Accounts Payable Manager - Wakefield

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 Wakefield

Wakefield is a city just south of Leeds that comprises the five towns of Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton, Featherstone and Knottingley, as well as other minor towns. With a population of around 325,000, it’s a moderately sized city that is overshadowed by its northern neighbour and Sheffield, which is 20 miles (31 km) to the south. Wakefield is well connected by rail and road, with the M62 and the M1 passing by its north and west respectively.

The city and its constituent towns boomed during the Industrial Revolution when vast seams of coal were discovered beneath them. The area dug hundreds of mines and this remained the key industry in the area until the 1980s when they were closed down one by one. The last remaining one is Kellingley Colliery, located at Knottingley, just east of Pontefract.

The city remains industrial, however, although the days of heavy industry are largely gone. The city’s excellent communications and central location have made it an ideal place to site warehouses, factories and distribution centres, so Accounts Payable Manager jobs regularly appear in the Wakefield area. There are also regeneration projects going on in the city designed to diversify and stimulate the economy, and this looks set to bring further growth to an area that has had to reinvent itself completely in thirty years.

Popular locations

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.

Contact us