Accounts Payable Manager in Bath

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Manage the Accounts Payable Team, ensuring smooth day‑to‑day running of the department and appropriate training and development of all team members in accordance with Trust needs and individual requirements.
• Oversee the work of the Team Leaders, supporting them in ensuring work is allocated appropriately and all processes are completed in line with deadlines and performance targets.
• Ensure procedures are in place to log invoices and make payments in a timely manner to meet the Better Payment Practice Code target. Identify areas of weakness and poor practice and work with Team Leaders to improve performance.
• Monitor data weekly for aged payables, analyse the current position and report to the Charities, AR, AP and VAT Accountant any significant changes that may cause concern or require escalation.
• Regularly review the level of aged payables to assist Senior Management in managing and maintaining the Trust’s cash balances and take any action as needed.
• Produce and monitor KPI’s for the team and complete reports on the performance of the Accounts Payable service for both internal and external stakeholders; ensure local and national deadlines are met.
• Support the team in dealing with financial queries from RUH staff, suppliers or Procurement; step in to resolve contentious or sensitive queries if needed.
• Produce data for the payables figures submitted for the national agreement of balances exercise at Month 9 and Month 12; support negotiations as required to resolve disputes and mismatches reported by the Department of Health.
• Implement policies and procedures in relation to the Accounts Payable Team to ensure compliance for statutory reporting and consistent service delivery; propose changes to practices when necessary to aid compliance and improvement.
• Ensure the department’s annual leave, flexi leave and sickness episodes are authorised and recorded appropriately, locally and centrally, and ensure that suitable staffing is always available to cover the required workload.
• Carry out the team’s yearly appraisal and ensure the team completes their mandatory training on time.
• Take responsibility for recruitment for the team as and when needed.
• Deal with team members’ performance as and when needed and follow appropriate Trust processes to resolve, escalating issues to senior management if needed.
• Work as part of the wider Finance Team to deliver training opportunities for staff in the team as well as across the wider department and organisation; share the understanding of the role that the Accounts Payable Team has within Finance.
• Ensure the team understands the rules around VAT and the NHS; work with the Financial Accounts Team to ensure the correct coding of VAT is being applied by the processing team to maximise VAT reclaim and support the Team Leaders in enabling necessary changes within the team in improving coding.
• Understand and ensure the Accounts Payable Team adheres to the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions and Standing Orders.
• Have an understanding of the accounting structure and support the team in ensuring invoices are coded accurately.
• Ensure any Balance Sheet reconciliations relating to the Accounts Payable function are completed within agreed timescales.
• Understand the full procurement function from requisitioning through to invoice payment; work with the Procurement Team to ensure the “No Purchase Order, No Pay” policy is implemented and adhered to in Accounts Payable.
• Work alongside the rest of the Finance Department in the production of the annual accounts and to take part in planning and contributing information relating to the accounts payable function for the accounts and annual report.
• Liaise with internal and external auditors, providing relevant information as required relating to Accounts Payable and implementing agreed recommendations as necessary; support in any other audits as required.
• Work with Counter Fraud to ensure the Accounts Payable function is compliant and to support in the National Counter Fraud initiative.
• Provide accounts payable information for Freedom of Information requests.
• Ensure high standards of performance and behaviour are maintained throughout the Accounts Payable Team, promoting a culture of openness, transparency, responsiveness, efficiency and customer‑focused service.

Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria

• GSCE Maths and English
• AAT qualified or studying towards full completion

Desirable criteria

• Studying towards a professional qualification in Finance or educated to degree level in a financial qualification
• VAT rules in the NHS

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• At least 2 years previous Accounts Payable experience
• Experience of using Microsoft Office software, especially Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint
• 2 years experience of staff management within a financial environment
• Able to advise finance and non‑finance managers on matters relating to Accounts Payable
• Ability to analyse, investigate and resolve financial queries

Desirable criteria

• Previous NHS finance experience
• Knowledge of Unit 4, especially within an Accounts Payable function
• Knowledge of Standing Financial Instructions & Standing Orders within the NHS

Applicant Requirements

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Visa and Immigration

Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK