Accounts Payable Manager

Accounts Payable Manager

UK Multi & Single-Family Housing

Location North West Resident Service Centre (Stockport)

Reports to Financial Controller

Role description:

Four Corners is growing fast. Building structure as we go and figuring things out together. Not everything is in place yet, and that is exactly what makes it a truly exciting place to be.

This is a place for people who like the build; who see opportunity in the unknown, stay hands-on, and want to leave things better than they found them. The culture is still taking shape, and we are bringing in people who want to help define it; curious and driven. A performance mindset matters here; people who set high standards and move with intent.

  We are hiring an Accounts Payable Manager to design, build and lead the AP function from the ground up. This is a foundational hire: you will set up the processes, controls and disciplines that govern how invoices and payments flow through the business, working alongside the property management system rollout that goes live with our first multi-family building at the end of this year. You will be a one-person function at launch, expanding through 2027 to lead a team as we take on property management for the single-family portfolio and further multi-family buildings come online.

We’re building something special together, and that’s best done side by side, so this role is office-based at our Stockport office, the operational heart of our business, but works hand in hand with the wider Finance team in London. You should be happy to travel to London occasionally, particularly during the property management system implementation.

This is a role for someone who thrives in the build. You will be hands-on every day, doing the work yourself, but always with one eye on the function we are growing into. The right person enjoys the discipline of AP done well, takes pride in clean processes and accurate numbers, and understands that behind every invoice is a supplier whose work shapes our residents’ experience.

Our Accounts Payable Manager will be a hands-on operator, a builder of process and team, and a champion of accuracy, control and supplier partnership.

Key accountabilities:                  

AP operations and performance

• Own and lead the end-to-end accounts payable function: invoice processing, coding, and approvals, payment runs, supplier statement reconciliations, credit notes, expenses, and queries.
• Reconciling payments made from multiple bank accounts, ensuring discrepancies are resolved on a timely basis
• Implement robust controls, segregation of duties, and approval frameworks that protect the business and stand up to audit.
• Deliver predictable, timely month-end close on AP, with clean ledgers and complete reconciliations
• Run the payment cycle end-to-end, ensuring suppliers are paid accurately and on time
• Partner closely with Finance and Operations, ensuring AP is joined up with the works lifecycle from order to payment

Suppliers and partners

• Treat every supplier interaction as part of their experience of Four Corners, ensuring onboarding, invoicing and payment conversations are clear and fair
• Design supplier-facing AP processes (onboarding, invoicing, statements, queries, remittances) that are simple and easy to use
• Work closely with the Operations team to resolve invoice and payment queries quickly, with a joined-up view
• Recognise that prompt, accurate payment underpins the contractor relationships our residents rely on

Commercial

• Drive strong payment performance and working capital discipline
• Eliminate duplicate payments, errors and leakage through disciplined process, early detection and effective recovery
• Track and report the AP KPIs that matter (invoice cycle time, first-time match rate, payment accuracy, aged creditors) to drive performance
• Plan team and resource needs ahead of growth, ensuring cost-to-process stays efficient as volumes scale

System implementation and process build

• Be the AP voice in the property management system implementation, ensuring purchase-to-pay workflows are right from day one
• Design and document the AP procedures, controls and policies that govern how the function operates as it scales
• Support smooth go-lives as each new building, scheme or portfolio is onboarded, with clean data migration and well-rehearsed cutover
• Identify automation opportunities (invoice capture, matching, approval workflows, supplier portals) that reduce manual effort
• Keep procedures and controls fit for purpose as the business grows, evolving them deliberately rather than letting workarounds accumulate

Data, reporting and insight

• Own AP data integrity across the property management system, finance ledger and supporting tools
• Embrace technology and automation where it genuinely improves accuracy or efficiency, working with the Head of Business Systems
• Support forecasting, cash planning and accruals with accurate, well-reasoned data and analysis

People and team build

• Start as a one-person function and do the work yourself, building credibility through doing rather than directing
• Plan, hire and onboard the AP team in line with portfolio growth, scaling significantly as single-family property management comes on-stream
• Build a team culture that values accuracy, accountability, performance, and supplier respect in equal measure
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Compliance, security and risk

• Ensure AP activity complies with relevant regulation and tax requirements, including VAT and CIS
• Own the AP control environment, including supplier onboarding and bank detail verification, segregation of duties, payment authorisations and audit trail integrity
• Protect the business against invoice fraud and payment diversion through disciplined verification and controls
• Be the trusted point of contact for auditors on AP matters, with clean records and clear answers
• Build a culture where the team understands why controls matter and treats them as part of doing the job well

Your experience:

– Significant experience in accounts payable within a high-volume, multi-entity real estate environment, ideally residential.

• Significant AP experience in a high-volume, multi-entity real estate environment, ideally residential
• Able to design AP processes, procedures and controls from scratch, not just operate existing ones
• Track record of accurate, on-time payments and a well-controlled ledger
• Working knowledge of property management systems and finance ledgers, with some implementation experience
• Comfortable hands-on today, with the appetite and capability to build and lead a team as we scale
• Translates operational needs into clear procedures, controls and reporting

How you work:

• Rigorous and detail-driven, with real pride in clean numbers and well-run process
• Commercially minded, focused on cash, control and continuous improvement
• Trusted by colleagues, a partner who listens, understands and delivers
• Able to balance firmness and fairness in supplier conversations
• Calm under pressure, solution-orientated and pragmatic
• Organised, prepared and credible, with high standards for themselves and their team