Position Summary

The Senior Accounts Payable Manager leads the company’s Accounts Payable function, ensuring timely, accurate invoice processing, vendor payments, expense reimbursements, AP month-end close activities, and compliance with company policies and financial controls. This role provides senior-level leadership over AP operations, drives process improvements, strengthens internal controls, supports audit readiness, improves vendor relationships, and enhances collaboration with Procurement, Warehouse, Accounting, Operations, and other business partners. The Senior Accounts Payable Manager serves as a strategic Finance and Accounting partner by improving AP efficiency, reducing delays and errors, supporting cash flow optimization, and developing a high-performing AP team.

Key Responsibilities

AP Operations, Payments & Vendor Management

• Lead full-cycle AP operations, including invoice processing, approvals, payments, reconciliations, and month-end close support.
• Oversee AP systems, service levels, transaction reviews, and payment controls to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Manage vendor records, relationships, discrepancies, chargebacks, and compliance requirements in partnership with Procurement and Warehouse teams.

Reporting, Analytics & Process Improvement

• Monitor AP metrics, balances, accruals, liabilities, cash flow impacts, and close-related reporting.
• Analyze AP trends, inefficiencies, recurring issues, and cost-saving opportunities; provide recommendations to Finance leadership.
• Lead AP process, policy, system, automation, workflow, and reporting improvements with cross-functional partners.

Compliance, Controls & Cross-Functional Support

• Ensure AP compliance with company policies, GAAP, SOX, approval requirements, segregation of duties, and corporate financial controls.
• Support audits, control reviews, walkthroughs, documentation requests, risk remediation, and compliance inquiries.
• Partner with Accounting, Procurement, Warehouse, Operations, Finance, and other teams to improve procure-to-pay processes and resolve issues.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, recruit, train, evaluate, and develop the AP team.
• Set team goals, priorities, roles, performance metrics, and accountability standards.
• Promote accuracy, service quality, ownership, professionalism, continuous improvement, and compliance.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required; equivalent experience may be considered.
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant certification is preferred but not required.

Experience & Industry Background

• 10+ years of progressive AP, Accounting, Finance Operations, or Procure-to-Pay experience, including high-volume AP environments.
• 5+ years of AP, Finance Operations, Shared Services, or related leadership experience.
• Experience with month-end close, accruals, reconciliations, audit support, reporting, process improvement, controls, and AP policy development.
• Manufacturing, food manufacturing, distribution, CPG, or multi-location experience preferred.

Technical Skills & Systems

• Strong knowledge of full-cycle AP, vendor management, payment controls, financial controls, GAAP, SOX, and audit documentation requirements.
• ERP experience required; Business Central, RAMP, Concur, expense management, and AP automation tools preferred.
• Strong Excel, reporting, reconciliation, analytical, issue resolution, and process improvement skills.

Leadership & Competencies

• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, collaboration, and team development skills.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, decision-making, business judgment, and change leadership abilities.
• High attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy, accountability, compliance, financial controls, and fast-paced execution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting SOX, JSOX, internal audit, or external audit requirements.
• Experience improving procure-to-pay workflows, vendor management controls, payment approvals, banking verification, and fraud prevention controls.

*Must reside in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, or Washington state.

*This salary range reflects the anticipated base pay for California-based employees. Compensation for employees outside of California will be based on geographic market, experience, internal equity, and other business factors.