing, and service delivery to facilities, so that the Sr. Director, Accounts Payable can focus on strategy, platform initiatives, and organizational growth. The Director, AP Operations translates AP strategy into daily execution, manages the AP Manager and broader team, and ensures consistent, accurate, and timely payment processing across all centralized facilities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required.
5+ years of Accounts Payable or finance operations experience, including 2+ years in a people-management or supervisory role.
Experience operating within a centralized or shared-services AP model preferred.
Hands-on experience with AP/procure-to-pay platforms (e.g., Coupa) and payment automation tools strongly preferred.
Strong operational and process management skills, with a bias toward hands-on execution.
Effective people manager, able to coach, develop, and hold a team accountable to daily performance standards.
Detail-oriented with strong controls mindset to prevent payment errors and never events.
Comfortable managing competing priorities and resolving issues under time pressure.
Clear communicator, able to work effectively with facility stakeholders and escalate appropriately to the Sr. Director.

Nice To Haves

Experience operating within a centralized or shared-services AP model preferred.
Hands-on experience with AP/procure-to-pay platforms (e.g., Coupa) and payment automation tools strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the daily operational performance of centralized AP, including invoice processing, payment runs, check printing, and electronic payment execution.
Directly manage the AP Manager and provide oversight of centralized AP staff, ensuring adequate staffing, coverage, and workload balance.
Serve as the primary point of escalation for day-to-day operational issues, exceptions, and service disruptions.
Ensure AP operations run within established service-level targets for invoice cycle time, payment accuracy, and exception turnaround.
Execute against the strategic roadmap set by the Sr. Director, Accounts Payable, translating strategic initiatives into operational workflows and daily team priorities.
Support the rollout and ongoing use of AP platforms (e.g., Coupa, Capturis) at the operational level, ensuring the team is trained, workflows are followed, and adoption is sustained.
Provide operational input and on-the-ground feedback to shape strategic decisions and platform enhancements.
Support the onboarding of new facilities (including surgical hospitals) into centralized AP by managing the operational transition: staffing, workflow setup, and knowledge transfer.
Ensure new facilities are fully integrated into standard AP processes, controls, and reporting once onboarded, and monitor early performance to catch and resolve issues quickly.
Execute day-to-day initiatives to shift payment volume from manual checks to ePayables (ACH, virtual card, and other electronic methods).
Monitor and report on manual check volume, ePayables adoption, and processing cost trends, flagging issues or slippage against targets to the Sr. Director.
Identify recurring operational pain points that create dependence on manual checks and propose fixes at the process level.
Maintain accurate day-to-day operational reporting (volumes, exceptions, aging, error rates) and prepare input for leadership-level KPI reporting.
Monitor for and resolve payment errors, duplicate payments, and control gaps; escalate risk of never events immediately.
Support internal and external audit requests related to AP operations.
Coach and develop the AP Manager and broader AP team, supporting career growth and building bench strength within the operational team.
Manage performance, staffing decisions, and day-to-day people management for the centralized AP operational team.
Foster a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement within the operations team.
Participate in and help drive recurring communication forums, such as weekly facility manager calls, addressing operational questions and service issues directly.
Build strong working relationships with facility contacts to resolve day-to-day payment issues quickly and maintain service quality.