Accounts Payable Manager

About Salem Academy and College

Salem Academy and College is the oldest continuously operating educational institution for girls and women in the country. Since 1772, the institution has engaged in transformational change to innovate women's education. Founded with the mission of making education accessible to all, Salem has a rich 254-year-old history and a long-standing track record of educating students who are prepared to make a bold impact locally, nationally and globally through liberal arts education. Our graduates are committed to making the world a better, healthier and more equitable place. Salem College is the nation's only liberal arts college exclusively dedicated to developing the next generation of health leaders.

Position Summary

The Accounts Payable Manager is responsible for the accounts payable and disbursement functions of Salem Academy and Salem College, including invoice processing, vendor management, employee reimbursements, purchasing card administration, payment processing, and related tax reporting. Reporting to the Controller, this position supervises the Accounts Payable Coordinator and is accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of all institutional disbursements.

The Accounts Payable Manager designs and maintains the controls that safeguard institutional funds against payment error and fraud, ensures that expenditures are properly authorized, coded, and supported, and that restricted, grant, and capital project spending complies with applicable funding requirements. The position partners with budget managers and departmental leaders across the institution, serves as the primary contact for vendor relationships and payment inquiries, and supports month-end close, the annual audit, and continuous improvement of purchase-to-pay processes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Accounts Payable Manager will:

• Manage the full accounts payable and disbursement cycle for the Academy and the College, including:
  • Invoice receipt, review, coding, and approval routing
  • Purchase order and receiving document matching
  • Employee expense reimbursements and travel advances
  • Purchasing card administration and reconciliation
  • Check, ACH, wire, and electronic payment runs
  • Vendor setup, maintenance, and file integrity
  • Month-end and year-end accounts payable close
• Supervise, coach, and develop the Accounts Payable Coordinator, including work assignment, performance management, cross-training, and professional development.
• Ensure that all disbursements are properly authorized, adequately supported, accurately coded to the correct fund, department, and account, and made in accordance with institutional purchasing and expenditure policies.
• Maintain and strengthen internal controls over the disbursement process, with particular attention to:
  • Segregation of duties between vendor setup, approval, and payment
  • Independent verification of vendor banking changes and payment instructions
  • Prevention and detection of business email compromise and payment fraud
  • Check stock security, signature controls, and positive pay
  • Review of duplicate payments and unusual disbursement activity
• Serve as the primary institutional contact for vendors regarding invoice status, payment terms, and payment inquiries, and resolve vendor disputes and statement discrepancies on a timely basis.
• Manage the vendor master file, including collection and validation of Forms W-9 and W-8, verification of taxpayer identification numbers, independent contractor classification review, and periodic review for inactive and duplicate records.
• Prepare and file annual Forms 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and related information returns, and support Form 1042-S reporting for payments to foreign vendors and individuals.
• Administer the institutional purchasing card program, including cardholder setup, limit management, transaction review, documentation compliance, and monthly reconciliation to the general ledger.
• Administer the employee expense reimbursement process and enforce compliance with institutional travel, entertainment, and business expense policies, including accountable plan requirements.
• Ensure that expenditures charged to grants, restricted funds, endowment-supported activity, and capital projects comply with donor restrictions, grant terms, and applicable federal cost principles.
• Prepare and analyze:
  • Accounts payable aging and open invoice reports
  • Cash disbursement forecasts and payment run summaries
  • Accrual and unrecorded liability analyses at month-end and year-end
  • Purchasing card and expense reimbursement activity reporting
  • Vendor spend analysis to support purchasing decisions
• Reconcile the accounts payable subsidiary ledger to the general ledger monthly and research and resolve reconciling items on a timely basis.
• Monitor outstanding and stale-dated checks and administer the escheatment of unclaimed property in accordance with state requirements.
• Support sales and use tax compliance, monitor the institution's tax-exempt status documentation, and identify transactions with potential unrelated business income or withholding implications for review by the Controller.
• Support the annual external financial audit and Single Audit by preparing accounts payable schedules, disbursement testing support, search for unrecorded liabilities documentation, and responses to auditor requests.
• Maintain and optimize the accounts payable, purchasing, and expense modules of the institution's enterprise resource planning system, including workflow configuration, approval hierarchies, and testing of system updates.
• Develop, document, and maintain accounts payable policies, procedures, desk procedures, and internal controls, and communicate requirements and training to budget managers and departmental staff across the institution.
• Recommend and implement process improvements that increase automation, shorten invoice cycle time, capture available early payment discounts, reduce paper handling, and improve service to departments and vendors.
• Collaborate with Human Resources and Payroll regarding independent contractor determinations, taxable fringe benefits, and other matters that cross the payroll and accounts payable boundary.
• Serve on institutional committees and represent the Finance Office on cross-functional initiatives as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Controller.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible accounts payable, disbursement, or general accounting experience.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or another fund accounting environment preferred.
• Working knowledge of:
  • Accounts payable accounting, accruals, and reconciliation
  • Purchase-to-pay processes and purchase order matching
  • Disbursement controls and payment fraud prevention
  • Form 1099 and related information reporting requirements
  • Independent contractor classification standards
  • General ledger and month-end close processes
• Experience with an enterprise resource planning system, such as Jenzabar, Ellucian, Anthology, or Workday, and with electronic invoice or expense workflow tools, preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and comfort working with large data sets and reporting tools.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, meet recurring deadlines, and work independently with limited direct supervision.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain policy requirements to departmental staff and to resolve vendor issues professionally.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of accounts payable principles and of nonprofit and higher education fund accounting and expenditure practices.
• Strong understanding of internal controls over disbursements, including segregation of duties, authorization limits, and fraud prevention techniques.
• Familiarity with donor restrictions, grant compliance requirements, and federal cost principles as they apply to institutional spending.
• Exceptional accuracy and attention to detail while managing high transaction volume and recurring payment deadlines.
• Ability to supervise, train, and develop staff and to build a service-oriented, well-controlled accounts payable operation.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with budget managers, departmental leaders, and vendors while enforcing policy consistently and diplomatically.
• Ability to analyze processes, identify inefficiencies, and implement practical improvements and automation.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple concurrent responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment while maintaining the highest standards of ethics, confidentiality, and stewardship of institutional resources.

Physical Functions

While performing the responsibilities of the Accounts Payable Manager the employee is required to sit for varying lengths of time; bend, reach, lift, push, and pull up to 25 pounds; occasionally stand, walk, and kneel and regularly ascend/descend stairs; use hands and fingers to handle or feel and manipulate keys on a keyboard; perform extended periods of work at a computer workstation, view a computer monitor; perceive sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and receive detailed information through oral communication; express and exchange ideas by means of spoken word; and work in an office setting.

Salem College is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.

For questions, please contact Chris Burnley at chris.burnley@salem.edu