Senior Accountant III

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Accountant III is responsible for owning the end-to-end payment cycle across multiple entities, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant execution of all payments within the Shared Services environment.

This role plays a critical function in cash flow execution, payment controls, and stakeholder management, while driving continuous improvement and risk mitigation.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Primary Business Partners:

• Regional and Corporate Finance & Accounting teams
• Shared Services and Regional Business Services leadership
• Regional and Corporate Procurement Operation team

Interfaces With:

• Corporate F&A Teams both in Asia Pacific and in the US including tax and treasury
• Operational and Commercial Teams
• Internal and external auditors
• 3rd party vendors/contributors
• Global Technology Support Team

JOB SPECIFIC TASKS

Payment Operations

• Own and manage payment cycles across entities and currencies.
• Review, validate, and approve payment proposals prior to execution.
• Coordinate with Treasury on cash funding, liquidity, and payment prioritization.
• Manage payment calendars and optimize payment timing.
• Resolve complex payment issues, bank rejections, and exceptions.
• Support onboarding and maintenance of vendors by ensuring accurate banking information and adherence to validation controls, mitigating fraud risks.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for all payment-related escalations, including urgent payment requests, missed/failed payments, and high-risk transactions, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication to stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Procurement, Finance, and Treasury teams across regions to:
• Aligning payment priorities, funding requirements, and cash flow timing
• Resolving invoice-to-payment issues impacting vendors
• Ensure consistency in processes and compliance across entities
• Collaborate with Treasury on liquidity planning, bank-related matters, and payment scheduling, ensuring optimal use of cash and adherence to funding timelines.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key vendors and strategic suppliers.
• Manage vendor relationships related to payments and disputes including:
• Payment delays or discrepancies
• Bank return issues and rejected transactions
• Invoice vs payment mismatches
• Coordinating cross-functionally to drive closure

Reconciliation & Reporting

• Perform and review bank and payment reconciliations.
• Monitor AP aging and payment KPIs (on-time %, exceptions).
• Support month-end close including:
• Cash outflow reporting
• Payment accruals
• Liability analysis
• Support withholding tax and indirect tax reporting and compliance (where applicable).
• Track payment performance against KPIs (on-time payment %, exception rates).

Shared Services Operations & Controls

• Overall accountability for the shared services delivery of core financial processes
• Ensure accurate recording of AP transactions in ERP systems
• Ensure proper documentation and audit trails for all transactions.
• Support compliance with accounting standards, tax regulations and audit requirements.

Governance and Controls:

• Act as control owner for payment-related SOX process
• Ensure proper segregation of duties and approval hierarchy
• Identify and mitigate fraud risks and control gaps
• Support audits and ensure full compliance with policies and regulations
• Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Continuous Improvement & Transformation

• Identify opportunities to streamline P2P processes and improve efficiency.
• Support automation initiatives.
• Participate in system enhancements and ERP upgrades - COUPA
• Drive standardization across markets and entities.
• Leverage data and reporting tools to improve visibility and insights.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Preferred Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• 4-7 years of relevant experience in P2P / Accounts Payable, preferably in Shared Services.
• Experience with ERP systems.
• Strong understanding and experience in payments, banking platforms, and controls
• Knowledge of multi-country payments and compliance
• Strong stakeholder and problem-solving skills
• Ability to meet tight deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial systems
• Experience with automation tools is an advantage

COMPETENCIES, BASIC SKILLS, PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Managing Execution

• Driving for Results – Meets deadlines and delivers high-quality outputs.
• Planning and Organizing – Prioritizes tasks effectively during close cycles.

Building Relationships

• Collaboration – Works effectively across teams and geographies.
• Customer Focus – Provides responsive support to internal stakeholders.

Learning and Applying Professional Expertise

• P2P Knowledge – Applies AP processes and controls effectively
• Continuous Improvement – Drives efficiency and automation
• Business Acumen – Understands impact of AP on cash flow and operations