Director of Accounts Payable

Director of Accounts Payable

Teaneck, NJ

About the Organization

We are a growing, multi-location provider of essential environmental, waste management, and recycling services, serving a diverse customer base across commercial, industrial, healthcare, and residential markets.

Our continued growth has been driven by a combination of strategic expansion and acquisitions, including many family-owned businesses whose teams and values remain an important part of our organization. We bring together the resources and opportunities of a larger organization with the collaborative culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and personal approach of a close-knit team.

We are committed to operational excellence, responsible environmental practices, and creating a safe, supportive workplace for our employees and the communities we serve.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Director of Accounts Payable to lead and elevate our accounts payable function. This is a key leadership position with responsibility for ensuring that the AP organization operates with accuracy, efficiency, strong controls, and a high level of service.

The ideal candidate will be both a strategic thinker and a hands-on leadersomeone who can develop a high-performing team, improve processes, leverage technology, and partner effectively with stakeholders throughout the organization.

This role offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a growing organization by modernizing the AP function, strengthening financial controls, and building scalable processes that support continued growth.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the accounts payable team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee daily AP operations, including invoice processing, payment execution, vendor inquiries, and account reconciliations.
• Establish clear performance expectations, goals, and metrics for the AP team.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development opportunities.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures that promote consistency, efficiency, and compliance.

Vendor & Cross-Functional Partnerships

• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and suppliers.
• Ensure invoices and payments are processed accurately and on time while resolving discrepancies and payment issues efficiently.
• Partner with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Operations, and other internal teams to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Serve as a key point of contact for AP-related matters and promote strong communication across departments.
• Collaborate with external auditors during annual audits and provide appropriate documentation and support.

Process Improvement & Automation

• Evaluate the existing AP function and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and service.
• Lead initiatives to streamline workflows, reduce manual processes, shorten processing times, and minimize errors.
• Evaluate and implement AP automation, workflow, and technology solutions where appropriate.
• Establish and monitor meaningful AP metrics and KPIs to measure performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Stay current on emerging technologies, industry trends, and accounts payable best practices.

Compliance & Financial Reporting

• Ensure compliance with applicable tax requirements, including sales tax and 1099 reporting.
• Prepare and present AP reporting and key performance metrics to senior leadership.
• Monitor outstanding payables, aging, payment activity, and other relevant financial indicators.
• Oversee AP activities associated with month-end and year-end close.
• Partner with Finance and Accounting leadership to support accurate and timely financial reporting.

Controls, Accuracy & Risk Management

• Oversee reconciliation of accounts payable balances to the general ledger.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of AP-related financial information.
• Develop, strengthen, and maintain internal controls designed to protect company assets and prevent fraud, errors, and inappropriate payments.
• Identify potential risks within AP processes and implement appropriate controls and corrective actions.
• Ensure AP practices remain aligned with accounting standards, company policies, and applicable regulations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required; CPA and/or Masters degree preferred.
• 810+ years of progressive accounts payable or finance experience.
• At least 5 years of experience leading, managing, and developing teams.
• Strong knowledge of accounts payable operations, accounting principles, financial systems, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated experience improving AP processes and implementing automation or workflow solutions.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or comparable platforms.
• Strong understanding of tax requirements, including sales tax and 1099 reporting.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of an organization.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will bring structure, visibility, and continuous improvement to the accounts payable function. Within the first year, they will have strengthened the team, improved processes and controls, increased automation and efficiency, and established clear performance metrics that provide leadership with greater visibility into the AP organization.

Most importantly, this leader will build a high-performing AP function that can scale with the organization while delivering a consistently high level of accuracy, service, and accountability. :::

I also shifted the positioning from someone who manages AP to a leader who will transform and scale the AP function. That makes the role more attractive to stronger Director-level candidates while keeping the requirements realistic.

Up to $185,000 annual base salary plus annual bonus