Accounts Payable Manager, North America

City: Chesterfield
State: Missouri (US-MO)
Country: United States (US)
Requisition Number: 42927

The Accounts Payable Manager, North America, is a key leadership role within the Bunge Business Services Procure-to-Pay (PTP) function. This individual is responsible for the oversight and day-to-day management of the Accounts Payable function for Bunge’s North America entities. The role involves directly overseeing multiple on-site AP analysts and functionally managing offshore Shared Services staff, communicating with senior-level internal stakeholders, and contributing to the strategic direction of the PTP function.

Day-to-Day Accounts Payable Service Delivery Execution:

• Manage the daily operations of the Accounts Payable department, including leading and supporting both local and offshore AP teams.
• Oversee payment runs (checks, ACH/EFT, and wires) for all US and Canadian entities.
• Manage vendor relationships, including optimizing payment methods and terms, and resolving outstanding issues related to invoices, EDI errors, and credit memos.
• Ensure accurate Supplier Master Data oversight, including approval of changes and updating supplier information (e.g., name changes, remit-to addresses, bank details).
• Lead the annual 1099 process, including vendor research and the generation of appropriate forms and IRS files.
• Develop and grow relationships with Corporate and Operations management, and partner with Procurement and other stakeholders on initiatives and policy changes impacting suppliers.

Backoffice Support Management:

• Functionally manage offshore Shared Services staff, ensuring effective service delivery of the Accounts Payable function across Bunge’s North America entities.
• Assist with the design and execution of Bunge’s Procure-to-Pay strategy, specifically leading the Accounts Payable function within this framework.
• Define annual performance goals and drive teams to meet or exceed targets, improving KPIs identified by Procure-to-Pay management or Finance leadership.
• Manage internal stakeholder feedback on procure-to-pay organization and team performance to drive continuous improvement.

Support of Integration Efforts including Process Improvement and Efficiency:

• Drive increased automation and systems utilization (e.g., EDI, Robotics Process Automation - RPA) to promote ongoing efficiency improvements and enhance user experience.
• Lead the strategy and execution of the digital transformation of the Accounts Payable function, including process simplification and automation.
• Maintain a culture of lean process management, continuous process improvement, professional development, and cross-functional knowledge sharing.
• Identify, promote, and support process optimization, standardization, and improvement to deliver cost-savings and efficiencies across the organization.
• Participate in integration and process improvement projects, including enhancements to ERP systems, and serve as the AP functional lead on acquisitions, integrations, plant closures, and divestitures.

Internal Controls and Compliance:

• Monitor adherence to company policies for compliance, ensuring accurate coding and processing of invoices, including all SOX controls for the AP function.
• Liaise with auditors and provide support for SOX, financial, and internal audit requests.
• Leverage a strong understanding of AP practices, a critical understanding of the key control environment, and accounting policies and processes to maximize user experience while maintaining appropriate policy and procedures.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business (or relevant discipline).
• Minimum of seven years of Accounts Payable or relevant experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills; previous supervisory experience highly preferred.
• Leadership experience managing an outsourced or shared services partner/delivery model.
• Clear understanding of US GAAP accounting principles, practices, and internal controls, with demonstrated experience applying key accounting controls within the PTP functional workstream (invoice processing, payments, purchase orders, and disbursements).
• Demonstrated Continuous Improvement…