Senior Accounts Payable Specialist

We are delighted that due to our continued growth, we have a vacancy within our Finance team.

Working Location: Head Office | Full-time

The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist will support, advise and partner with the business to achieve its objectives, ensuring the effective and efficient management of the Accounts Payable function. The role will help drive continuous improvement, supporting the development of a best-in-class purchase-to-pay process.

As part of your role at Howorth, your responsibilities will include:

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Accounts Payable Specialist’s responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• End-to-end ownership of the Accounts Payable function, ensuring accurate and timely processing of supplier invoices and credits.
• Oversee and continuously improve invoice tracking and workflow management, ensuring clear visibility of invoice status.
• Ensure robust matching of invoices to purchase orders, validating price, quantity, and contractual terms.
• Proactively manage and resolve invoice discrepancies, working cross-functionally to drive timely resolution and minimise delays.
• Ensure appropriate authorisation controls are in place and adhered to prior to payment.
• Maintain high standards of accuracy in invoice coding, VAT treatment, and financial postings.
• Review and optimise supplier payment terms within the system to ensure alignment with agreed terms.
• Drive improvements in payment performance, reducing overdue balances and ageing through effective stakeholder engagement and escalation where required.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal teams and external suppliers to resolve issues and enhance service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with industry requirements, including receipt of payment certificates and Domestic Reverse Charge (DRC) documentation where applicable.
• Oversee monthly supplier statement reconciliations, ensuring differences are investigated and resolved with appropriate audit evidence retained.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date supplier master data, including bank details and compliance records.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across the AP function, including automation, process optimisation, and ERP integration.
• Support audit requirements and ensure all AP processes are compliant and well-documented.
• Provide guidance, oversight, and informal mentoring to colleagues supporting AP activities.
• Collaborate with the wider Finance team on ad hoc projects and improvement initiatives, contributing to overall finance transformation goals.

Qualifications & Preferred Skills

• Comparable and relevant experience as a Senior Accounts Payable professional within a small-to-medium-sized Finance team.
• A strong understanding of best practice within an AP function.
• ERP experience with a proven track record of process improvement.
• Competent user of the Microsoft technology stack (Excel, Word, Teams etc).
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with stakeholders and mentor others.

Benefits

Free parking – Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Pay – Flexible / Hybrid Working – Wellbeing Allowance – Medicash Healthcare Plan

Additional Benefits: Critical illness scheme – Death in service cover – Electric Car Salary Sacrifice – Cycle to work scheme – Employee assistance scheme – Pension scheme after 3 months employment – Company sick pay

About Us

Air it’s a wonderful thing. And at Howorth, we should know. For over 160 years we've studied it. Inhaled and exhaled it. Developed pioneering new ways to clean it, control it, climatise it and contain it.

We understand what it does and how it flows. We know how it moves through operating theatres and clinical areas, pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical manufacturing equipment and environments. Read more: https://howorthgroup.com/about-howorth

Our Culture

At Howorth Air Tech we believe in the power of people and there are three values that underpin everything we do as an organisation. 

• Integrity: You take ownership and accountability, and you value openness.
• Collaboration: You work with others to achieve shared goals.
• Excellence: You strive to deliver high-quality service with a ‘can-do’ attitude.

These values reinforce our organisational purpose: to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. We are committed to fostering a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We believe that embracing different perspectives fuels innovation and strengthens our team. We actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences, ensuring equal opportunities for growth and advancement.

Our commitment to DEI is evident in our hiring practices, workplace policies, and ongoing efforts to cultivate a culture where every employee feels a sense of belonging. Visit our join the team page.

Contact: Alan Livingstone

Email: Alan.Livingstone@howorthgroup.com

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