WHAT DOES AN AP SUPERVISOR DO?
The AP Supervisor reviews invoices and supporting documentation, oversees purchase orders, and ensures accuracy across multiple cost centers are key responsibilities of the Accounts Payable Supervisor. They drive process efficiencies, manage vendor and customer relations, and implement improvements to internal controls and operational efficiencies. Additionally, they train new hires, collaborate with facility management, and resolve disputes to maintain departmental deadlines and achieve financial objectives.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for AP Supervisor
1. AP Supervisor Duties
- GL Coding: Approve GL coding of purchase requisitions.
- Payment Management: Prepare payment runs weekly.
- Invoice Management: Review aging and ensure invoices are paid promptly.
- Reconciliation: Reconcile credit card statements to receipts and other documentation.
- Report Management: Work with AP staff and suppliers to keep the GRNI report current.
- PO Handling: Handle service POs and non-PO invoices.
- Discrepancy Resolution: Assist AP staff with researching and resolving purchase order and invoice discrepancies.
- Transaction Assistance: Assist staff with any non-standard transactions.
- Supplier Communication: Handle supplier calls and maintain supplier relations.
- AP Liaison: Serve as the main point of contact for the AP department.
- Audit Support: Assist with audit documentation, SOX testing, and management reporting.
- Process Improvement: Identify and suggest process improvements.
2. AP Supervisor Details
- Invoice Review: Review invoices and supporting documentation for accuracy and adherence to company policies and procedures (examples are expense reports and credit cards)
- Purchase Oversight: Oversee purchase order process and review purchases for potential cost savings opportunities with approved vendors
- Ledger Scrutiny: Weekly General Ledger review for accuracy of expenses across multiple cost centers
- Efficiency Enhancement: Drive process efficiencies through customer invoicing and electronic payments
- Interface Management: Assist in managing the processing of interfaces/imports
- Month-End Oversight: Manage the month-end processes and queries
- Vendor and Customer Management: Assist in managing new vendors, new customers, and requested changes
- Credit Processing: Process credit applications and credit reference requests from vendors and customers
- Reporting: Prepare weekly and monthly reports for management review, including metrics
- Process Improvement: Recommend and implement process improvements related to internal controls and operational efficiencies
- Training and Development: Train and oversee new hires regarding department procedures, processes, and company policies.
- Facility Collaboration: Work closely with facility management to guide actions for a more efficient and effective month-end close
- Dispute Resolution: Resolve disputes with internal and external customers
- Deadline Management: Complete work as necessary to meet the department’s weekly and monthly deadlines
- Special Projects: Perform special projects and reporting
3. AP Supervisor Responsibilities
- Weekly Check and Reconciliations: Prepare weekly check runs and have experience in reconciliations. Heavy reconciliations of both AMEX and vendor statements.
- Accounts Payable Processing: Assist in processing accounts payable and respond to inquiries regarding fund application and vendor queries.
- Accounts Payable Management: Experience in Accounts Payable Management or any related accounting management. Knowledge of AP processes and proficiency in computer skills.
- AP Clerks Supervision: Supervise AP Clerks by managing workflow, setting objectives, and focusing on learning and development to enhance operational performance.
- Payment Runs Management: Manage the preparation of weekly and ad-hoc payment runs.
- Performance Monitoring: Monitor and report on key performance indicators.
- Supplier and Expense Management: Create and verify new supplier and expense accounts.
- Inbox and Query Management: Ensure the Purchase Ledger mailbox is reviewed and all queries are resolved efficiently and professionally.
- AP Team Development: Assist in the training and development of new AP team members.
- Stakeholder Liaison: Liaise with suppliers, PO originators, Procurement, and Finance as required to deliver an efficient and effective service.
4. AP Supervisor Job Summary
- Financial Operations: Supporting the business by ensuring all aspects of Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), and Treasury are completed in a timely and accurate way.
- Deadline Management: Managing and meeting multiple deadlines.
- Bank Reconciliation: Bank reconciliations and managing bad debt process.
- Supplier Payments: Managing supplier invoicing and payments.
- Ledger Reconciliation: Reconciliation of sales ledger and investigating ledger differences.
- Sales Reporting: Weekly reporting and analysis of sales ledger.
- Credit Control: Credit control including chasing overdue debt.
- Team Leadership: Managing a team of AP and AR staff.
- Cashflow Reporting: Cashflow reporting and working on the SAP system.
- AP Management: Manage the entire AP process and ensure payments are submitted in a timely manner.
- Staff Training: Train staff on best AP and AR practices.
