AP Staff Accountant in London

Position Summary

The EMEA Payment Operations team is part of the London-based EMEA Corporate Accounting team, which sits within the wider global Corporate Accounting department.

This position is based in London and is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operation of the Accounts Payable function.

The role ensures invoices, payments, supplier records, and employee expenses are processed accurately and efficiently while providing a high level of service to suppliers and business stakeholders.

Requirements

• Professional Experience
• 3+ years of experience in Accounts Payable, Payment Operations, or a similar finance function preferred.
• Basic understanding of accounting principles and accounts payable processes.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including the use of formulas, data analysis, and reporting tools.
• Comfortable leveraging technology and AI-powered tools to improve efficiency and support problem solving.
• Prior experience with ERP, invoice management, or payment processing systems (e. g., People Soft, Concur) preferred.
• Competencies & Attributes
• Strong organisational and attention to detail skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong team player with a positive attitude and collaborative approach.
• Ability to work independently and use sound judgement when resolving issues.
• Proactive and willing to take ownership of tasks and queries.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a practical, hands-on approach.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage multiple competing deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and adapting to changing priorities.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with suppliers, stakeholders, and colleagues across global teams. Primary Responsibilities
• Invoice, T&E Review & Processing
• Review invoices submitted through the Global Payment Management (GPM) system, ensuring all required information has been accurately captured and appropriately approved.
• Validate invoice details, including supplier information, legal entity, cost centre allocation, payment instructions prior to payment processing
• Verify supplier banking information against approved supplier records and escalate any inconsistencies in accordance with company controls and procedures
• Ensure invoices have progressed through the appropriate approval workflow before completing the Accounts Payable review and releasing them for payment
• Investigate and resolve invoice exceptions and processing errors in a timely manner
• Support the entry and coding of invoices within the GPM system where required, particularly for complex transactions or where additional assistance is needed by business stakeholders
• Work closely with requestors and approvers to ensure invoices are submitted accurately and sufficient supporting documentation is provided to facilitate timely processing.
• Review employee expense reports submitted through Concur, ensuring compliance with company policies and supporting documentation requirements.
• Verify the accuracy of expense coding, receipts, approvals, and policy adherence prior to approving reports for payment.
• Provide guidance and support to employees on Concur-related queries, expense policies, and reimbursement procedures.
• Supplier Management & Controls
• Review and process supplier setup and modification requests submitted through the Global Payment Management (GPM) system, ensuring all required supporting documentation is complete and accurate.
• Perform supplier callback procedures in accordance with company policies and internal controls to validate supplier information and banking details.
• Review and validate supplier banking changes, escalating exceptions or discrepancies where appropriate.
• Maintain strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders, resolving escalated issues relating to invoices, payments, and supplier records.
• Payment Processing & Reconciliations
• Support payment processing activities and assist with payment runs as required.
• Allocate Direct Debit payments to the appropriate invoices and entities, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and reconciled.
• Investigate and resolve unmatched or unidentified payments in a timely manner.

Education & Certificates

• Secondary education or equivalent required.
• Further education in accounting, finance, business, or a related field preferred.
• Accounting qualification or part qualification (e. g., AAT) beneficial but not required.

About Us

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with $475 billion of assets under management, across 678 investment vehicles as of March 31, 2026.

Founded in 1987 in Washington, DC, Carlyle has grown into one of the world's largest and most successful investment firms, with more than 2,500 professionals operating in 28 offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Carlyle’s purpose is to connect people, ideas, and capital to fuel growth for companies and performance for investors, which range from public and private pension funds to wealthy individuals and families to sovereign wealth funds, unions and corporations.

Carlyle invests across three segments – Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Carlyle Alp Invest – and has deep expertise across industries, markets, and geographies.

At Carlyle, we believe that a wide spectrum of experiences and viewpoints drives performance and success.

Our CEO, Harvey Schwartz, has stated that, "To build better businesses and create value for all of our stakeholders, we are focused on assembling leadership teams with the strongest insights from a range of perspectives." Reflecting this view, emphasis is placed on development, retention and inclusion through our internal processes and seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

We cultivate a culture where ideas are openly shared and challenged, connecting diverse expertise and perspectives to drive enduring value.