Senior Accounts Payable Manager

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; }

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Accounts Payable Manager to lead a high-volume, multi-entity AP function supporting retail operations, distribution, and corporate entities. This role is responsible for overseeing end-to-end accounts payable operations, driving process automation and efficiency, and delivering high-impact financial insights through advanced analytics and reporting.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in retail AP environments, accrual accounting, and large-scale operations, combined with a strong leadership mindset and a focus on continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & High-Volume Operations

Lead daily AP operations across multiple entities, managing large-scale invoice volumes and vendor relationships.

Oversee organizational structure across Managers, Supervisors, Leads, and Specialists to support seasonal retail fluctuations.

Establish and monitor KPIs and SLAs, including invoice cycle times, error rates, aging, productivity, and accrual accuracy.

Drive workforce planning aligned with store lifecycle changes, promotional cycles, and vendor seasonality.

Foster a high-performance culture emphasizing accountability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Reporting, Analytics & Financial Insight

Own and deliver entity-level and consolidated AP reporting, including:

Aging and liability exposure

Accrual rollforwards and reconciliation status

Invoice processing metrics and throughput

Vendor spend trends and concentration analysis

Partner with Finance and FP&A to ensure accurate accruals across inventory, freight, utilities, rent, and store expenses.

Support month-end and quarter-end flux analysis, cash forecasting, and disbursement planning.

Develop automated dashboards and executive reporting using Excel and BI tools.

Analyze large datasets to identify duplicate payments, missed discounts, inefficiencies, and cost-saving opportunities.

Ensure strong data governance and integrity across ERP systems.

Accruals, Close & Multi-Entity Complexity

Lead the AP accrual process across multiple entities, ensuring complete and accurate reporting of period-end liabilities.

Coordinate high-volume accrual inputs from Operations, Procurement, and field leadership.

Ensure proper cutoff procedures and reconciliation of accrued vs. actual expenses.

Manage intercompany AP transactions and eliminations.

Deliver accurate, timely month-end close cycles in a fast-paced retail environment.

Process Improvement & Systems

Drive automation initiatives including OCR, EDI, invoice capture, approval workflows, and vendor portals.

Optimize paperless processing and document management systems.

Implement best practices tailored to high-volume retail AP environments.

Partner with IT and Finance to enhance ERP systems and reporting capabilities.

Cross-Functional & Vendor Management

Serve as the primary AP partner for Operations, Procurement, Treasury, Logistics, and Store Finance teams.

Manage relationships with high-volume vendors, landlords, utilities, and service providers.

Lead resolution of complex vendor disputes and escalations that impact store operations.

Provide insights to support vendor negotiations, discount utilization, and payment term strategies.

Compliance, Audit & Controls

Ensure compliance with internal controls and audit standards across all entities.

Maintain audit-ready documentation in a high-volume transactional environment.

Lead AP participation in internal and external audits.

Enforce controls to prevent duplicate payments, unauthorized vendors, and fraud.

Administrative Oversight

Oversee payments related to leases, utilities, property taxes, licenses, and store operations.

Ensure compliance with vendor contracts and payment terms.

Conduct team performance reviews and drive organizational improvements.