OCU Group are looking for an experienced Accounts Payable Manager to join the team in our Stockport head office.

The Accounts Payable (AP) Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing the accounts payable function, ensuring efficient and accurate processing of supplier invoices and payments, managing a team, and maintaining strong supplier relationships. This role also involves compliance with UK regulations, including VAT and company policies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Team Management:

• Full time office based, with the team in our Stockport head office.
• Lead, mentor, and manage the accounts payable team, ensuring performance targets are met.
• Conduct regular appraisals and set clear objectives for the team.
• Support team members in career development via training (to ensure high skill levels both technically & behaviourally), coaching, mentoring and the promotion and succession/talent processes.
• To always adhere to all company processes with regards to people management and to role model professional behaviours.

Processing:

• Ensure accurate and timely processing of supplier invoices, purchase orders, and expense claims.
• Resolve discrepancies and manage invoice approvals in line with company policies.
• Ensure all standalone/No PO invoices are processed via the 3-way matching process.
• Ensure supplier rejection process is followed and invoices are returned to suppliers.
• Manage and maintain finance system D365 ensuring accurate invoice data entry.
• Ensure CIS procedures are adhered to, team knowledge and understanding is applied to invoice treatment and processing.
• Manage the inbox of incoming payable invoices (EDC/Exflow).
• Monitoring the shared mailbox to ensure SLA+’s and KPI’s are kept
• Ensure that all supplier queries are concluded and dealt with in a timely manner (telephone and Query email inbox
• Liaise with Procurement to ensure resolution of PO queries are resolved to agreed SLAs.

Payments and Ledger Management:

• Processing weekly payments
• Cashflow
• Carry out daily CHAPS/FASTER payments for urgent requirements
• Investigation of unallocated cash, debit balances, payment on accounts and requesting refunds where appropriate
• Review and action creditors to agreed SLA/KPI

Reconciliation:

• Ensure key supplier account reconciliations are carried out on a regular basis
• Manage and control the AP unallocated cash and POAs
• Manage and control the credit balances
• Bank Payment approvals & sending

Key Skills:

• Strong analytical & IT skills
• Be a driven individual who enjoys a challenge
• Continuous improvement: delivers efficiency in addition to effectiveness
• Strong team player, builds relationships and consults with others, quickly establishes trust and credibility
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Robust and prepared to lead from the front
• Diplomatic and challenging with the ability to influence others
• Strong decision maker who gives assurance
• Confident with a positive outlook
• Ethical with strong integrity
• Can time manage effectively and delegate where necessary
• High attention to detail and results focused

Experience:

• Experience as an AP Manager, working within a multiple ledger business is essential.
• Proven ability to support strategic growth of teams, via recruitment and organic growth.
• Proven ability to develop skills and enable personal and professional growth of individuals.
• Able to delegate effectively for maximum results.
• A motivator - able to create successful team working and individual performance and engagement.
• Experience of successful conflict management and performance management.
• Experience within a hire/construction business (advantageous but not compulsory).

Company Background

Established in 1994, OCU Group is one of the fastest growing utility engineering contractors in the UK, with a long successful track record in delivering customer-focused civil engineering solutions.

Working directly with many of the country’s leading blue-chip power, water, telecoms, and rail clients, we are looking for the very best talent to join our growing team.

We pride ourselves on empowering our employees and offering opportunities for them to take control of their own personal development and career progression in a supportive environment.

We believe that being successful is a choice.

We choose to be successful.

We are OCU, ‘One Company United’.

We celebrate difference and appreciate diverse backgrounds. We encourage everyone who join us to be themselves at work and create inclusive teams in our workplace.