- AP Reporting: Prepare AP reports for senior management.
- AR Monitoring: Monitor the AR report for outstanding receivables.
- Financial Reconciliation: Perform month-end reconciliations and assist with financial reporting.
5. AP Supervisor Accountabilities
- Policy Compliance: Maintain working knowledge of WW policies as pertain to the accounts payable department, and enforce compliance.
- Corporate Card/TE Oversight: Oversee the Corporate Card/TE process including quality control, prioritizing, maintaining backups and monitoring results.
- Payment Processing Oversight: Oversee the payment processing process including quality control, prioritizing, maintaining backups and monitoring results.
- Rent Payment Management: Oversee rent payment processing, including service room providers and leased landlord payments. Liaison with third-party business partners to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Inventory Invoice Processing: Process inventory-related invoices, including three-way match. Liaison with the procurement team to resolve discrepancies.
- Project Execution: Execute special projects, from inception to results reporting.
- Credit Card Reconciliation: Authorize credit card payments and compile reconciliation to the bank.
- Customer Service Provision: Provide customer service to internal and external Suppliers and Employees complying to a 24-48 hour service level agreement.
- Process Improvement Identification: Identify process improvements/efficiencies and present to departmental management.
- AP Daily Management: Coordinate, prioritize, and assist in managing the daily processing aspect of accounts payable activities such as data entry, 2-3-way match, expense report processing, resolving discrepancies, meeting deadlines, providing metrics on team members, etc.
- Payment Accuracy Assurance: Work alongside AP specialists to ensure payments are made accurately and meet deadlines.
- End-of-Period Assistance: Assist with the month/year-end activities such as journal entries, accruals, and close process.
- Team Supervision and Development: Supervise daily coverage and provide evaluations/feedback on team members, including but not limited to, creating goals, coaching, and training of the whole team. Approve vacation time and time cards.
- Process Documentation and Improvement: Ensure all written processes and procedures are current, and assist in process improvements where needed, including testing, creating timelines, and documentation.
- Systems and Policies Expertise: Act as subject matter expert as it pertains to systems and policies.
6. AP Supervisor Functions
- Invoice Review: Review incoming invoices and check requests for approval and coding requirements, approve for posting.
- Coding Determination: Determine the appropriate coding, and compare recommendations from the approver against standard accounting practice, including reviewing for capitalization or prepaid requirements.
- Sales Tax Compliance: Ensure that sales tax is properly recorded when applicable.
- Time-Card Approval: Monitor staff compliance with labor regulations and approve employee time-cards.
- Payment Processing: Process payments, including recording electronic payments.
- Check Runs: Processing of weekly check runs and manual payments upon request.
- Expense Research: Performing research for external clients and auditors on expenses and payments, both within and outside of GreatPlains.
- Accruals Review: Processing of month-end accruals, including review for completeness.
- Disbursement Testing: Assistance with quarterly subsequent disbursement testing for both internal and external auditors.
- Payment Timeliness: Monitor the timeliness of payments, including weekly payment recommendations.
- Work Accuracy Monitoring: Monitor the accuracy of the AP Coordinator's work and provide additional training or remediation as necessary.
- Backlog Management: Monitor backlog of scanning, requesting additional assistance if necessary.
- Reconciliation Review: Review employee reimbursement and company card reconciliations against company policy and process accounting approvals.
- Staff Onboarding: Lead interviewing, onboarding, and training new and existing staff.
- Audit Assistance: Assist during internal and external review by obtaining documents, preparing reports, or responding to inquiries.
7. AP Supervisor Job Description
- Policy Compliance: Following all Edgewater Real Estate's rental policies and procedures.
- Leasing Coordination: Showings (12-4 Sunday Open House), renting apartments paperwork signings on site. Reference checks.
- Maintenance: Cleaning of the building, light bulb replacement, and smoke detector tests.
- Turnover Management: Apartment turnovers, cleaning of units for next tenant before move-in.
- Groundskeeping: Snow ice removal, salting, and lawn and garden care.
- Accounts Payable Support: Coordinate, prioritize, and assist in managing the daily processing aspect of accounts payable activities such as data entry, 2-3-way match, expense report processing, resolving discrepancies, meeting deadlines, providing metrics on team members, etc.
- Payment Processing Assistance: Work alongside AP specialist to ensure payments are made accurately and meet deadlines.
- Financial Closing Support: Assist with the month/year-end activities such as journal entries, accruals, and close process.
- Team Supervision: Supervise daily coverage and provide evaluations/feedback on team members, including but not limited to, creating goals, coaching, and training of the whole team. Approve vacation time and time cards.
