Senior Accounts Payable Officer

Reports to: Financial Controller

Location: West London – currently operating an agile working policy with two core days (Mon and Weds) in the office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: 16/10/2023 at 10am

Interviews: w/c 23/10/2023

Salary: £30,000 to £33,500 (depending on experience)

About the role:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Accounts Payable Officer to join our finance team. As a key member of our finance team, you will lead and optimise our Accounts Payable function for the central office, ensuring seamless invoice processing, timely payments, and fostering strong supplier relationships.

This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your expertise, drive process improvements, and contribute to the financial success of our organisation. Join us and be part of a team that values excellence and innovation in finance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for delivering the day-to-day operations of the Accounts Payable function, ensuring upkeep of the function’s high standard and reputation in the organisation
• Support staff to process Purchase Orders using SAP Concur
• Process invoices and staff expenses in a timely manner, ensuring accuracy and compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements
• Review and verify invoices and payment requests for appropriate documentation and approval
• Prepare and process payment runs, including BACS, CHAPS, and Faster payments
• Generate financial reports related to AP, providing insights to support decision-making
• Lead the month-end closing process for AP, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Reconcile credit cards for all central credit card holders
• Identify any accruals and prepayments and report to the Management Accounting team
• Support the Financial Controller and the Central finance team with year-end accounts preparation and external audit
• Collaborating with auditors to address inquiries and findings related to AP

Key Requirements:

• Working towards a professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACCA, CIMA) is a plus
• Proven experience as an Accounts Payable or a similar role
• Proficiency in financial software and Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel. Experience using PS Financials and SAP Concur is desirable
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Detail-oriented and capable of meeting deadlines
• Ability to skilfully manage and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, suppliers, and other stakeholders
• High standards and a keen eye for detail
• Keen to learn and further develop own skills
• Exercises sound judgment, especially relating to confidentiality and discretion

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 28,500 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Hybrid working, with currently two days a week in our state-of-the-art office in West London working alongside colleagues
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.  

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment – this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link. 

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.