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…