Trans Financial Controls Mgr

American Electric Power•New Albany, OH

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Transmission Financial Controls Manager will be responsible for the management and oversight of the financial controls, contract management, and participation in the strategic sourcing direction for the AEP Transmission business unit. Management oversight activities include: invoice processing, unvouched liabilities, contract strategies and analysis, contract compliance reviews, vendor and operational audit support, process improvements and LEAN initiatives, data analytics, and other functions as may be assigned to ensure prudent spending and the integrity of financial and operational data. Annual Capital and O&M spend is approximately $2.5 Billion.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Contract Administration, or related discipline; or Minimum of 8 years' related experience.
Related experience would include experience in one or more of the following areas: budgeting, finance, contract administration and/or process improvement activities.
Experienced professional with demonstrated leadership and teamwork capabilities working in a fast-paced environment.
Strong commercial, analytical, oral/written communication, and presentation skills are required.
Ability to successfully work with a diverse set of internal and external partners and all levels of the organization.
Core competencies include: adaptability/flexibility, teamwork/collaboration, communication, and planning/ organizing.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional certification in Finance/ Accounting is preferred but not required.
Operating company, business unit, or corporate finance experience is preferred.
Experience with Microsoft Office, PeopleSoft Financials, Business Objects, and Ventyx Asset Suite is a plus.

Responsibilities

Manage activities related to invoice processing, unvouched liabilities (UVLs), contract reviews, vendor compliance reviews, and Asset Suite system administration activities.
Provide guidance and collaborate with T&D Procurement, Field Services, Project Management, Engineering, Construction Management, and vendors related to complex contract language, billing rates, and compliance with AEP Policies and Guidelines for all AEP Transmission labor and services contracts with annual spend > $1.5 Billion.
Identify, recommend, and participate in developing contracting strategies that align with AEP Transmission goals and objectives.
Participate in the development, preparation, sourcing, and administration of contracts and service agreements.
Develop and implement a contracting strategy for Transmission Field Services; Monitor and provide analytics to identify opportunities for cost efficiencies to ensure prudent spending.
Manage the review of all Sole Source Justification contracts > $1 Million and stand-alone contracts > $5 Million prior to executive review and approval to ensure complex contract terms and conditions are acceptable to AEP Transmission and that billing rates are prudent when compared to similar contracts.
Provide oversight for the Executive Contract Risk assessment to evaluate the relative degree to which AEP risk is increased or decreased in a contract comparative to baseline standard AEP Transmission terms and conditions.
Provide daily guidance to business analysts and field employees regarding interpretation of complex contract language to ensure compliance in processing annual invoice volume of 50,000 for $1.5 Billion for contract labor and services.
Manage ROW invoice processing ($100 Million annually) for trust fund reimbursements, contract labor, and landowner damage assessments.
Oversee the identification and recordation of $2 Billion annually of unvouched liabilities; collaborate with Accounting, external auditors, vendors, Transmission Project Management and Field Services to ensure compliance.
Collaborate with the Transmission competitive entity (Transource) to set up policies, processes, and guidelines for new competitive projects.
Manage contracts and invoice processing for the competitive entity of Transource Missouri and collaborate with partners to ensure compliance with reporting requirements.
Oversee system administrative activities for Asset Suite to ensure compliance with AEP policies and guidelines; collaborate with other AEP business units related to IT system enhancements and software fixes.
Lead process improvement initiatives related to financial and operational processes.
Participate in LEAN initiatives to reduce expenses or increase revenue for AEP Transmission; work closely with IT to incorporate enhancements into IT applications (i.e., Asset Suite, EcoSys, PeopleSoft Financials, etc.).
Provide leadership, direction, training, coordination, and effective communication to ensure compliance with T&D Procurement Standards, AEP Authorization Policy, and Accounting Policies / Guidelines (i.e., O&M vs. Capital, Time Reporting, Capital Construction Overheads, etc.).
Provide training to vendors, Transmission Project Management, ROW, Engineering, and Field Services related to AEP Transmission contracting and negotiating standards.
Oversee 4 - 6 annual vendor compliance reviews of internal controls to ensure that appropriate processes and procedures exist for contract terms and conditions, time reporting, work authorizations, contract compliance, billings, and unvouched liabilities; Provide support to AEP Audit Services related to 10-12 annual vendor audits.
Monitor and report information to AEP Transmission leadership, managers