Accounts Payable Assistant

Salary band: £28,000 - £30,000 dependant on skills and experience

Role Overview

The Accounts Payable Assistant supports the finance team in managing vendor invoices, maintaining accurate financial records, and ensuring timely processing of payments and expenses across AVENIR GLOBAL’s brands and offices. The role requires close coordination with project managers, finance colleagues, and vendors to ensure invoices are correctly coded, approved, and processed within established deadlines.

This position plays an important role in maintaining strong financial controls, supporting month-end processes, and helping ensure the smooth operation of the company’s payables function.

Key Responsibilities & Detailed Tasks

Invoice Processing & Vendor Management

• Receive, review, and process supplier invoices in accordance with company policies.
• Ensure invoices are accurately coded to the correct cost centres, jobs, or departments.
• Maintain accurate records of invoices and credit notes within the accounts payable system.
• Monitor invoice approval workflows and follow up with project managers or budget holders when required.
• Assist with maintaining vendor records and resolving supplier queries.

Payment Processing

• Prepare weekly or monthly payment runs in line with finance deadlines and AP cut-off schedules.
• Ensure all payments are authorised and processed accurately and on time.
• Support the reconciliation of vendor statements and resolve discrepancies.

Expense & Corporate Card Management

• Review and process employee expense claims to ensure compliance with company policies and supporting documentation requirements.
• Verify that expenses are correctly coded to the appropriate cost centres, projects, or job numbers.
• Process and reconcile daily corporate credit card transactions, ensuring receipts and documentation are attached and accurately recorded in the finance system.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between credit card statements, expense submissions, and accounting records.
• Follow up with employees to obtain missing receipts or clarification where required.
• Assist with month-end reconciliation of employee expenses and corporate credit card accounts.

Purchase Order Management

• Issue and maintain purchase orders in line with internal procurement processes.
• Ensure purchase orders are approved and correctly linked to projects, budgets, or cost centres.
• Match supplier invoices to corresponding purchase orders and supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between POs, invoices, and project budgets.
• Track open purchase orders and ensure accurate reconciliation once invoices are received.

Financial Controls & Reporting

• Assist with month-end accounts payable reconciliations.
• Support the finance team with intercompany transactions and reconciliations across brands where applicable.
• Help ensure compliance with tax and VAT requirements on invoices.
• Maintain supporting documentation for audits and financial reporting.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Liaise with project managers, consultants, and finance colleagues across different AVENIR GLOBAL agencies.
• Ensure invoice documentation and purchase order references are complete.
• Support the wider finance team with ad-hoc tasks and reporting requests.

Process Improvement

• Contribute to improving AP workflows and systems.
• Help ensure invoices and payment requests are submitted according to internal deadlines to avoid delays.

Required Qualifications:

Essential

• Enthusiasm and interest in Accounts Payable
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.
• Experience working with accounting systems is desirable. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work with internal stakeholders.

Preferred

• Previous experience in Accounts Payable is desirable. 
• Experience working in a professional services or agency environment.
• Knowledge of VAT processing and financial compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting multi-entity or international organisations.

Soft Skills

• Highly organised and proactive.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Team player with a collaborative approach.

About AVENIR GLOBAL

AVENIR GLOBAL is a leading international communications and consulting group that brings together specialized agencies across sectors including healthcare, public affairs, and corporate communications. The finance team supports multiple brands and global offices, ensuring accurate financial reporting, efficient vendor payments, and compliance with local and international accounting requirements.

Important Information

Our recruitment process can consist of virtual interviews, in person interviews, and written tasks, please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements so that we can accommodate your needs during this process.

We embrace the use of AI across our business and see it as a valuable tool in our work. However, as part of our recruitment process, we ask candidates not to use AI to generate application content or complete written tasks. Submissions may be reviewed using AI detection tools to ensure we can fairly assess each candidate’s own skills and experience. AI use is encouraged once in role.