Job Description
Job SummaryAccounts Payable ensures that the financial obligations for the entire University of Utah are promptly satisfied, utilizing a variety of payment methods, with an associated annual volume exceeding $4.3B. These processes are mission critical to the university and must always be available and fully operational. The Accounts Payable Manager is responsible for ensuring that happens, being responsible for all AP operations, processes, and staff. Responsibilities also include ensuring compliance with any applicable state and federal laws for all payments issued. The Manager will monitor all business processes to ensure smooth operation and resolution of any failures in a timely manner. Responsible for AP fiscal year end close processes, and preparing reports used by external auditors, as well as working with both internal and external auditors as needed. Responsible for reconciliation of high volume ghost card transactions, virtual payments, and other automated payment processes. Additional responsibilities include managing banking processes with our banking partner and quickly addressing any discovered issues. Also responsible for time-sensitive wire transfer payments which often ensure any associated legal or contractual payment requirements are satisfied. The Manager will collaborate with a variety of constituencies on campus, ensuring questions or issues are addressed promptly, always providing timely and excellent customer service.
Responsibilities
Responsible for all Accounts Payable processes and operations and all staff.
Manage critical daily payment processes and check production for the university
Manage all bank processes, ensuring all identified issues are promptly addressed.
Ensuring successful operation of all processes, including integrations between upstream systems and PeopleSoft voucher and payment processes, including for the University Hospital.
Manage all daily wire transfer payments, ensuring compliance with any associated required payment deadlines.
Ensuring compliance with IRS 1099 reporting and compliance, and ensuring all required deadlines are met, and respond to inquiries from 1099 recipients.
Ensuring compliance with all fiscal year-end closing requirements, including AP liability reporting requirements.
Promptly responding to and evaluating any suspicious activity or reported apparent fraud and escalating as necessary. Consistently evaluating business processes for risk and identifying and implementing improvements to mitigate risk as necessary.
Maintaining open lines of communication with all campus departments to ensure that needs are being met and any questions or issues are promptly addressed. Provide guidance to departments on payment processes, or best practices.
Respond to vendor payment inquiries and resolve as needed, and work to ensure positive vendor relations are maintained.
Manage all staff, including hiring, payroll, performance evaluations, and any disciplinary actions which may be required.
Oversee monthly post-audit processes for both central and satellite AP offices.
Monthly reconciliation of high volume Amazon and virtual card payments, booking of expenses via journals or department deposits.
Identify opportunities to improve business processes, increase ACH utilization, facilitate outsourcing of physical check production, develop and monitor KPI’s.
Implement reporting and KPI’s in order to monitor invoice processing volumes and queues, and monitor revenue and expenses.
This job description is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in a related area or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience). Four to six years of progressively more responsible management experience. Background knowledge of hiring department’s area of specialization in order to analyze, plan and draw conclusions for recommendations to superiors. Demonstrated leadership skills in planning and directing employees and processes in order to effectively monitor and develop subordinates and to ensure the smooth operation of department.
Completion of provided supervisory training within one year of employment may be required.
Master’s degree in a related area may be preferred.
Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.
Preferences
Experience managing large-scale Accounts Payable operations and payment processes. Experience with PeopleSoft payment processes. Experience ensuring IRS 1099 tax reporting and compliance. Experience performing monthly accounting reconciliations. Experience implementing and monitoring business-critical KPI’s and addressing any processing issues. Experience implementing process improvements. Strong commitment to providing excellent customer service, excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently. Experience manipulating large data sets, advanced Excel skills. High attention to detail. Experience successfully managing large teams and ensuring excellent customer service is consistently provided.