- Process Improvement: Ensure all written processes and procedures are current, and assist in process improvements where needed, including testing, creating timelines, and documentation.
- System Expertise: Act as subject matter expert as it pertains to systems and policies.
8. AP Supervisor Overview
- Task Completion and Training: Ensuring assigned tasks are processed completely, accurately, and timely, providing training and resources as deemed appropriate and needed.
- Invoice and Payment Management: Ensure vendor invoices, check requests, and expense reports are paid timely, including timely entry of items paid by wire or direct debit within the accounting system.
- Compliance Verification: Ensure that all payment proposals are properly approved in compliance with corporate policies.
- Customer Liaison and Invoice Processing: Work with internal and external customers to ensure invoices, check requests, expense reports, travel advances, etc. are correctly approved, coded, and processed in preparation for payment.
- Accuracy Assurance: Ensure account numbers and job numbers are correct, ensure billable/non-reimbursable status is correct, and ensure proper authorization and back-up documentation is present.
- Expense Audit: Timely review (audit) of expense reports, travel advances, and corporate card statements to verify compliance with corporate travel policy.
- Adjustment and Reconciliation: Make necessary adjusting journal entries in accounts payable, job cost, or general ledger.
- Vendor Maintenance and Approval: Review and approve assigned vendor maintenance requests submitted by staff, confirming that required supporting documentation has been provided and the required vetting procedures have been done and meet established corporate controls.
- Accounts Payable Communication: Serve as primary contact for AP staff, vendors, and managers regarding accounts payable questions and issues.
- Banking Compliance and Verification: Verify that all ACH and Positive Pay files are transmitted and processed by the bank timely.
- Management Notification: Notify management of any delays or problems that could impact payments to vendors or employees.
- General Ledger Reconciliation: Review and reconcile assigned general ledger accounts on a monthly basis, including but not limited to accounts payable, miscellaneous accounts receivable (travel advances), and prepaid airline travel.
- Training and Technical Support: Support training of plant administrators with regards to accounts payable and provided ongoing technical support.
- Audit Support: Work with internal and external auditors as it relates to the accounts payable function.
9. AP Supervisor Details and Accountabilities
- Facility Management: Corporate office services multiple locations throughout the country with a commitment and focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle and offering a best-in-class service to customers.
- Work-Life Balance: Corporate headquarters located in the Denver metro area, offering work balance and flexibility.
- Team Collaboration: Join a small and close-knit group that is very collaborative, and team-oriented, and brings a strong sense of customer service and commitment.
- Leadership and Mentoring: Make an impact by mentoring and managing a team of AP Specialists.
- Innovation and Technology: The company is committed to innovation, offering new technologies and tools.
- Accounts Receivable Management: Oversee the daily Accounts Receivable department, ensuring the proper coordination and processing of invoices, expense reports, and payment requests.
- Vendor Relations: Ensure a positive vendor relationship and assist in the research and follow-up of unresolved disputes, issues, or discrepancies.
- Process Optimization: Assist the Manager in the identification and implementation of process improvements and efficiencies.
- Reporting and Analysis: Create, prepare, and present management reports such as cash requirement reports, audit statements, departmental KPIs, and other ad hoc reports.
- Team Development and Coaching: Assist the management team in team development, mentoring, training, and coaching.
- Financial Operations Support: Provide support to the Accounting/Finance department on check runs, month-end, and reconciliations, and serve as AP team backup and support.
10. AP Supervisor Tasks
- Team Supervision and Management: Supervise a large team of invoice processors to achieve departmental objectives.
- Customer Service and Resolution: Help resolve customer concerns in a timely manner.
- Financial Reconciliation: Perform balance sheet reconciliations for accounts payable related accounts across multiple companies and currencies.
- Financial Management: Manage monthly accounts payable accrual entries.
- Audit Support: Support external audits by providing schedules, reconciliations, transaction details, and narratives.
- Issue Resolution and Monitoring: Responsible for monitoring the status of escalated accounts payable issues, including ongoing communication with appropriate operational units to ensure issues are resolved in a timely manner.
- Compliance and Deadlines: Ensure the team meets month-end close, regulatory, statutory, and other relevant deadlines timely and accurate.
- Internal Controls: Support the implementation of effective internal controls across accounts payables.
- Performance Metrics: Together with the AP Manager, develop and implement performance metrics and standards. Coach team members' performance.
- Policy Enforcement: Support and help to enforce global policy, standards, metrics, and processes for accounts payable.