Accounts Payable Systems Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Accounts Payable System Manager leads the operations, administration and continuous improvement of the city-wide accounts payable workflow system and end-to-end vendor payment processing.  Reporting to the City Auditor, the position is responsible for ensuring that the municipal vendor invoices and payments are processed in a timely, accurate, efficient, secure and compliant manner. The position serves as the primary administrator and subject matter expert for the City’s AP workflow software and oversees the integration of digital and manual processes that support invoice receipt, electronic capture, departmental approval, audit review, exception resolution, and transmission for payment.

The position works extensively with departments across the City, Information Technology, Finance, Procurement, software vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure effective system operation, strong internal controls, accurate and reliable financial data, and consistent adherence to the City’s fiscal policies and procedures. The position identifies and resolves system and workflow issues, monitors processing performance, and works collaboratively with business users to address bottlenecks, improve workflows, and strengthen operational efficiencies.

The Accounts Payable System Manager leads system-related process improvements and optimization efforts, establishes and monitors performance measures, coordinates system enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and vendor support, and ensures that system changes are effectively implemented and adopted. The position also contributes to the City’s broader financial systems modernization, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives, with a focus on leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen controls, increase transparency, and enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of the City’s accounts payable operations.[KB1]

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND  DUTIES:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

- Manage and maintain the city-wide electronic accounts payable workflow system, ensuring timely, accurate, secure, efficient, and compliant processing of vendor invoices and payments.
- Serve as the primary functional administrator and subject matter expert for the accounts payable workflow system, including configuration, routing rules, approval hierarchies, workflow logic, user roles and permissions, integrations, and related functionality.
- Oversee and continuously improve end-to-end accounts payable workflows, reducing manual intervention, improving processing efficiency, and ensuring consistent application of City-wide processes.
- Supervise assigned accounts payable staff (2 FTEs), including assigning and coordinating daily work, establishing  performance expectations, managing schedules and providing guidance and support.
- Provide technical guidance, and advanced troubleshooting support to staff on automated workflow, payment processing issues and municipal compliance procedures; identify root causes and coordinate resolution.
- Optimize routing rules, approval hierarchies, and system configuration logic to eliminate internal processing bottlenecks and accelerate payment cycles across all municipal departments.
- Monitor system and workflow performance, including processing volumes, exceptions, aging, and bottlenecks. Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs)and use system data to ensure adherence to established internal service level agreements.
- Maintain and strengthen internal controls and data integrity, including segregation of duties, approval requirements, access controls, audit trails, and validation checks designed to identify and prevent duplicate payments, data errors, unauthorized activity, and other financial or security risks. Provide training, guidance, and ongoing user support to City departments regarding invoice submission, workflow procedures, system functionality, internal controls, and process changes.
- Serve as the primary functional liaison for advanced vendor disputes, complex payment reconciliations, and external technical support teams regarding software upgrades or hotfixes.
- Create and maintain comprehensive system and process documentation, including configuration guides, security and role protocols, workflow documentation, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), training materials, and system change records for the AP workflow system.
- Coordinate closely with IT personnel and third-party software vendor to evaluate system performance, define business and technical requirements, design and implement enhancements, integrations, patches, upgrades, and other system changes, including appropriate testing and production deployment.
- Lead and support continuous improvement, automation, and financial systems modernization initiatives, identifying opportunities to leverage technology to improve efficiency, transparency, service delivery, data quality, and financial controls.
- Collaborate with departments, Finance, Procurement, Information Technology, Audit, vendors, and other stakeholders to resolve complex operational issues, implement process improvements, and ensure effective and consistent use of the accounts payable system.
- Perform related duties as required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Experience

- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, information systems, business administration, or a closely related public finance field.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in accounts payable operations, fund accounting, or government financial operations.
- Minimum of two (2) years of specific experience managing or functionally administering complex ERP/AP automated workflow systems
- Demonstrated experience supervising staff, optimizing processing workflows, leading software configuration updates, or managing financial systems projects preferred.
- An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

- In-depth knowledge of accounts payable processes, municipal internal controls, vendor management practices, and Massachusetts state and local government compliance requirements governing public disbursements.
- Strong technical knowledge of enterprise financial software systems, automated invoice capture technologies (OCR), electronic workflow design, system integrations and relational database logic.
- Knowledge of internal controls, segregation of duties, audit requirements, financial data integrity, and related public-sector financial practices.
Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to query financial systems, analyze transaction trends, and isolate processing errors within integrated modules.
- Leadership and team management skills, including the ability to supervise operational staff, balance processing workloads, support professional development, and maintain high accuracy under strict weekly timelines.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to deliver clear technical training, resolve vendor payment conflict, and translate system processes to non-financial municipal staff.
- Proficiency with spreadsheet applications, data analytics tools (such as Excel, Power BI, or SQL), reporting systems, and financial databases.
Ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Works under the general direction of the City Auditor (or designated authority), exercising considerable independent judgment in prioritizing system configurations, managing staff workflow, resolving payment exceptions, and optimizing city-wide internal disbursement frameworks. Work is reviewed through conferences, operational efficiency metrics, system compliance audits, and overall accuracy of the city's accounts payable processing.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Supervises professional and administrative staff (2 FTEs) within the central Accounts Payable unit and provides functional system leadership to decentralized departmental staff engaged in invoice routing, procurement matching, and workflow approvals city-wide.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

Please upload the following documents to complete your application:

- Resume
- Cover Letter

The City of Cambridge's workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse. Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.