Manager of Accounts Payable, UFS
Job No: 498688
Work Type: Staff Full-Time
Location: Denver, CO
Categories: Accounting / Finance, Business Operations / Services, Admin / Executive / Office Support
Department Summary
University Financial Services provides a wide range of business, administrative, and support services to faculty, staff, and students in a high-quality, effective, and efficient manner. It supports the teaching and research mission of the University by enabling unit-level staff to access and transact support services easily and readily for faculty, staff, and/or students. The department provides successful leadership and management of infrastructure functions, delivering effective, efficient, and value-adding services and processes to the institution that are directly aligned to internal customer needs.
Position Summary
The Manager of Accounts Payable will ensure the timely, efficient, accurate, and well-controlled disbursement of payments on behalf of the University. To achieve this goal, this position will comprehensively plan, manage, and administer the University payment systems. This position ensures all payments meet the university's expense policies and documentation requirements.
Essential Functions
Supervise the day-to-day activities of the 5 members of the Accounts Payable team.
Oversee the timeliness and accuracy of payments and communication to the University's banking partner.
Provide direction and goals for the team
Build and maintain relationships by collaborating across units and departments to foster trust, commitment, accountability and results.
Adjudicate governance questions
Oversee the secure payment of $250+M annually to vendors. Oversee the processing of 15,000+ vendor invoices annually.
Serve as the primary point of contact for all payment-related questions.
Manage the response to requests from external and internal auditors.
Provide strategic guidance for enhancements to departmental and University-wide processes and procedures.
Serve as the subject matter expert for payables modules within the campus-wide Procure to Pay system.
Analyzes the current vendor population to identify and migrate vendors to more secure payment methods.
Develops and implements procedures for reconciling legacy vendor data.
Troubleshoot and prioritize responses to internal and external payment and vendor concerns.
Ensure all payment fraud protections and policies are in place and carefully followed.
Oversee the compliance and timely filing of 1000+ Forms 1099-NEC and Forms 1099-MISC
Supervise and provide guidance over the vendor set-up process, ensuring IRS regulations and internal policies are followed.
Using available data, perform analyses to determine best practices, and suggest opportunities for process improvement, while maintaining internal controls.
Be a knowledgeable and strategic partner for development of future system enhancements.
Ensure appropriate internal controls are followed, including enforcement of separation of duties.
Perform Accounts Payable activities as needed.
Act as a liaison to internal customers in matters pertaining to payment obligations and travel/expense reimbursements.
Review payment transactions for accuracy and compliance.
Provide backup support to all 5 direct reports to ensure continuity of service.
Ensure payment activities, both automated and manual, are recorded correctly into the university's financial reporting system.
Research and resolve complex payment problems and inquiries; anticipate problems with high-volume vendors and execute a plan to address the needs of the vendor and the university.
Ensure Non-Resident Alien and other international vendors are correctly paid and recorded for tax reporting purposes.
Prepare analyses and reports on an ad-hoc basis.
Other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Strong understanding of payment systems principles and practices.
Strong understanding of university and governmental policies and regulations.
Understanding of business processes and systems; knowledge of internal controls and ability to enhance and maintain a strong internal control environment.
Able to implement and enforce policy in a respectful and customer service-oriented manner; demonstrated focus on compliance as well as customer service. Must be comfortable saying "no" when appropriate.
Understanding and appreciation for automation and the use of technology as an enabler of high-quality services and performance levels.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong organizational skills
Knowledge of higher education culture, governance, structures and mission
Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Successful supervisory skills, including maintaining morale in a high-volume environment.
Work with a high level of independence, maintain confidentiality, prioritize assignments, and be forward-thinking.
Motivate and manage staff to achieve the goals of the department.
Work in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple concurrent tasks, meet critical deadlines, and effectively manage changing priorities
Competencies:
Decision Making/Judgment: Recognizes problems and responds, systematically gathers information, sorts through complex issues, seeks input from others, addresses root cause of issues, makes timely decisions, can make difficult decisions, uses consensus when possible, and communicates decisions to others.
Inclusiveness: Actively creates and supports an inclusive and equitable workplace by embedding inclusivity into all aspects of the workplace. This may include policies, procedures, training, mission, values, goals, office climate and culture, interactions with colleagues and co-workers, leadership practices, programming, hiring, marketing, evaluation, promotion, and other workplace dimensions.
Integrity/Ethics: Follows through on commitments and communicates honestly and encourages others to do so. Demonstrates integrity and ethics and acts in support of the University's best interest.
Customer Focus: Builds customer confidence, commitment to increasing customer satisfaction, sets achievable customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving customer problems, ensures commitments to customers are met, solicits opinions and ideas from customers, responds to internal customers.
Teamwork/Engagement: Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals. Displays enthusiasm about being part of the team. Treats others with respect. Supports the work of team members and contributes an appropriate share of the work to team projects.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in a related discipline, such as finance, accounting, business administration or similar
5-7 years full-time work experience in Accounts Payable
2+ Years of Supervisory Experience
Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills
Preferred Qualifications
5+ Years of experience in Higher Education
5+ Years of experience as head of an Accounts Payable Department
Experience with Jaggaer Procure-to-Pay
Experience with Ellucian Banner
Working Environment
Standard office environment.
Unexpected interruptions occur often, and stress level is moderate to high.
Noise level is quiet to moderate.
Physical Activities
Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time.
Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.
Work Schedule
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. In accordance with the University's flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for partial remote work. Further details regarding this plan will be
