Accounts Payable Manager - Belfast

Accounts Payable Manager

While a startup company will usually get by with a single accountant dealing with all the incoming and outgoing payments, as it grows, this becomes more complex, especially when the business relies heavily on suppliers. Whether it’s vendors, freelancers or other services, they normally work on credit, so won’t expect immediate payment, but will expect regular, timely and predictable payments after invoicing if the relationships are to survive.

In supplier-heavy businesses, the accounts department will often be split into accounts payable and accounts receivable, and overseeing the payable team will be the accounts payable manager. It is the team’s responsibility to ensure all invoices coming in are correct, matching purchase orders and other forms of confirmation that products and services have been delivered. Then, they’ll ensure payments are made within the agreed timeframes. The Accounts payable manager will put procedures in place to ensure the department runs smoothly, and will troubleshoot and chase up queries when the staff are unable to.

The skills required for senior accounts payable jobs

Accounts payable manager jobs are best performed by those who have worked their way up the accountancy departments of businesses, whether that’s in general accounts or specifically in accounts payable. Since payable and receivable do have different goals and responsibilities, experience in the payable side is often preferred, but there’s enough crossover to make the skills quite interchangeable at the managerial level.

The accounts payable manager will be an excellent communicator, and should know their way around the various accounting software suites. They’ll also need to be able to investigate queries and chase up disputes, as the supplier is often right when there’s an invoice disagreement.

Accounts Payable Manager Jobs in Belfast

As Northern Ireland's capital and largest city, Belfast offers a number of opportunities for those seeking Accounts Payable Manager positions.

The region was first settled during the Bronze Age and had become a thriving community by the 17th century.

During the Industrial Revolution, Belfast was known for producing a broad range of goods, including linen, rope and tobacco.

Meanwhile, its proximity to two large bodies of water - Belfast Lough and the River Lagan - made the city an ideal location for shipbuilding.

Over a period of 150 years, Harland and Wolff - once one of the city's most famous shipbuilders and currently fabricating equipment for the marine, offshore and renewable energy sectors - constructed numerous vessels. These included luxury liners like the Titanic, Olympic and Britannic, as well as the HMS Belfast, a Royal Navy light cruiser that is now permanently moored on the River Thames in central London.

Following the First World War, Belfast's economy began to slowly decline and by the 1960s and 1970s, the city's situation gradually deteriorated as civil unrest of the period known as The Troubles created a fragile financial situation and a community riddled with violence.

However, since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Belfast has once again emerged as a city with a viable economy and there has been rapid redevelopment.

These days, Belfast is a centre for education and commerce and companies based here include Allstate NI, Moy Park, Bombardier Aerospace and Translink - Northern Ireland's main provider of public transport.

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Accounts payable manager jobs at Cast UK

Is your business looking for an accounts payable manager? At Cast UK, we put companies in touch with capable, enthusiastic candidates who could be a perfect fit in your accounts department. Drop us a line on 0333 121 3345 so we can start searching.

If you’re an accounts payable manager or have the talent and experience to step up to the role, please register with us by clicking the link below. A top business could be looking for your skills right now.

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