Accounts Receivable Team Leader

Allied Bakeries are owned by Associated British Foods. ABF is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £20.1 bn and 138,000 employees in 56 countries. Our sister companies in ABF UK Grocery produce products under many market‑leading household brands, including Jordans, Ryvita, Pataks, Blue Dragon and Silver Spoon. We are proud of our brands: we make the top 10 UK grocery brand Kingsmill, as well as Allinson’s and Sunblest.

The success of our business depends on having the right people on the team. We are passionate about our business, but it is pacey and demanding, so our people need to have a positive attitude and to want to work inclusively. We take massive pride in how colleagues based in our bakeries and depots maintain one of the best safety performance records in the industry.

Our Grocery Service Centre, based near Liverpool, is a hub for transactional activity across multiple ABF companies within the ABF Grocery division. Supporting well‑known brands such as Kingsmill, Pataks, Blue Dragon, Jordans, Ryvita and Silver Spoon, we deliver shared service activities across a wide range of disciplines including Customer Services, Consumer Care, Finance, Payroll, HR and IS.

Location: Liverpool, Merseyside

Salary: £37,000 per annum

Hybrid Working: On average 2 days in the office per week (subject to business requirements)

Employment Type: Full‑time, Permanent

Role Summary: We’re looking for an experienced Accounts Receivable Team Leader to support the Group AR Manager and help deliver an efficient, well‑controlled receivables service across multiple grocery businesses. In this role, you’ll lead and support a team of AR Advisors, drive effective debt collection, oversee period‑end close and reporting, and ensure AR processes are followed consistently. You’ll also act as a key escalation point for complex issues, support audits and controls, and provide cover for the AR Manager when needed.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Generous leave – 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Free onsite parking
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Health scheme
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Pension scheme
• Onsite shop
• Eyecare vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Loyal service awards
• Employee referral scheme
• Discounts on groceries, holidays and more

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead and support AR Advisors with workload planning, prioritisation and day‑to‑day guidance.
• Drive debt collection activity and help reduce overdue balances.
• Review accounts, monitor KPIs and provide regular performance updates.
• Resolve escalated customer and account queries efficiently.
• Support period‑end close, reporting and audit requirements.
• Maintain strong process controls and customer master data accuracy.
• Train, coach and develop team members, including new starters.
• Build strong relationships with Finance teams and other stakeholders across the business.
• Provide leadership cover for the AR Manager and wider AR team when required.

The Right Person:

• Essential Experience leading or supervising a team in an accounts receivable or credit control environment.
• Strong knowledge of end‑to‑end AR processes, controls and collections.
• Experience using ERP systems, ideally SAP or Microsoft D365.
• Strong communication, organisational and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to manage priorities, analyse performance data and identify risks.
• Confident using Excel and working in a fast‑paced team environment.

Desirable:

• Experience working across multiple business units or entities.
• Knowledge of audit and internal controls.
• Coaching or training experience.
• A continuous improvement mindset.