The Accounts Payable (AP) Manager will oversee and manage the accounts payable team, ensuring timely and accurate processing of invoices, vendor payments, and employee expenses. The AP Manager will maintain internal controls and assist with certain general ledger tasks and projects. This role requires strong leadership skills, attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
Strada Education Network is a national nonprofit social impact organization that supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between education and employment in the U.S., with a special focus on helping those who have faced the greatest challenges securing economic opportunity through postsecondary education or training (PSET). Our new strategic plan focuses on five strategic pillars: clear outcomes, quality coaching, affordable PSET, work-based learning, and employer alignment. We work with partners in education and training, nonprofit organizations, industry, startups, and public policy. We leverage strategic philanthropy, investments, research, communications, advocacy, and collaborating organizations as tools to help advance equitable pathways to opportunity. Strada aspires to be a nonprofit partner of choice working with education and training providers and leaders, policymakers, and peer organizations. Strada offers a dynamic, collaborative, and inspiring professional environment that provides learning and professional development opportunities, both within the organization and with external partners.
Key Responsibilities
Three core responsibility areas, listed below with the approximate percentage of time required for execution.
Team Manager (Lead) (45%)
- Active leader of the Accounts Payable team for Strada Education Foundation and its nonprofit affiliates.
- Provides supervision and mentoring for two staff, guiding procedures, training, and best practices.
- Conducts and communicates performance reviews and sets professional development plans for staff.
- Directly manages day to day operations of the AP team, including invoice processing, vendor payments, and employee expenses.
- Collaborates with internal departments, finance leaders, and communicates with employees at all levels of the organization.
AP Processing & Improvement (45%)
- Ensures invoices are paid timely and accurately.
- Develops and implements AP policies and procedures to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness and ensures internal control compliance.
- Ensures compliance with company policies, IRS rules, and accounting standards.
- Works directly with vendors to resolve discrepancies on invoices, maintain current payment profiles, and maintain vendor relationships.
- Works closely with Legal to access vendor contracts and resolves questions related to the vendor arrangement.
- Assists with selection, testing and implementation of improved employee expense software and corporate card program.
- Drafts and distributes professional communications with internal and external parties to ensure complete.
- Manage the preparation, processing and filing of 1099 forms.
General Ledger & Month End (10%)
- Ensure timely AP close.
- Reduce accounting close time through process improvement.
- Serves as back-up administrator for our Accounts Payable and Employee Expense processing software products.
- Reconciles certain general ledger accounts related to vendor and employee payments.
- Meet periodically with FPA leads across the organization to resolve coding discrepancies and consider improvements.
- Understanding use of cash and communicating projected payment activity with Treasury.
- Support the annual external audit.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or related field required.
Experience Required
- 4+ years of relevant accounting experience, preferably in accounts payable roles.
- 1+ years of managing or leading a team.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Expertise with Excel and Google Sheets.
- Proficiency with NetSuite and/or Tipalti preferred.
- Ability to read, analyze and interpret general and financial documents, manuals, journals, and reports.
- Ability to communicate and work effectively cross-functionally.
- Ability to remain abreast of changes in regulations and practices in financial and industry areas.
- Ability to deal with several abstract and concrete variables and to pay careful attention to detail.
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
- Ability to effectively present information to management, customers, and peers.
- Ability to write general business correspondence and reports.
- Ability to organize, work on multiple tasks, set goals, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
- Overall understanding and knowledge of change management principles and execution along with experience positively influencing change.