Accounts Payable Controller

Purpose of the Job

The purpose of the Accounts Payable Controller role is to lead and manage the AP team, ensuring the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of supplier invoices, payments, and reconciliations while maintaining strong financial controls and optimising cash flow. This role is accountable for team performance against SLAs and KPIs, including payment accuracy, processing turnaround times, and vendor query resolution.

The AP Controller provides leadership and direction to foster a high-performance culture, setting clear expectations and conducting regular performance reviews to develop team capability. This rolepartners with HR to coordinate onboarding for new team members, implements training initiatives to address skills gaps, and ensures open communication channels to support engagement and change management.

Operationally, the AP Controller oversees the end-to-end accounts payable function, including invoice processing, payment runs, vendor reconciliations, and month-end close activities. The Controller ensures compliance with delegated authority limits, financial controls, and service level agreements (SLAs), while acting as the primary escalation point for complex supplier disputes or payment issues.

The role is also responsible for cash flow management through the strategic scheduling of payment runs, optimising payment terms with suppliers, and ensuring accurate accruals and provisions for month-end and year-end reporting. The AP Controller owns the team-wide process documentation framework, leads structured knowledge transfer, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, automation, and control within the AP function.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Invoice Processing, Reconciliations and Payments

• Validate and approve complex or high-value AP transactions, including invoices, credit notes, and reversals.
• Ensure compliance with Delegation of Authority (DOA) and company policies.
• Approve one-time vendor and alternate payee requests.
• Review and approve rejected invoice reprocessing.
• Monitor 2-way and 3-way matching exception reports.
• Investigate recurring pricing, quantity, or PO variances.
• Drive root cause analysis and coordinate resolutions with Procurement and Business Finance
• Escalate systemic issues to SAP CoE or management where required.
• Review and approve vendor reconciliations.
• Monitor unreconciled items and aged creditor balances.
• Ensure timely clearing of reconciling items.
• Escalate long-outstanding disputes to management.
• Approve and schedule payment runs in alignment with cash flow forecasts
• Consult with Business Finance and GAM to ensure adequate funding for payment cycles.
• Review and authorize foreign payment instructions and bank instruction forms.
• Perform pre-approval checks on payment uploads Perform pre-approval checks on payment uploads.
• Review and validate AP accruals for accuracy and completeness
• Ensure prepayments and advances are accurately captured, monitored, and cleared
• Support finance team with month-end AP reporting and reconciliations

2. Supplier Relationship Management including Dispute and Query resolution

• Develop and maintain favourable stakeholder relationships internally with business partners, procurement, treasury, finance, and business unit heads to ensure alignment on payment priorities, approval workflows, and service delivery expectations.
• Develop and maintain strong external relationships with key suppliers and vendors, fostering trust and open communication to facilitate smooth payment processing and dispute resolution.
• Function as the primary point of contact for strategic or high-value suppliers, ensuring their queries are addressed promptly and professionally.
• Function as the point of escalation for supplier contact related to urgent payment requests, payment delays, or complex disputes where standard processing or administrator-level resolution has failed.
• Manage payment requests outside standard payment runs by ensuring proper justification, supporting documentation, and compliance with financial controls.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (procurement, receiving, treasury, , and business finance) to address systemic issues contributing to invoice processing delays, payment holds, or recurring supplier disputes.
• Identify root causes of repeat escalations (e.g., purchase order mismatches, goods receipt issues, approval bottlenecks, master data errors) and work with stakeholders to implement sustainable solutions.
• Manage the exception handling process for escalated supplier accounts, including invoices requiring special approval, payment holds, manual intervention, or out-of-cycle payments.
• Investigate and resolve complex invoice discrepancies escalated by AP Administrators

3. Business controls, compliance and Governance

• Own the payment forecasting process, ensuring forecasts are accurately updated, validated against payment schedules, approved invoices, and supplier payment terms, and reflective of business commitments and cash flow requirements.
• Perform detailed variance analysis between forecasted and actual payments, investigating significant discrepancies and identifying root causes (e.g., approval delays, invoice processing bottlenecks, system issues, supplier disputes, or unplanned urgent payments)
• Provide monthly commentary on forecast accuracy to the A|P Manager or Treasury, highlighting risks to cash flow targets, working capital objectives, and proposing corrective actions to optimize payment timing and liquidity.
• Monitor compliance with Accounts Payable policies, procedures, and delegated authority limits, ensuring all invoice processing, approvals, and payments adhere to established controls.
• Assist in managing the implementation of corporate governance procedures, risk management frameworks, and internal controls within the AP function, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and audit requirements.
• Assist with the identification of internal control weaknesses within AP processes (e.g., segregation of duties, approval workflows, duplicate payment risks) and suggest or implement improvements to strengthen controls.
• Ensure compliance with SLA criteria specific to the AP function, including processing turnaround times, payment accuracy, query resolution timelines, and supplier satisfaction metrics.
• Compile and present compliance reports to management, highlighting areas of non-compliance, corrective actions taken, and recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Comply with all Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) standards, policies, and procedures applicable to the role and the shared services environment.

