Working Capital Manager (AP/AR) in Cardiff

The Working Capital Manager is responsible for driving end-to-end working capital performance across Accounts Receivable (AR) and Accounts Payable (AP) to strengthen cash discipline, improve cash conversion, reduce overdue debt and deliver predictable supplier payments. This role partners closely with the Shared Service Centre (SSC), Group Finance, Procurement and Service Lines to improve Order-to-Cash (O2C) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) controls, embed standard operating rhythms, and provide clear performance insight through Power BI and D365 workflow adoption.

What You'll Do:

• Operational Leadership
  • Lead the AR/AP working capital performance cadence in partnership with Treasury and Group Finance, ensuring clear accountability, actions, and follow-through.
  • Drive improvements across O2C and P2P processes to support cash realisation and payment predictability.
  • Oversee daily/weekly exception management across collections, disputes, unapplied cash, invoice backlog, and AP payment blockers.
  • Ensure timely month-end working capital reporting, insight, and variance commentary for senior stakeholders.
  • Embed strong controls and compliance across AR/AP activities in line with internal policies and audit requirements.
• Stakeholder Management & Cross-functional Leadership
  • Act as the working capital point of contact for Treasury, Group Finance Director, Service Line leadership and SSC leadership.
  • Build strong cross-functional relationships to improve behaviours.
  • Provide transparent updates using scorecards, RAG reporting, and structured escalation paths for risks impacting cash and performance.
  • Align priorities across AR and AP to balance cash optimisation with supplier and operational needs.
• AR Performance (O2C / Collections / Disputes)
  • Strengthen collections discipline through daily huddles, prioritisation of overdue accounts, and clear owner/action tracking.
  • Oversee dispute governance to accelerate resolution and reduce recurrence; ensure handoffs and ownership are clear between SSC and the business.
  • Improve invoice quality and “first-time-right” billing by partnering with downstream teams on root-cause fixes (e.g. missing PO/GRN, incorrect customer data, contract terms, project setup).
  • Drive cash realisation analytics and forecasting inputs (e.g., top overdue, weighted days overdue, expected cash timing).
• AP Predictability (P2P / PO Compliance / Invoice Booking)
  • Improve AP predictability by managing exceptions, preventing overdue supplier balances, and supporting stable and compliant payment runs.
  • Increase PO-before-invoice adoption and PO compliance by partnering with Procurement and Service Lines to address behaviours, training needs, and process gaps.
  • Reduce invoice booking cycle times by working with SSC and stakeholders to remove blockers (e.g., missing approvals, receipting delays, coding errors).
  • Support improvements to supplier query handling and dispute resolution to reduce duplicate work and payment delays.
• Reporting, Systems & Continuous Improvement
  • Own the working capital KPI suite and ensure a single version of truth through Power BI reporting and clear metric definitions.
  • Champion D365 workflow adoption and process standardisation to reduce manual interventions and strengthen control.
  • Retire recurring manual reporting by migrating to automated dashboards and consistent data packs.
  • Lead root-cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives across AR/AP to deliver measurable cash impact.

Who You Are:

• Technical Skills
  • A qualified accountant or in the final stages of qualification.
  • Strong understanding of working capital drivers across AR and AP (DSO, ageing, dispute cycle time, DPO, invoice booking, PO compliance).
  • Experience improving O2C and P2P processes in an SSC, matrix, or multi-entity environment.
  • Strong data capability: performance analysis, insight generation, and dashboarding (Power BI, Excel).
  • Systems confidence in ERP and workflow tools (D365 preferred), including exception management and controls.
  • Understanding of controls, audit readiness, and policy adherence across AR/AP.
• Leadership & Delivery Competencies
  • Clear, concise communication and the ability to translate data into decisions and actions.
  • Strong stakeholder management, including constructive challenge and influence without direct authority.
  • Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis; ability to drive sustainable fixes not just short-term recovery.
  • Comfortable operating at pace, managing competing priorities, and escalating risks early.
  • Change leadership: ability to embed new cadences, ways of working, and system adoption.
• Behavioural Competencies
  • Accountability and ownership of outcomes.
  • Transparency and solution orientation (bring options, not just issues).
  • Professional meeting discipline and reliable follow-through.
  • Collaboration across teams and markets; willingness to unblock others.
  • Growth mindset and continuous improvement focus.