One of my local authority clients are looking for a Accounts Payable Officer based in London. This is a contract role until May 2025 with possible further extension.
Purpose of Post
To provide an accounts payable service, in line with agreed service levels. The post holder is responsible for the processing of all invoice payments in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner across various systems in accordance with tax guidelines and carrying out the necessary checks prior to posting.
To be committed to providing the highest level of customer service, to both internal and external customers/suppliers, and actively seek to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the duties of the post.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
- To process via input to the Oracle AP system both PO and non-PO related invoices and credit notes, ensuring that the correct verification checks have been carried out and that authority has been obtained and recorded for all payments as necessary. To also process all other payables transactions such as rate refunds, grants and re-imbursements. To prioritise workload to ensure that urgent payments and invoice deadlines are met.
- To ensure that the correct VAT coding is entered which is relevant to the VAT entity the invoice is being processed for (across multiplicity of CoL VAT entities). To ensure that any payments relating to the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) are recorded correctly as such.
- To hold and release invoices for payment upon business request. To correct any invoices that have been incorrectly posted.
- To amend any obviously incorrectly coded transaction data to ensure correct budgets are posted to, and to advise departments of any such action taken. To escalate any consistent repeat 'offending' to encourage and educate best practice. To ensure all notifications of cost centre amendments are correctly applied.
- To request new, or updates to, creditor details to be set up by the Data Management Team using the relevant e-form.
- To ensure all consolidated centrally billed charges are received and processed within the period.
- To undertake exception handling when there are workflow processing issues, and investigate reasons for any exceptions arising, liaising with Commercial Services colleagues to action any necessary corrections.
- Processing of invoices on the Civica Cx Housing Repairs system.
- To provide outstanding customer service to internal and external stakeholders, liaising with suppliers and departmental clients to resolve queries and disputes to ensure payments are made on time to achieve key performance indicator targets.
- To deal with standard payment queries and build up an understanding of specific departmental payment issues.
- To pro-actively manage the invoices on hold report to reduce the number of unpaid invoices held in internal processes.
- To escalate complex reconciliation activities and issues to the Assistant Accounts Payable Manager. To work with City departments, Commercial Services teams, suppliers, and creditors to resolve discrepancies.
- To identify supplier non-compliant invoices of the No PO No PAY directive, and return them to suppliers.
- To record and input year-end listed debtors/creditors/payments in support of the Finance teams and communicate reminders to departments towards year end.
- To provide transaction/budget and other ad-hoc reports to assist City departments with budget monitoring processes.