Sr Manager Project Management.

Role Summary
The Senior Manager PTP North America is responsible for leading and developing end-to-end Procure-to-Pay operations across North America, including Accounts Payable, vendor master data, employee travel and expense reimbursement, and corporate and purchasing card programs. The role works closely with Finance, Procurement, Treasury, Tax, Human Resources, retained teams, and outsourced service providers to ensure efficient service delivery, strong operational controls, and a consistent employee and supplier experience.

This role owns day-to-day operational performance, escalations, payment execution oversight, policy compliance, and regional close support. The position maintains effective governance across a shared services and BPO operating model while ensuring North American regulatory, tax, banking, and record-retention requirements are understood and embedded in operating procedures.

The Senior Manager is also accountable for advancing the PTP transformation agenda by identifying automation opportunities, improving workflows and data quality, standardising processes, and using performance insights to reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and improve service delivery.

PTP Operations Management

• Oversee end-to-end Procure-to-Pay operations across North America.
• Ensure invoices, payments, vendor maintenance, employee expenses, card transactions, and inquiries are processed accurately and within agreed timelines.
• Monitor KPIs and SLAs to ensure service delivery targets are met.
• Manage operational escalations and resolve complex supplier or process issues.
• Support continuous improvement across PTP processes.
• Review and approve payment runs in line with company policies and financial controls.
• Review and approve vendor master data changes.
• Support and oversee month-end close activities across North American entities and business units.
• Review and approve exceptions, escalations, and high-risk transactions where required.
• Maintain oversight of operational controls relating to payments, vendor data, and financial close activities.
• Review and approve system role accesses in SAP.

Travel Expense and P Card Management

• Own the operational performance and governance of North American travel and expense, corporate card, and purchasing card programs.
• Ensure employee expenses and card transactions are submitted, reviewed, approved, posted, and reimbursed in accordance with policy and service expectations.
• Partner with Human Resources, Payroll, Treasury, Tax, Procurement, and card providers to resolve employee, payment, integration, and account administration issues.
• Monitor delinquent submissions, aged transactions, cash advances, personal spend, duplicate claims, and other policy exceptions; drive timely resolution and escalation.
• Oversee card issuance, limit changes, suspensions, terminations, and user access while maintaining appropriate approvals and segregation of duties.
• Use spend and exception analytics to identify compliance risks, training needs, process gaps, and opportunities to improve program adoption and controls.
• Maintain clear procedures, employee guidance, training materials, and support channels for travel, expense, and card processes.

BPO Governance & Vendor Management

• Act as the main operational contact between internal stakeholders and the BPO provider.
• Monitor BPO performance against agreed SLAs and KPIs.
• Identify operational risks, governance gaps, and service delivery issues.
• Lead regular service review meetings and performance discussions.
• Support improvement plans to address operational or service concerns.
• Ensure governance processes are maintained across outsourced PTP operations.
• Work with internal and external teams to ensure clear accountability and effective issue management.

Automation Process Improvement and Transformation

• Ensure PTP policies, procedures, workflows, and controls are documented and maintained.
• Support transitions into shared services or outsourced operating models.
• Lead the North American PTP improvement roadmap, from opportunity identification and business case development through implementation, adoption, and benefits tracking.
• Drive process standardisation across North American entities while addressing legitimate country and business requirements.
• Identify, prioritise, and deliver automation opportunities that reduce manual work, prevent errors, accelerate cycle times, and strengthen controls.
• Partner with Technology, global process owners, and service providers to improve SAP, invoice workflow, expense, card, reporting, and integration capabilities.
• Apply workflow, robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence, and other fit-for-purpose technologies where they provide measurable operational or control benefits.
• Establish baselines, targets, and post-implementation measures for efficiency, quality, compliance, user experience, and financial benefit.
• Ensure redesigned processes include documented controls, clear ownership, testing, training, change management, and sustainable operating procedures.
• Promote standard solutions and challenge unnecessary exceptions, workarounds, and control bypasses.

Compliance & Controls

• Ensure compliance with company financial policies and internal controls.
• Support audit activities and maintain accurate process documentation.
• Monitor compliance with applicable North American sales, use, indirect, and withholding tax requirements.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and approval controls are maintained.
• Identify and escalate operational risks, compliance gaps, and control issues.
• Partner with Audit, Tax, and Compliance teams where required.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Finance, Procurement, Tax, Treasury, and business stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with North American business teams and global process owners.
• Provide operational reporting and updates to leadership teams.
• Support business users with process guidance and issue resolution.
• Analyze operational performance and provide recommendations for improvement.
• Prepare governance and performance reporting for senior leadership.

Team Leadership

• Lead and support retained PTP team members.
• Deliver process training and knowledge transfer activities.
• Encourage a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Support team development and succession planning.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of Procure-to-Pay processes.
• Experience working within shared services and outsourced/BPO environments.
• Strong stakeholder and vendor management skills.
• Good understanding of financial controls and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience using SAP ERP systems and invoice workflow tools.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.
• Experience documenting and improving processes.
• Leadership and coaching experience.
• Strong knowledge of travel and expense, corporate card, and purchasing card operations and controls.
• Ability to translate operational problems into prioritised automation and process improvement initiatives.
• Experience using data and performance analytics to identify root causes, monitor risk, and measure improvement outcomes.
• Strong change management skills, including process adoption, communication, training, and stakeholder alignment.

Preferred Experience

• Extensive experience within Finance Operations and PTP.
• Experience leading North American or multi-entity finance operations.
• Experience working with outsourced or shared service operating models.
• Experience with SAP, SAP VIM, Concur, corporate card platforms, or similar finance technologies.
• Experience supporting audit, tax, or compliance activities.
• Experience leading operational improvement initiatives.
• Experience managing travel and expense, corporate card, or purchasing card programs.
• Experience delivering workflow automation, robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence, or ERP-enabled process improvements.
• Experience supporting United States and Canadian regulatory, tax, banking, and control requirements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Invoice processing accuracy and timeliness
• SLA and KPI performance
• Reduction in aged invoices and payment delays
• Audit and compliance results
• Stakeholder satisfaction
• Process improvement and automation delivery
• BPO service performance
• Team development and capability
• Operational risk reduction
• Governance and control compliance
• Travel and expense reimbursement timeliness and policy compliance
• Corporate card and purchasing card delinquency and exception reduction
• Automation adoption, realised benefits, and reduction in manual effort
• Process cycle time, first-time-right performance, and root-cause reduction

Leadership Expectations

• Demonstrates ownership and accountability.
• Supports operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Builds effective relationships across internal and external teams.
• Maintains high standards of integrity and professionalism.
• Promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing across teams.