Accounts Payable Manager - Bristol - Central

We’re currently supporting a well-established global organisation in their search for a highly capable Accounts Payable Manager to lead their AP operations. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced AP leader to join a fast-paced, international environment, taking ownership of both operational delivery and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the end-to-end Accounts Payable function across the European region, ensuring smooth daily operations and timely month-end close
• Oversee and coordinate activity with an established offshore AP team, ensuring SLAs and KPIs are consistently met
• Perform and review AP-related balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring completeness and accuracy across all entities
• Work closely with the Treasury team to support payment runs and accurate cash forecasting
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams including Finance, Procurement, and Operations, as well as with external suppliers
• Take ownership of AP policies, controls, and procedures, ensuring adherence to compliance standards while driving operational efficiency
• Manage vendor onboarding and amendments, ensuring all banking verification checks are completed securely and in line with global compliance requirements
• Act as a point of escalation for complex invoice and payment queries, resolving issues in a timely and professional manner
• Support internal and external audits by providing accurate documentation and ensuring process integrity
• Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities, enhancing both onshore and offshore workflows
• Provide leadership and support to the onshore AP team, including setting objectives, conducting performance reviews, and contributing to a culture of continuous development and scalability

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in leading an Accounts Payable function within a large, international organisation
• Strong knowledge of AP systems, controls, and best practices, with an ability to drive process improvements
• Experience working with offshore shared service teams
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across stakeholders at all levels
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with a passion for continuous improvement
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with multiple priorities
• Strong working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) is highly desirable

If this role sounds of interest, please click "APPLY" or email harry@element-recruitment.co.uk