Accounts Payable Manager (Mgr2)

Position Description

Do you have a passion for leading a large team, accounting, and ensuring suppliers are paid on time?
Seattle Public Utilities is recruiting for an Accounts Payable Manager in its accounting division, reporting to the Controller. As the manager, your responsibilities will encompass overseeing the utility's disbursements. This includes managing work processes, providing training, generating reports, implementing internal controls, and responding to audits. This role also ensures that all transactions are recorded accurately and in a timely manner for accurate budget and financial reports, and that payments are prioritized to suppliers, employees, and utility customers. You will also need to monitor and work towards achieving targets for metrics while constantly striving for improvement. The accounts payable operation follows a complex procure-to-pay model with several electronic commerce suppliers. The payables team posts approximately $600 million in disbursements annually.

About Seattle Public Utilities: Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is a Community Centered Utility whose mission is to foster healthy people, environment, and economy by partnering with our community to equitably manage water and waste resources for today and future generations. We deliver high quality, vital services, across four major lines of business: providing water, solid waste, drainage and wastewater services for Seattle residents and businesses. In addition, SPU provides drinking water for 1.5 million regional customers in Seattle and other municipalities. Our customers depend on us to deliver high quality, reliable, and cost-conscious utility services and to achieve the highest benefits possible for every investment we make.

For more information about Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), please visit:

• SPU Workplace Expectations (Download PDF reader)
• Shape Our Water Plan
• Strategic Business Plan

SPU commits to Our City Values and Race and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We actively take steps to dismantle systemic racism and increase service equity. We value diverse life experiences and strive to create a workplace that is welcoming to all. We take steps to be inclusive and equitable in our recruiting, hiring and promotional opportunities.

Why join us?
We know work isn’t only about what you do, it’s also about who you work for and with! SPU provides a fun and family-friendly work environment that supports a work life balance, including:

• Generous benefits package
• Hybrid work schedule opportunities
• Growth potential and advancement opportunities
• Family-friendly and multicultural work environment
• Free public transportation options
• City pension plan with employer/employee contributions

Job Responsibilities

• Provides subject matter expertise and recommendation on various policy issues as it relates to payables.
• Manages a team of fifteen (15) union and nonunion professionals with various roles and responsibilities. Supervision involves coaching, mentoring, employee development, performance management, team building, and recruitment.
• Provides strategic direction for accounts payable best practices, organizational change for system implementation and upgrades, training development for over 500 system users’ utility-wide, process development and improvement, automation, and collaboration at the leadership level.
• Leads a fast paced, deadline driven high-volume daily processing work environment which also includes month-end close, year-end close, audits, and public disclosures.
• Ensures compliance with City, State, and Federal policies and guidelines (i.e., purchasing rules and procedures, sales/use tax, 1099 reporting), effective internal controls to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and adherence to accounting standards as defined by the Government Accounting Standards Board (“GASB”) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).
• Delivers crucial services and ensures operational excellence in establishing and supervising performance metrics, supplier management, workload management, timeliness in payment processing, the accuracy of disbursements in financial statements, completeness of documentation, and record retention.

Please note this job posting is not designed to cover or contain the complete listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change as conditions require.

Qualifications

Experience: Five (5) of Accounts Payable operational and supervisory experience.

Education: A bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration or a related field.

Experience and Education Equivalency: A combination of appropriate education, training, certification, and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum education and experience requirements.

Additional Information

The Ideal Candidate Should Possess:

• Curiosity and the ability to think creatively to resolve issues that fall outside of normal procedures.
• Self-motivation and diligence
• Proven track record of work within a diverse work environment and with a large team of 10 or more people.
• Experience and comfort using personal computers, including the use of the large financial systems, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams.
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills.
• In-depth knowledge of AP Automation, including an understanding of current best practices in procure-to-pay.
• Five years of Accounts Payable operational and supervisory experience.
• Customer service focus and the ability to be a teammate with a collaborative style.
• Excellent mathematical/computational skills, accounting, critical thinking, internal control, and analytical skills.
• The ability to collaborate with different levels of management and build consensus.
• Proven track record of leadership, management, organizational, and operational accomplishments.

Application Process: In addition to completing your online application please attach your current Resume and Cover Letter. Your cover letter should address how your education, training and experience meet the qualifications of the position.

Workplace Environment (Telework Expectation): This position allows for the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. Employees will be required to come into the office twice a week. Individual schedules will be agreed upon by the employee and their supervisor.

The full salary range for this position is $93,354.48 - $140,083.92 annually.

Benefits: The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans

Who may apply: The City of Seattle encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experience. This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. The City of Seattle values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Questions? Contact Erika Monroe at [email protected]

Learn more about Seattle Public Utilities at our web page www.seattle.gov/util/.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.