Accounts Payable Manager
Accounts Payable Manager
Job Description
About the Trust
We're one of the UK’s biggest charities and we care for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs because we believe life is better by water. We're looking for people who support our cause and want to make a difference for future generations. Could this be you?
Along with our waterways we also manage museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of historic buildings, as well as the nature and wildlife that calls our canals home. All of this enables us to provide wellbeing opportunities for millions of people each year.
Join Our Team: Accounts Payable Manager Opportunity
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Join a team that keeps the Canal & River Trust running smoothly. Our Accounts Payable team plays a crucial role in ensuring suppliers, staff and volunteers are paid accurately and on time — from processing invoices and expenses to managing travel bookings and purchase cards.
You’ll help maintain strong relationships with suppliers and colleagues by resolving queries quickly, supporting month‑end deadlines, and ensuring all financial data is accurate, compliant, and processed to high standards.
Working with systems like SAP and Medius, the team also contributes to continuous improvement, testing new processes and helping colleagues follow best practice across the Trust.
As a senior leader within our Finance Shared Services team, the Accounts Payable Manager plays a vital role in overseeing the smooth, accurate and timely delivery of all payment processes across the Trust and its subsidiaries. You’ll lead the day‑to‑day operation of our Accounts Payable function — ensuring supplier invoices, staff expenses and key financial transactions are managed efficiently and to the highest standards.
Working Hours & Location
This role follows 37 hours, Monday to Friday working pattern.
This role is based working from home, with a requirement to attend our main hub spaces from time to time for team working and collaborative meetings, often held in Leeds. It is important that you can reasonably commute to one of our main hubs below.
Relevant Hubs: Leeds, Newark, Ellesmere Port, Burnley, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Gloucester.
The regularity & flexibility of travel will be discussed further at interview stage.
Role Overview
Effective payment processes protect our ability to operate, maintain strong supplier relationships, and uphold our legal and financial responsibilities. Your leadership will ensure we remain compliant, avoid disruption, and continue supporting the teams who care for our waterways every day.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure full compliance across all Accounts Payable activity, delivering accurate financial transactions in line with Trust policies, statutory regulations and best practice.
- Contribute to reviewing, shaping and improving AP processes to meet business and customer needs.
- Oversee the efficient, high‑quality delivery of all AP processes, ensuring SLAs are met, QMS standards are followed, and strong relationships are maintained with internal and external stakeholders. Identify issues early and drive continuous improvement.
- Lead, motivate and develop the Accounts Payable team, fostering high performance, strong engagement and a positive team culture. Introduce initiatives that support wellbeing, productivity and service excellence.
- Act as the Trust’s AP subject matter expert, providing clear guidance, training and support to colleagues. Apply procedures with sound judgement, ensuring the right approach is used for each situation.
- Produce, analyse and present financial and business reports, ensuring senior leaders receive accurate, timely information to support effective decision‑making.
- Manage month‑end and year‑end requirements, ensuring all transactions are posted correctly, outstanding items are investigated, and internal audits are completed in line with the Quality Management System (QMS) audit plan.
- Carry out user acceptance testing across financial systems, ensuring changes and updates are robust, accurate and fit for purpose.
- Champion Trust values, diversity and inclusion by embedding inclusive practices and challenging behaviour or decisions that do not align with Trust policies.
About You
You’re a driven AP leader with hands‑on experience running high‑performing finance teams. Confident with quality management systems, strong on controls, and always pushing for better ways of working, you bring clear communication, smart decision‑making and a continuous‑improvement mindset to every aspect of the role.
Skills & Qualifications
Technical skills:
- Strong academic foundation, ideally educated to A‑Level (or equivalent) including Maths and English, with additional professional development welcomed.
- Experience leading an Accounts Payable function, with responsibility for process ownership, service delivery and continuous improvement.
- Proven line management and team‑leadership experience, supporting high performance, capability development and engagement.
- Working knowledge of SAP (or similar), particularly within a Purchasing (MM) module, with the ability to troubleshoot, optimise and support system improvements.
- Experience operating within a certified Quality Management System, ensuring effective controls, compliance, and audit readiness.
- An ILM Certificate (or equivalent leadership qualification) is advantageous.
General Skills
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to inform, support and advise colleagues and stakeholders clearly and professionally.
- Strong ability to interpret, implement and uphold organisational policies, ensuring consistent and compliant ways of working.
- Confident user of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel, with the ability to produce clear reports, analysis and documentation.
Contact & Application
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at CRT.recruitment@canalrivertrust.org.uk. We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.
What We Offer
In addition to your annual base salary of c. £36,000, we also offer a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here: EVP - 1.
Learn more: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits
Our values
We care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone can thrive. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments - whether for a disability, neurodiversity, or health condition - please let us know what you need and how we can support you. We’ll work with you to make any necessary changes.
All of our jobs can be considered on a part time, flexible or job share basis.
We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. You are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise not everyone who is classified as disabled under the Equality Act personally identifies this way, or with this definition of disability. Please do not let this discourage you from applying under the scheme.
At Canal & River Trust, we are committed to fair, transparent, and ethical recruitment practices. As part of our hiring process, we may use AI to analyse applications and support us work more efficiently. However, all hiring decisions – without exception - are made by our hiring managers.
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us