ESM Source-to-Pay Operations Analyst in London

The Enterprise Supply Management (ESM) Source-to-Pay (P2P) Operations Analyst serves as the primary operational liaison between business stakeholders, Procurement (including Accounts Payable) and suppliers. The role supports the end-to-end procurement lifecycle by triaging purchase requests, processing low-risk transactions, supporting supplier onboarding, resolving invoice inquiries, and promoting adherence to procurement and payment processes.

The analyst is responsible for improving the stakeholder and supplier experience by reducing handoffs, accelerating transaction, invoicing and payment processing, resolving operational issues, and driving continuous improvement across the end-to-end procurement lifecycle.

Job Description Summary

• Intake and Transaction Management: Serves as the first point of contact for procurement requests and requisitions in Europe, ensuring requests are properly assessed and routed in accordance with established standards and procedures. Reviews and processes low-risk, low-cost procurement requests and purchases independently while escalating higher-risk or more complex sourcing activities to Procurement colleagues. Partners with business stakeholders to understand requirements, provide procurement guidance, and improve the quality and completeness of purchase requests. Supports supplier onboarding and maintenance activities, ensuring supplier documentation is complete, accurate, and compliant with organizational requirements.
• Invoice and Payment Operations: Serves as the primary support contact for invoice and payment inquiries during European business hours, facilitating timely issue resolution between business stakeholders, suppliers, and Accounts Payable. Investigates invoice discrepancies, payment delays, and process exceptions, coordinating across teams to identify root causes and drive resolution. Champions Accounts Payable processes and controls by educating stakeholders on invoice submission, PO requirements, and payment procedures. Monitors and tracks outstanding invoice issues and escalations to ensure timely resolution and positive supplier experiences.
• Operational Excellence and Controls: Performs reviews of procurement and payment-related transactions to ensure data accuracy, compliance, and process effectiveness. Identifies operational risks, trends, and recurring issues across the Source-to-Pay process and recommends improvements to reduce manual effort and process inefficiencies. Supports testing and implementation of process and system enhancements.
• Data, Reporting, and Insights: Collects, analyzes, and interprets procurement, requisition, supplier, invoice, and payment data to identify trends and improvement opportunities. Generates and understands regular reporting on operational performance, including requisition volumes, invoice inquiries, processing effectiveness, compliance metrics, and service levels.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Builds strong relationships with business stakeholders, suppliers and ESM/Procurement colleagues, including Accounts Payable teams to ensure effective collaboration and service delivery. Communicates procurement and payment standards in a clear and practical manner and provides guidance to stakeholders on process requirements and best practices. Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of experience in Procurement, Accounts Payable, Finance Operations, Supplier Management, or related operational functions.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Experience working within ERP, procurement, invoicing, or financial systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operational environment.

Work Schedule

Hybrid - Currently Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the office.

Special Factors

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position. This position is hybrid and requires you to be in the office 3 days per week.

Why Vanguard?

Vanguard is a different kind of investment company. It was founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients. This philosophy has helped millions of people around the world achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments. It's what we stand for: value for investors.

Inclusion Statement

Vanguard’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (employees are referred to internally as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: “Do the right thing.” We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard’s core purpose through our values. When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard's core purpose: to take a stand for all investors, treat them fairly, and give them the best chance for investment success.

Applications may close early if there is a high number of applications, so please apply early.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.