Accounts Payable Officer

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A 6-MONTH CONTRACT AND NOT A PERMANENT POSITION

Description of Role:

The Accounts Payable Officer plays a vital role in supporting the shared finance division by managing a variety of financial and non-financial tasks. The primary focus of the role is to ensure the accurate and complete recognition of all company costs, including sales, expenses and other outflows. This includes working across multiple systems and functions utilizing integrated systems to capture and process monthly recurring, ad-hoc and consumption supplier invoices and/or accruals as required. The role emphasizes the timely, accurate and complete processing of supplier invoices, adherence to internal control procedures, and strict compliance with deadlines. Additionally, the Accounts Payable Officer is responsible for maintaining supplier relationships, reconciling accounts, and ensuring compliance with company policies and financial regulations.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Invoice Management:

1. Compile, quality-check and process monthly, ad-hoc, and consumption supplier invoices.
2. Accurately match supplier invoices with relevant supporting documents before processing the transaction into the accounting system.
3. Ensure all supplier invoices comply with VAT legislation.
4. Capture and process supplier invoices daily, ensuring all relevant approvals and documentation (contracts, requisitions, purchase orders, delivery notes, acceptance certificates) are in place.

Payment and Reconciliation:

1. Prepare and manage recovery schedules, detailing supplier payments and ensuring alignment with client billing.
2. Collaborate with the billing team to ensure accurate information is added and review supplier markups for discrepancies.
3. Identify and resolve billing issues or overcharges, ensuring timely reconciliation with the billing team.

Prepare creditors payment reconciliations by accurately matching supplier statements with remittances and invoices to be paid; obtaining approval thereof before submitting payments to the bank.

Submit creditor payment reconciliations promptly and allocate payments in the accounting system once processed.

Interdepartmental Coordination:

1. Liaise with various departments to ensure accurate and complete capturing of cost of sales, expenses and other outflows while proactively resolving queries.
2. Provide support to debtors, technicians, stock control, procurement and other areas of the business as required.
3. Coordinate with all relevant departments to ensure timely and high-quality invoice processing.
4. Prepare and submit supplier reports, performing checks to minimize and prevent wastage.

Supplier and Systems Management:

1. Ensure supplier contract information is accurate and up to date across multiple systems, resolving any discrepancies or exceptions.
2. File creditor documentation and maintain accounts payable folders on SharePoint.
3. Handle supplier queries promptly and provide effective solutions to ensure smooth operations.
4. Identify and propose process improvements to enhance the efficiency of our current accounts payable systems, particularly in the capturing of supplier invoices. This is especially important for cost of sales as it has a direct relation to our customers' various billing methods and billing cycles, with a focus on enhancing customer satisfaction.

Reporting and Compliance:

1. Compile and distribute to relevant stakeholders the monthly reports on supplier transactions and consumption.
2. Assist with month-end processes, journals, and reporting.
3. Ensure compliance with company policies, internal controls and best practices in the accounts payable process.

Other Responsibilities:

1. Receive and analyze supplier credit notes and process return to supplier transactions into the accounting systems.
2. Complete credit applications for new suppliers and maintain accurate records.
3. Prepare and reconcile intercompany confirmations and obtain monthly sign-offs.
4. Support audits, BEE requests, finance projects and other tasks as required.