Senior Accounts Payable Specialist

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Accounts Payable professional to step into a senior role within a developing, forward-thinking finance function. As Senior Accounts Payable Supervisor, you’ll play a key role in keeping day-to-day operations stable, resolving complex issues, supporting the wider AP team, and helping improve how the function works. This is not just about processing; it is about ownership, control, judgement, and making sure the AP operation runs smoothly during busy periods, escalations and change. If you are confident dealing with complexity, enjoy solving problems properly, and want to help shape a stronger AP function, this role offers real scope to make an impact.

Why you’ll love it:

• Make an impact: help shape what great looks like in a growing AP function, with real influence on controls, service and process improvement.
• Broader scope: take ownership of escalations, reconciliations, debit balances and complex expenses issues, not just routine processing.
• Supportive culture: work with a collaborative team in a business that values ideas, ownership and practical improvement.
• Opportunity to grow: gain exposure to senior operational support, continuous improvement and wider finance development.

About Us:

At Safetykleen, we provide essential parts cleaning, waste collection and environmental advisory services that help customers reduce their environmental footprint and boost operational performance. With operations in 15 countries and over 1 million services delivered each year, you’ll be joining a stable, growing business with a fast-paced, high-impact and agile environment, where sustainability and long-term customer partnerships are at the heart of what we do.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead on supplier escalations, taking ownership of complex, sensitive or high-risk issues through to resolution.
• Own supplier statement reconciliations, including aged items, unmatched invoices, payments on account and historical discrepancies.
• Investigate and resolve debit balances, identifying root causes and driving corrective action with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Act as a senior escalation point for employee expenses, handling more complex or sensitive cases consistently and fairly.
• Provide senior operational support to the AP team during periods of absence, peak workload or pressure, helping to maintain continuity of service.
• Support and unblock the AP team on difficult cases, offering guidance and hands-on support where needed.
• Work across Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related systems to maintain control, accuracy and efficiency across the AP process.
• Spot recurring issues and process bottlenecks, then help implement smarter, more standardised ways of working.
• Act as a subject matter expert across accounts payable, reconciliations and expenses processes.
• Assist the AP Manager with reporting, controls and ad-hoc tasks as required.

Benefits:

• £38,000 – £43,000 annual salary.
• Hybrid work model – 3 days in Brentford HQ and 2 days remote (optional).
• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays.
• 5% contributory pension scheme.
• Family life assurance of 3 times salary.
• Private healthcare scheme from day 1.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
• Corporate discount scheme focused on wellbeing, e.g., discounted Virgin Active Gym membership and Gymflex.
• Tastecard membership discount.
• Discount and cashback at many retailers.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 confidential helpline support.
• Enhanced occupational sick pay scheme.
• Employee recognition programme.
• Employee referral scheme.
• Access to a range of internal and external courses to help develop and progress your career.

What You’ll Bring:

• Strong Accounts Payable experience in a high-volume or complex environment.
• Proven experience handling supplier escalations, reconciliations, debit balances and complex AP issues.
• Confidence working in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and across AP systems and controls.
• Strong attention to detail, with a calm and methodical approach to problem-solving.
• Process-mindset, with the ability to balance business-as-usual delivery with continuous improvement.
• Clear, confident communication skills, comfortable working with suppliers, employees, internal stakeholders and senior management.
• Strong Excel capability, including lookups, pivot tables and data analysis.

How Success Looks In 6 Months:

• Complex escalations are being resolved quickly, professionally and with minimal senior intervention.
• Supplier reconciliations are more controlled, with aged items and debit balances reduced and better understood.
• Employee expenses issues are handled consistently, fairly and with stronger ownership.
• The AP team feels supported, and service levels remain stable during busy periods, absence or change.
• At least one meaningful process improvement or control enhancement you have helped champion is in place.