Manager Accounts Payable in Heywood

Lineage is seeking a Manager Accounts Payable to lead Accounts Payable operations within its growing department in Heywood, UK. This role will oversee end-to-end Accounts Payable and Travel & Expense processes for multiple entities, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing of supplier invoices, payments, and employee expense reimbursements while delivering performance against defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). As Lineage continues to expand its departments, the role will support the transition of European Accounts Payable activities. The position will focus on building a high-performing team, driving process standardization and operational discipline, and strengthening controls across the procure-to-pay process.

The Accounts Payable Manager will partner closely with regional finance leaders, procurement, treasury, and other stakeholders to establish scalable, efficient AP operations and support the continued development of the department.

Lead the transition of Accounts Payable activities from European operating companies, including process mapping, risk identification, and stabilization. Partner with local finance teams to assess current-state processes and design standardized future-state models aligned with global AP governance. Develop transition plans, including knowledge transfer, cutover management, and hyper‑care support. Manage stakeholder expectations during organizational and reporting line changes.

Lead daily operations for supplier invoice processing in AppZen and Workday: intake, validation, matching (PO/non‑PO), routing for approvals, coding, posting, and exception management. Oversee payment processing and reconciliation, ensuring accurate and timely settlement of approved liabilities in line with agreed payment terms. Develop resource and capacity planning models to support expansion across EMEA. Build succession depth and cross‑training to mitigate key‑person risk. Manage work queues, prioritization, and escalations to ensure service continuity during peaks (month‑end, quarter‑end, travel peaks). Consider the complexities of European regulatory and cross‑border requirements (VAT regimes, reverse charge, multi‑currency, SEPA, e‑invoicing).

Serve as primary AP contact for EMEA country controllers and finance leaders. Support country‑level audits and statutory reporting requirements. Lead, coach, and develop a team of AP specialists; allocate workload, set clear expectations, and ensure quality output. Drive onboarding, training, and cross‑training; maintain up‑to‑date work instructions and SOPs to enable consistent delivery across EMEA entities. Foster a culture focused on responsiveness, ownership, and continuous improvement. Act as escalation point for complex AP matters: blocked invoices, mismatches, vendor queries, reimbursement issues, and sensitive policy exceptions. Partner with Procurement, local Finance/Controllers, Treasury, IT, MDM, and business approvers to improve end‑to‑end P2P outcomes.

Identify and drive process improvements across AP and Expenses workflows (standard work, automation opportunities, reduced manual touchpoints). Improve supplier management discipline (accurate supplier data, payment terms, and clean master data) as supported by Workday’s vendor management capabilities. Maintain process documentation and ensure consistent execution across EMEA entities and languages/cultures typical of SSC environments.

Own delivery against SLAs and track KPI performance (backlog, cycle time, first‑time‑right, on‑time payment/reimbursement, dispute rates). Execute the global AP process framework as defined by the AP Business Process Owner (BPO). Provide operational feedback to support global process design enhancements. Leverage Workday reporting/analytics to identify bottlenecks and proactively drive corrective actions and service improvements.

Enforce compliance with global P2P policies and approval authorities. Challenge non‑compliant behavior and escalate control breaches where necessary. Drive reduction of policy exceptions and invoices not supported by POs. Support internal and external audits: prepare evidence, respond to findings, and implement corrective actions.

28 days holiday (including bank holidays). Opportunity to earn additional holidays each year up to an extra week after 5 years. Purchase holidays – up to an extra week. Free onsite car park. Social environment with a team that supports each other and shared spaces for lunch and rest breaks. 24/7 employee assistance phone line offering confidential free counselling and advice.

Bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance (or equivalent). 5+ years of P2P experience, ideally in an international Shared Service Center environment. Experience driving standardisation or automation initiatives in AP/T&E workflows. Proven track record leading teams through organisational change or process transformation. Demonstrated ability to build high‑performing teams during periods of growth and structural change. Strong communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across multiple countries and cultures. Strong systems and process mindset; confident in using ERP and reporting tools. Advanced Excel and strong analytical/problem‑solving skills. Fluent in English; additional European language(s) an advantage.