Accounts Payable Lead

About Company A well-funded startup revolutionizing healthy snacking with a diverse range of clean-label, gluten-free, and preservative-free products. Focused on convenience and health, the company continues to set new benchmarks in the industry. Job Description Key Responsibilities 1. Team Management & Business Partnering ● Manage a team of 4–5 AP Business Partners, each acting as functional SPOC for specific business/operations teams. ● Ensure each team member is effectively resolving end-to-end AP queries for their aligned stakeholders — invoice booking, vendor reconciliation, payment status, discrepancy resolution. ● Set clear ownership, TATs, and quality standards; conduct regular 1:1s and performance reviews. ● Build bench strength and cross-train the team so business continuity isn't dependent on a single person per vertical. ● Drive cross-functional alignment with procurement, warehouse/ops, and business teams to reduce recurring invoice/payment disputes at the source. 2. SOP Governance & Process Compliance ● Own and continuously improve AP SOPs covering invoice processing, vendor master governance, PO/non-PO invoice workflows, TDS/GST compliance on vendor bills, and payment approval matrices. ● Ensure the team adheres to defined SOPs consistently — no ad-hoc exceptions without a proper approval trail. ● Drive periodic SOP audits/spot checks across all SPOCs to catch process drift early. ● Standardize documentation and process notes across the team so processes aren't person-dependent. 3. Invoice Processing & Payments Oversight ● Ensure timely and accurate invoice booking across all vendor categories (raw material, packaging, 3P/co-manufacturing, marketing, logistics, admin/opex). ● Oversee the payment cycle end-to-end: vendor due-date tracking, payment batch preparation, approvals, and release — ensuring no missed due dates or duplicate/erroneous payments. ● Monitor ageing of vendor payables and proactively flag/resolve overdue or blocked vendor accounts. ● Ensure proper three-way matching (PO–GRN–Invoice) discipline is followed by the team. ● Review and approve high value/exception payments before release. 4. Month-End Close & Expense MIS ● Own the AP month-end close calendar — ensure all accruals, provisions, and vendor invoice bookings are completed within the close timeline. ● Consolidate and review the expense MIS with accurate cost-center/department/SKU-level tagging as required. ● Ensure completeness of the books — no missed liabilities, correct cut-off, and accurate accrual reversals. ● Partner with the Business Finance/controllership team to explain variances in expense MIS vs. budget/forecast. ● Ensure ledger scrutiny (vendor/GL) is completed and signed off before books are closed each month. 5. Compliance, Audit & Controls ● Ensure GST input credit reconciliation, TDS compliance, and other statutory requirements are met on all vendor payments. ● Be the primary point of contact for internal and statutory auditors on all AP-related queries; ensure timely closure of audit observations. ● Maintain strong internal controls around vendor master creation/changes, payment approvals, and segregation of duties. ● Ensure documentation (approvals, contracts, debit/credit notes) is complete and retrievable for audit purposes. Skills You Bring ● Strong hands-on knowledge of AP processes, invoice-to-pay cycle, and vendor accounting. ● Working knowledge of GST, TDS, and other statutory requirements applicable to vendor payments. ● Experience managing month-end close and building & reviewing expense MIS. ● Strong people management skills — proven experience leading teams of 4 members. ● Process orientation with the ability to build and enforce SOPs across a team. ● Strong Excel skills and hands-on experience with Tally ERP are a must; working knowledge of SAP is an added advantage. ● Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills — comfortable interfacing with business/ops leadership. ● Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-transaction-volume FMCG/D2C environment. Qualifications ● A finance professional (B.Com/M.Com/CA-Inter/MBA Finance or equivalent) with 6–9 years of overall experience in Accounts Payable/Finance Operations, including 2–3 years leading a team, preferably in a high-growth FMCG or consumer startup. ● Detail-obsessed, you love clean processes and bring structure to the team without slowing the business down. ● Most importantly, you believe in transparency — in numbers, in intent, and in how vendors and business partners should be treated.