AP Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Accounts Payable Manager is the single point of accountability for the AP function: the people, the process, and the results. The AP Manager owns vendor relationships from a payables standpoint, the accuracy and timeliness of all AP work product, and the management and development of the AP team. The Corporate Controller is an escalation point — not the first line of contact for vendors, and not the working manager of the AP staff.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Corporate Controller (Marzia Capone).
• Direct reports: all members of the AP team, including the AP Supervisor and the AP Specialist. All AP staff report to the AP Manager; no member of the AP team reports to another member of the team.
• Work direction: the AP Manager — and only the AP Manager — assigns work, sets meeting requirements, and reviews performance for AP staff.

Core Responsibilities

1. Team management and development

• Maintain a professional, accountable team environment. Address interpersonal conflicts directly and promptly; conflicts within the team are resolved by the AP Manager, not escalated around her.
• Maintain a current, written role description for each team member, reviewed with and signed by the employee. Expectations, tasks, and boundaries are documented — not assumed.
• Manage performance: set expectations, coach, document recurring issues, and apply corrective action with HR support when needed.
• Own every question brought by a team member: answer it, or research it and return with an answer within one business day. Redirecting staff to other departments as a default is not acceptable.
• Run a single, defined team meeting cadence. One-on-one meetings between the AP Manager and a team member include only those two people unless the AP Manager decides otherwise.

2. AP operations and quality control

• Own the accuracy of AP work product. Maintain an error log and a quality-review process; recurring errors trigger a documented corrective plan (training, review, or escalation).
• Ensure vendor statements are reviewed and reconciled monthly, with the AP Manager’s documented sign-off. Discrepancies are worked to resolution, not carried.
• Operate a duplicate-payment control before every payment run. Duplicate payments are a zero-tolerance standard.
• Ensure invoices are processed accurately and timely and payments go out per the approved cash plan, with remittances sent.

3. Vendor management

• Own the AP aging: know every significant balance, work past-due accounts proactively, and resolve credit holds before they affect operations.
• Be the vendor-facing contact for payment questions and payment plans within approved authority. Vendors call the AP Manager — not the Controller.
• Escalate to the Corporate Controller only per the escalation matrix: when financial authority above the AP Manager’s limit is required, or when a vendor specifically requires leadership.

4. Coverage and continuity

• Maintain a documented absence-coverage plan. When a team member is out, critical tasks — invoice processing, payment runs, vendor inquiries, statement reconciliation — are kept current by the AP Manager or assigned coverage.
• Work performed by the AP Manager while covering is accurate and self-reviewed before release; returning employees should not find their work undone.

5. Reporting

• Provide the Corporate Controller a written weekly status every Friday: aging summary, vendor issues and payment plans, statement reconciliation status, error trends, and team workload — delivered without prompting.

6. Functional and administrative duties

• Prepare and file annual 1099s accurately and by the IRS deadline, including W-9 collection and vendor record maintenance throughout the year.
• Maintain compliance with business licenses and registrations relevant to the AP function: track renewal dates and complete renewals before expiration — no lapses.
• Communicate proactively with the team and affected departments: vendor holds, releases, and payment status changes are announced promptly — the team should never learn of a hold from the vendor.
• Maintain full working proficiency in Beanworks and all AP systems; serve as the first line of support and training for the team — the AP Manager must be able to answer how-to questions, not redirect them.
• Keep the company’s D&B report current and accurate, and monitor it for changes that could affect vendor credit terms.
• Administer the corporate credit card program: card issuance and limits, timely collection of receipts and coding, and monthly reconciliation of all card accounts.
• This list is not exhaustive: the AP Manager performs other duties as assigned by the Corporate Controller and remains responsible for the complete and accurate operation of the AP function, whether or not a specific task is enumerated here.