4. Team Leadership and Performance Management

• Provide leadership and direction to the AP team, fostering a high-performance culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Role model desired behaviors, including professionalism, customer focus, and operational excellence, setting the standard for the team
• Create an inclusive and engaged team environment, recognizing achievements, addressing challenges constructively, and motivating team members to achieve their full potential.
• Monitor team delivery against Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and key operational metrics, including cash application turnaround times, dispute resolution aging, collection targets, and forecast accuracy
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans to address underperformance or bottlenecks.
• Prepare and present team performance dashboards to the AP Manager, highlighting achievements, risks, and areas requiring attention
• Set individual and team Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with departmental goals, including DPO (Days Payable Outstanding), invoice processing accuracy and turnaround time, unprocessed invoice aging, statement reconciliation rate, query resolution time, exception rate, write-off value, forecast accuracy, – ensuring all metrics drive efficiency, accuracy, and strong supplier relationships while supporting working capital objectives.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and formal performance reviews to provide constructive feedback, recognize achievements, and address development areas.
• Work with team members to create personal development plans (PDPs) that align individual aspirations with team and organizational goals.
• Document performance discussions and track progress against agreed actions to ensure accountability and transparency
• Identify skills gaps within the team through performance data, observation, and feedback, and develop targeted training initiatives to address them
• Design and deliver training programs (or coordinate with AP Manager /Learning & Development) on topics such as SAP AP modules.
• Build cross-functional capability by rotating responsibilities or providing stretch assignments to develop team members' breadth of experience
• Maintain a skills matrix for the team, tracking competencies and identifying succession candidates for key roles
• Establish and maintain open communication channels with team members through regular team meetings, huddles, and updates on departmental and organizational priorities
• Communicate changes to processes, systems, or policies clearly and proactively, ensuring team members understand the rationale and impact
• Implement management interventions where necessary to support team members through transitions, addressing resistance and reinforcing adoption of new ways of working
• Solicit and act on team feedback, creating a culture where team members feel heard and valued

5. Knowledge Transfer & Handover (Training Requirement)

• Own and maintain the team-wide process documentation repository, ensuring all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), system navigation guides, workflow maps, and key contact lists are accurate, current, and accessible to all AR team members.
• Establish and enforce documentation standards, including version control, review cycles, and formatting consistency, to ensure clarity and usability across the team.
• Review and approve SOPs and guides developed by AP Administrators, providing feedback to ensure completeness, accuracy, and alignment with current systems and policies.
• Identify documentation gaps and prioritize the creation or update of materials for high-risk, complex, or frequently escalated processes
• Lead and coordinate structured knowledge transfer sessions for portfolio handovers, new hire onboarding, and cross-functional transitions, ensuring a consistent and repeatable approach across the team.
• Develop and maintain a standardized handover framework, including templates, timelines, and competency checklists, to ensure operational continuity during employee movements, promotions, or organizational changes.
• Act as the primary facilitator for complex or large-scale handovers (e.g., regional portfolio transfers, system migrations), ensuring all stakeholders are aligned and risks are mitigated.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Accounting or equivalent (NQF7) level Diploma in Accounting
• 5 -7 years’ experience in accounts payable or similar environment with 2 years supervisory / management experience
• Experience with shared services or outsourced finance operations
• SAP ECC6 (essential)

Knowledge and Skills

• A high degree of computer literacy including knowledge of the MS Office Suite – especially MS Excel and Word
• Good business acumen
• SAP ECC knowledge (P2P Module) essential
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Excellent communication
• Problem solving skills
• MS Office
• Analytical and Conceptual.
• Communication (written and verbal).
• Relationship Building.
• Multi-tasking
• Attention to detail

Key Competencies

• Sound knowledge of AP policies and procedures
• Sound knowledge of the regulatory, statutory and compliance frameworks affecting area of responsibility
• Sound knowledge of ERP systems (P2P Module) SAP ECC
• Process Improvement
• Stakeholder impact & focus
• Results Orientated
• Team Leader
• Collaboration & influence 
• Time and priority management
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Organizing skills
• Numerical and clerical skills
• Compliance with rules and regulations
• Communication skills

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