Accounts Payable Manager

Overview

Salary: $85,000-$95,000

Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:30am-5pm

The Accounts Payable Manager leads the accounts payable function for Advocates, Inc. and its affiliates. The role owns the full disbursement cycle for Accounts Payable: invoice intake and routing, approval workflow, payment processing, vendor management, expense reimbursement, and month-end close. The manager is responsible for accuracy, timeliness, internal controls, and audit readiness; assists with developing policies; and works closely with program divisions, purchasing, and the corporate accounting team.

Who We Are

At Advocates, we provide comprehensive services for people facing developmental, mental health, or other life challenges. 

We’re a nonprofit, mission-driven organization with a person-centered approach, empowering the individuals we support to make choices, build independence, and live full, meaningful lives. Our work is rooted in respect, compassion, and inclusion, and we envision a world where individual differences are appreciated and celebrated. 

At Advocates, we value the ideas, experiences, and contributions of employees and are committed to fostering a supportive, welcoming culture where everyone can grow and thrive.

Minimum Education Required

Responsibilities

• Manage daily Accounts Payable operations across all affiliated entities, including vendor invoices, check requests, employee reimbursements, emergency check requests, payment runs (check, ACH, and electronic payments), and voids and stop payments.
• Administer and maintain the Emburse Enterprise invoice and expense platform, including routing rules, approval hierarchies, decision tables, and user setup; troubleshoot routing and export issues and coordinate fixes with IT and the vendor.
• Oversee the integration between Emburse and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, including payment confirmation and export status reconciliation; ensure invoices post to the correct company, cost center, and dimension values.
• Manage vendor master data, including new vendor onboarding, W-9 collection, banking detail verification with fraud controls, TIN matching, and periodic file cleanup; own annual 1099 preparation and filing, including vendor classification review and IRS deadlines.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate Accounts Payable staff; set productivity and accuracy standards; manage workload distribution across entities and payment cycles; assist the teams with day-to-day functions and software questions when necessary.
• Perform month-end close activities for Accounts Payable, including subledger-to-general ledger reconciliation, accrual support, aging review, and resolution of stale or unapplied items.
• Maintain and enforce internal controls over disbursements, including segregation of duties, approval thresholds, and positive pay or equivalent bank fraud controls; support remediation of any control findings.
• Serve as a primary contact for the external audit (including Single Audit requirements) on Accounts Payable matters, including sample pulls, walkthroughs, and documentation requests.
• Support UFR and other state reporting by ensuring expense coding aligns with program, cost center, and UFR line requirements.
• Monitor and improve key metrics, including invoice cycle time, on-time payment rate, discount capture, duplicate payment prevention, and unclaimed property compliance.
• Manage employee expense reimbursement policy compliance and assist with corporate card program administration.
• Respond to and resolve escalated Accounts Payable issues from employees, vendors, and landlords, including incorrect invoices, payment disputes, and statement discrepancies.
• Document Accounts Payable procedures and keep desk manuals current; identify and implement automation and process improvements.
• Comply with all Accounts Payable and Purchasing policies and procedures
• Attend and actively participate in supervision and staff meetings.
• Perform all duties in accordance with the agency’s policies and procedures.
• Treat people served with dignity and respect in accordance with Advocates Human Rights Policy.

Qualifications

• BS/BA degree in accounting, finance, or business administration preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 5+ years of progressive Accounts Payable experience, including at least two years supervising staff; multi-entity environment preferred.
• Strongly prefer that a candidate will have a demonstrated understanding of and competence in serving culturally diverse population.
• Strong Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables) and comfort working with exported data files and reconciliations.
• Must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
• Hands-on experience with a modern ERP (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central strongly preferred) and with an AP automation or expense management platform (Emburse/Chrome River, Concur, Tipalti, or similar).
• Ability to communicate effectively and knowledgeably with staff and outside constituencies such as landlords, vendors, and auditors.
• Must be organized and willing to learn and take initiative.
• High energy level, superior interpersonal skills, and ability to function in a team environment.
• Working knowledge of 1099 reporting, sales/use tax on purchases, and disbursement-related internal controls.
• Familiarity with Massachusetts UFR reporting and Single Audit environments a plus.

Advocates is committed to cultivating a diverse and welcoming community where everyone feels respected and valued. Advocates fosters a culture of inclusion that celebrates and promotes diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, partnered status, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.