Director of Accounts Payable Franklin, TN

Accounts Payable Director

Our client is seeking an experienced Accounts Payable Director to lead and transform a high-volume accounts payable operation. This consulting leadership role is ideal for a process-driven individual who brings a combination of operational excellence, team leadership, systems expertise, and a passion for continuous improvement.

The Accounts Payable Director will oversee all aspects of the AP function while driving strategic initiatives focused on centralization, automation, electronic payment adoption, internal controls, and Procure-to-Pay optimization. Reporting directly to senior accounting leadership, this individual will play a key role in building a scalable accounts payable organization that supports continued growth and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Accounts Payable team, ensuring consistent execution of daily operations and service delivery.
• Oversee the timely and accurate processing of vendor invoices, payment runs, employee reimbursements, and related AP activities.
• Establish and enhance AP policies, procedures, and controls to improve efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.
• Drive initiatives focused on workflow standardization, process centralization, and operational scalability.
• Lead efforts to increase electronic payment adoption, including vendor conversion from paper checks to ACH and other digital payment methods.
• Partner closely with Accounting, Finance, Treasury, Procurement, Operations, and IT teams to improve end-to-end Procure-to-Pay processes.
• Serve as a primary business lead during the implementation and optimization of Procure-to-Pay, AP automation, or ERP-related initiatives.
• Develop and monitor key performance metrics related to processing efficiency, payment accuracy, vendor management, and team productivity.
• Maintain strong vendor relationships through proactive communication, issue resolution, and payment management.
• Strengthen controls surrounding vendor onboarding, payment authorization, segregation of duties, fraud prevention, and audit readiness.
• Support month-end close processes, account reconciliations, compliance reporting, and external audit requirements.
• Evaluate opportunities to leverage automation, analytics, and technology solutions to improve visibility and decision-making across the AP function.
• Lead organizational change initiatives related to process redesign, technology adoption, and shared services transformation.