AP Operations Lead

Accounts Payable Operations Lead

Major CA Entertainment Company Onsite in LA office Tues-Thurs

We are looking for an experienced Accounts Payable (AP) Operations Lead to support our Accounts Payable function. The AP Operations Lead will support our overall workflows and processes with a focus on operational efficiency, streamlined communication flow, and process improvements through exploration of new tools (i.e. AI technology) and automation workflows. The right candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, excellent communication skills and a comprehensive understanding of accounts payments systems and processes.

The primary responsibilities of the AP Operations Lead role will be:

Continually evaluate current accounts payable processes and systems to identify opportunities for automation and increased efficiency

Drive improvements of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)/(Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) through continuous assessment of current processes

Design, propose and partner with AP or Finance Procurement Operations (FPO) team members to implement process changes achieving operational efficiencies as a best in class AP team

Drive projects to evaluate AI and other tools to improve processes; support ongoing projects as needed

Gather AP requirements and partner with AP Business Analyst and FinTech to drive forward looking planning of AP system and tools

Build or improve dashboards for real-time visibility into AP operations

Build Partnerships

Build trust as the subject matter expert on the Accounts Payable workflows, anticipating supplier and internal stakeholder needs to drive effective outcomes

Serve as the point of contact (POC) for M&A process changes and escalations, partnering cross-functionally to evaluate, design and implement optimal processes

Document and communicate new processes as appropriate

Serve as a liaison between invoice processing and resolution specialists, BPs, and vendors (if necessary) to identify and drive resolution for recurring bottlenecks and operational challenges (e.g. recurring instances of invoices not flowing through OCR or regular payment overrides on invoices)

Partner with the AP Business Analyst to identify opportunities for improvement and develop the key criteria or data elements to track in order to build insightful metrics

Build presentations tailored to internal or external business partners and stakeholders in order to educate on AP processes, expectations, SLAs, etc.

Own communication on key initiatives or changes to suppliers

Month-End Close, Audit & Other

Own preparation and review of key AP reports, including aging reports, accruals and other metrics as appropriate

Own month-end close process, including communications to notify internal stakeholders of processing and payment timelines and management of the month-end close AP calendar

Support audits and coordinate with AP team, AP leaders and Internal Audit on documentation requests, process walkthrough, documentation reviews, and other tasks as appropriate

Provide back-up to Payment processing specialist (or other functions depending on business critical needs)

Own the AskAP DL, determine and manage response SLAs and serve as a POC for vendor and internal stakeholder communication

Skills and Competencies:

5+ years of relevant experience in accounts payable end-to end process, including invoice processing & review, payments, risk management and process improvement

Strong understanding of accounts payable principles, practices and regulations on a global scale and within region of focus

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

Passionate about building strong partnerships with colleagues and working together toward a common goal

Strong understanding of SOX compliance rules and regulations

Organized, with exceptional attention to detail and adherence to timelines

Effective written and verbal communication skills, ability to create memos and adjust level of detail based on the audience

Deep curiosity and passion for operational processes, automation and process improvement

Ability to partner with technical teams and identify potential bottlenecks