Manager, Accounts Payable

As a highly valued member of the operations team, you will have a proven track record within a previous AP Manager role in a Global organization. We are looking for someone who is extremely Customer focused, strong and clear communicator, problem solver, resilient and determined individual who can positively motivate and influence a team to ensure the delivery of offshore quality Accounts Payable services to tight timelines and fully in line with vendor and T&E processes. Strong business sense and commercial awareness managing internal stakeholders. Lead the design of the processes, systems and organization aligned with the WPP Group target operating model, global process and organization design standards and chosen specialized tools as well as WPP policies. Actively manage the AP team both onshore and offshore, and support team members’ growth through training, mentoring, coaching, target setting and performance review.

You will participate in bringing the vision of the WPP transformation program to life in the North American market, with a particular focus on the Finance function across North America, as it evolves, and participate in the design and deployment of a new ERP, Workday, across WPP in North America.

What you'll be doing:

• To provide leadership and management of the Non Media AP Team, responsible for recruitment, training & motivation and development needs of the team.
• Managing the payable process; responsible for monitoring and overseeing the payables and T&E teams ensuring the accurate matching and reconciliation of payable activity in order that vendors are paid to contracted terms and by the specific country industry deadlines.
• Ensure that invoices and statements are fully reconciled to a timely and consistently high standard.
• Reporting of Payable progress throughout the month, particularly where the region adopts Pay when Paid, disbursement forecasts, month end Group AP, query reports and KPI reporting.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and also maintainance of various systems to improve on service automation and streamlining.
• Review and ensure the integrity of payment files, approvals and encryption.
• Overseeing the accuarte and timely reporting of queries derived from account reconciliations and Liaising with the applicable Business Unit contacts in order to resolve queries and issues quickly and efficiently.
• Manages Operational Performance offshore team. 
• Perform annual staff appraisals & objective settings as directed by senior management.
• Assist the Head of Financial Operations Manager, where required, with employee annual salary reviews based upon performance.
• Ad-hoc projects as directed by the senior management team.
• Provide holiday and sick cover for colleagues as directed to do so.
• Conduct one to one meeting with each team member to review objectives and performance.
• Ensure monthly (at least) review meetings are being actioned effectively between the SSC and the Business Unit and Head of Financial Operations Manager.
• Maintain contact and good working relationships with all Business Unit Finance Directors and CFO’s through regular review meetings and conference calls to ensure optimum service is being provided aligned to the SSC SLA.
• Discuss problem areas that are impacting payables.
• Full preparation of monthly reporting commitments consolidated into Group reporting packs, KPI and AP Ageing.
• Report all DEBIT balances providing explanations for the DEBIT. For material DEBIT balances, escalate to the Business Unit FD/CFO and the SSC Head of Financial Operations.
• Working to tight deadlines to achieve monthly Group targets set.

What you'll need: