Accounts Payable Manager

At Northern Reflections, Ricki's, and Cleo, we are united by a shared vision: to inspire and empower women through fashion that fits their lives. With a proud legacy in Canadian retail, we bring together decades of expertise, a passionate team, and a commitment to delivering exceptional style, quality, and service.

As part of our growing organization, you'll join a collaborative and dynamic team that values innovation, customer connection, and the power of great fashion. Whether it's timeless comfort, polished workwear, or versatile style, each of our brands plays a unique role in serving women across generations.

Reporting to the Corporate Controller, the Accounts Payable Manager leads and oversees the end-to-end accounts payable operations, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant transaction processing, disbursement management, vendor reconciliations, and financial reporting.

As a key leader within the Finance team, the AP Manager oversees the Accounts Payable staff, optimizes workflows within our Microsoft Dynamics NAV / Business Central ERP environment, strengthens internal controls, and supports cash flow management and forecasting. This role acts as a subject matter expert, serving as a critical point of contact for internal stakeholders, executive leadership, external auditors, and key vendor partners in a dynamic, high-volume environment.

Team Leadership & Operations Management

• People Leadership:
  Direct, mentor, and coordinate the daily activities of the Accounts Payable team; allocate workload, set priorities, and drive high performance and accountability.
• Process Optimization:
  Continuously analyze AP operations to identify opportunities for efficiency, scalability, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Policy & Internal Controls:
  Enforce and enhance AP policies and procedures, ensure proper segregation of duties, maintain robust internal controls, and update training materials and SOPs as standards evolve.
• Troubleshooting & Support:
  Act as the escalation point for complex payment inquiries, system errors, and operational challenges across the team.

Accounts Payable & Cash Management

• Invoice & Payment Processing:
  Oversee the review, verification, and posting of merchandise and non-merchandise invoices, ensuring compliance with company policy and vendor terms.
• Disbursement Control:
  Manage the execution of payment runs via EFT, ACH, wire transfers, and cheques, ensuring optimal utilization of vendor discount terms and accurate cash management.
• Vendor Relationship Management:
  Oversee month-end vendor statement reconciliations, resolve invoice matching variances with cross-functional teams, and maintain strong, collaborative vendor relationships.
• Cash Flow Forecasting:
  Collaborate with Finance leadership to provide accurate accounts payable data and metrics to support daily, weekly, and monthly cash flow forecasting.

Compliance, Tax & Audit Support

• Sales & Commodity Tax:
  Manage sales tax liabilities and ensure strict compliance with GST/HST and applicable provincial commodity tax regulations on purchase orders and invoices.
• Audit & Reporting:
  Serve as the primary contact for internal/external auditors, bank auditors, and tax specialists during periodic audits and tax reviews.
• Month-End & Year-End Close:
  Support financial reporting close cycles by preparing AP aging analyses, accruals, account reconciliations, and variance investigations.

ERP Systems & Data Integrity

• ERP Subject Matter Expert:
  Serve as the department expert for Microsoft Dynamics NAV / Business Central, ensuring high data integrity, accurate GL postings, and effective workflow functionality.
• System Enhancements:
  Partner with IT and Finance to lead system testing, workflow…