Senior Manager - Accounts Payable

UniFirst•Wilmington, MA

About The Position

Responsible for the design, process re-engineering and daily management of the end to end process and control requirements of company’s high volume, full cycle Accounts Payable process. Work to ensure ongoing compliance and achievement of “pass” status on all SOX related controls. Resource will establish and manage to a strong working relationship with the corporate procurement team, serve as working member of Procure to Pay (P2P) solution assessment and implementation team(s) and serve as a member of the Financial Operations Leadership team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and/or AP or P2P Manager certification required.
Minimum of 10 years progressive full cycle AP experience, including 5 years of management experience
Knowledge of accounting and tax regulations (as pertaining to AP)
Experience with Procure to Pay implementations and process management
Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and proven ability to effectively communicate with cross functional business professionals (internal and external) at all levels
Excellent Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills, PeopleSoft knowledge preferable
Outstanding leadership, organizational skills and ability to effectively lead and oversee team within a high volume, service related atmosphere
Experience with SOX activities and controls, interfacing with Internal Audit and resolving process and control issues
Detailed-oriented with a proven ability to effectively prioritize

Responsibilities

Develop and report on Metrics & Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in support of Accounts Payable performance, financial results (P&L / Balance Sheet) and overall contributions to company value creation
Structure and manage staff to ensure completion of accurate and timely A/P deliverables
Guide staff on the research and resolution of moderate to complex issues that surface by way of customer inquiry or process review
Ensure that all team members provide a consistently high level of service and performance
Ensure the design and implementation of a vendor management process that includes timely, accurate vendor file maintenance, compliance with tax related process responsibilities and maximization of payment terms that drive favorable cash flow impact.
Design, implement and manage procedures and controls required to mitigate duplicate or erroneous payments
Serve as a working member of the ERP implementation team while ensuring that Accounts Payable and Financial Operations requirements are developed, presented and integrated into the chosen ERP and Procure to Pay solutions.
Work with Procurement team to develop and implement Procure to Pay (P2P) processes that continuously increase Purchase Order compliance % and support the Accounts Payable process requirements
Partner with the Supply Chain Management team on the implementation of Inventory Management Module / RT3 ERP design to maximize the efficiency of Accounts Payable
Develop, implement and manage processes required to increase automated payment % methods as a % of overall payment output.
Partner with Accounting and Treasury team(s) to ensure the successful, timely and accurate completion of all Accounts Payable monthly, quarterly and annual fiscal requirements, including research and resolution of reconciliation related items
Partner with Treasury in developing and continuously refining the UNF cash flow forecast driving towards accuracy on a quarterly, annual and multi annual time period
Drive or support the evaluation, implementation and management of solutions designed to automate or continuously improve Accounts Payable process components.
Identify and drive implementation of enhanced or automated Accounts Payable solutions or tools designed to increase scalability while improving group productivity and efficiency.
Ensure development and completion of AP policies, procedures and process documentation as well as drive ongoing process evaluation and testing in support of process compliance, Internal Audit and SOX requirements.
Work to ensure ongoing compliance and achievement of “pass” status on all AP related SOX controls.
Work with team members to ensure the timely and thorough completion of (1) annual goals and objectives, (2) employee performance assessments and (3) employee development plans