Accounts Payable Processing Assistant

Workplace: Media City, Manchester + Hybrid (2 days per week in the office - Weds & Thurs) The team.. The Accounts Payable team operates at the heart of our Finance Operations hub, managing payment obligations to our suppliers. We are a data-driven, detail-oriented, and highly collaborative function focused on driving automation, process compliance, and continuous improvement across the Order to Cash and Procure to Pay lifecycles. Working closely with Purchasing Support, Master Data, Tax, and our Global Process Owner, we take pride in delivering accurate, right-first-time processing and building strong, trusted relationships with suppliers globally. The role.. We’re looking for an Accounts Payable Processing Assistant to join our team on a permanent basis. Reporting directly to the Accounts Payable Manager, your core purpose will be to manage the company’s payment obligations to suppliers by ensuring the accurate and timely input and exception handling of invoices. This is a dynamic, high-volume role with a strong focus on date-sensitive entries (e.g., invoice dates, due dates, payment dates, and values). Beyond day-to-day transactional processing within our SLAs, you will be a curious problem solver who investigates the root causes of invoice automation failures, analyses generic trends, and implements continuous improvements alongside our Global Process Owner to stop recurring errors. Some of your key day-to-day responsibilities will include: Reviewing and verifying invoice details against purchase orders with a special focus on date-sensitive entries before system input, ensuring compliance with company policies, tax, and legal requirements. Investigating root causes for invoices that fail processing automation and implementing remediation steps to prevent future failures. Analysing large volumes of data to identify generic trends that improve system recognition success, working closely with suppliers and the Global Process Owner. Processing invoices within SLAs to prepare for weekly payment runs and month-end activities. Providing factual data and trend analysis to the Accounts Payable Ledger and Compliance teams to drive Purchase Order (PO) compliance and right-first-time processing. Building strong supplier relationships to improve invoice receipt timelines versus payment on time, analysing rejected invoices, and educating vendors on invoice requirements. Collaborating with the Tax team to enhance tax input accuracy and eliminate the need for manual invoice corrections. Updating and monitoring team KPIs, maintaining Standard Operating Processing (SOP) notes, and making proactive recommendations to boost performance. Supporting the onboarding and training of new team members through active knowledge sharing. Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria) Significant experience working within an Accounts Payable team with a solid practical understanding of accounting principles and AP workflows. Experience with accounting software (e.g., Oracle, SAP) and proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Proven proficiency in Optical Character Recognition systems (e.g., IDR, Kofax). Demonstrated strong competency in problem solving, analytical thinking, and high attention to detail when managing high-volume data. Basic understanding of tax reporting requirements related to supplier processing. Ability to manage time effectively, prioritise tasks, and meet strict deadlines. Other things we’re looking for (key criteria) Experience working with Finance ERPs (specifically Oracle Fusion) and specialised AP workflow automation tools. Preferred experience working within a fast-paced Shared Service Center environment. Knowledge of multi-currency transactions and international vendor handling. Excellent communication skills to present root-cause findings, explain trend analysis, and share process improvement suggestions. A continuous improvement mindset, curiosity, risk and fraud awareness, and the ability to adapt to meet stretched targets. Please note, on occasion we may receive a very large volume of applications which means applications for a role may close earlier than the referenced closing date. We’d encourage you to apply as soon as possible if interested.