PTP Operations & Controls Manager

The purpose of the Procure‑To‑Pay (PTP) Manager role is to oversee the day‑to‑day operations of the PTP team within Finance Shared Services (FSS). The PTP Manager will be part of the FSS leadership team, requiring building strong working relationships with the Global Process Owner (GPO) to contribute to the future PTP strategy based on operational and delivery knowledge. The role is responsible for managing relationships with internal Bakkavor stakeholders and external vendors, ensuring an efficient and effective delivery of the PTP process within the FSS, supporting the team, and ensuring that suppliers are paid on time whilst adhering to Bakkavor controls and governance requirements. The person is also responsible for managing escalations, audits, and process continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

• Invoice Processing
  • Review Accounts Payable reports produced by the PTP Team Leader to monitor the performance of the team.
  • Oversee the work of PTP analysts and Team Leader, providing guidance and support as needed.
  • Oversee PTP operations, ensuring best in class service delivery and continuous improvement.
  • Guide team on issues related to outstanding invoices, ageing, queries, and discrepancies.
• Payments
  • Review supplier statements and payments reconciliation during month‑end close to ensure reconciliations have been performed accurately.
  • Ensure all controls and governance requirements are fulfilled and appropriate evidence is retained.
  • Ensure payment runs are completed in a timely manner.
  • Ensure key suppliers & employee reimbursements are paid on time and in line with Bakkavor policies and objectives.
  • Support cost performance and cost controls - assisting in planning, budgeting, forecasting and variance reporting.
  • Work closely with the Group Treasury function to develop cash flow forecasts based on accounts payable information and support ongoing activities with respect to cash flow.
• Query Resolution
  • Ensure disputes and queries are resolved on time.
  • Manage stakeholder issue escalation and resolution.
  • Lead on negotiation of internal service level agreements and KPIs along with process GPO.
  • Maintain strong stakeholder relationships to ensure the timely resolution of problems as well as being responsive to future needs.
• Audit and Internal Controls
  • Continuously assess internal controls environment within the PTP team, ensuring all internal controls, policy and governance requirements are always adhered to by all team members and creating a vigilant and risk mitigation culture within the team.
  • Participate, assist, and coordinate in all internal & external audit related activities.
• People Management
  • Foster a culture of leadership within the team, mentoring team members, and identifying potential leaders for future growth opportunities.
  • Establish clear performance metrics such as SMART goals and KPIs to gauge the team's performance effectively.
• Communication and Change Management
  • Cultivate effective relationship management with key stakeholders and suppliers.
  • Engage with the FSS Head to communicate PTP‑related updates, progress, and challenges.
  • Coordinate with other FSS managers to deliver quality, cost and productivity that meets or exceeds service level agreement specifications.
  • Work with the GPO to manage changes related to PTP processes, system implementations, or organisational restructuring.
  • Consult with PTP Team Leader on identified process improvement opportunities and feedback accordingly.
• Performance Management
  • Work closely with the Head of FSS, process GPOs and business stakeholders to set PTP key performance measures, monitor performance against set measures on a regular basis and support course correction activities where needed.
  • Respond to customer feedback survey results on a timely basis.
  • Work closely with the GPO/process excellence teams and PTP team to identify and drive continuous improvement opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to convey information clearly and concisely.
• Working knowledge of using Microsoft Office products particularly MS PowerPoint, MS Word, and MS Excel.
• Demonstrate excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate excellent employee management skills; ability to plan, assign and direct work; ability to recruit, mentor and appraise employees.
• Demonstrable experience of managing PTP teams in a shared services environment and delivering high quality services.
• Ability to utilise metrics to identify opportunities for service improvement.
• Ability to identify and apply internal best practices to PTP operations.
• Previous experience at a management level.
• Internal controls experience.
• Strong knowledge of financial systems and deep understanding and expertise in Finance processes.
• Understanding of best practices and metrics for PTP.
• Previous experience in working with ERP systems, specifically with SAP S/4 HANA preferred.
• Professional Qualified Accountant (for example ACA/ACCA/CIMA) preferred.

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive salary and job‑related benefits.
• 25 days Holiday.
• Competitive matched pension contributions.
• Company share save scheme.
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform.
• Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform.