Director, Accounts Payable
- Americas and Global Process Owner at Circana Director, Accounts Payable
- Americas and Global Process Owner at Circana in Chicago, Illinois Posted in 2 days ago. $165,000.00
- $180,000.
00 per year
Job Description:
Director, Accounts Payable
- Americas and Global Process Owner Let's be unstoppable together!
At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives. We have a global commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as we believe in the undeniable strength that diversity brings to our business, employees, clients, and communities. With us, you can always bring your full self to work. Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana. Learn more at www.circana.com. What will you be doing? The Director of Accounts Payable leads end-to-end AP operations for the Americas while serving as the Global Process Owner for Accounts Payable. This role focuses on people leadership, operational oversight, and global process standardization rather than day-to-day transaction processing. The Director partners closely with Finance, Procurement, Treasury, and IT to strengthen controls, improve efficiency, and scale AP to support future growth. Reporting to the Americas Controller, this role plays a key part in shaping the long-term AP operating model. Job Responsibilities Americas Accounts Payable Leadership Lead, mentor, and develop AP managers and senior team members responsible for invoice processing, payments, vendor management, and expense management across the Americas. Provide strategic oversight of day-to-day AP activities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with internal controls, SOX requirements, and accounting policies. Oversee month-end and quarter-end close activities, including accrual support, reconciliations, KPI reporting, and variance analysis. Monitor AP performance and proactively address issues impacting vendor payments or financial reporting. Manage annual 1099 reporting, audit support, and escheatment processes. Prepare and review monthly, quarterly, and annual AP reporting, identifying risks and improvement opportunities. Global Process Owner (GPO)
- Accounts Payable Own the global AP process design, governance model, and continuous improvement roadmap across all regions.
Standardize AP workflows, approval hierarchies, and policies across EMEA, APAC, and Americas to drive consistency and control effectiveness. Develop and implement global P2P KPIs, dashboards, and quality metrics to measure efficiency, compliance, and operational excellence. Lead cross-functional transformation initiatives including automation, centralization, shared service maturity, and global operating model refinement. Drive alignment between regional AP teams and global finance leadership. Serve as a subject matter expert for NetSuite (AP, approvals, vendor management, 3-way match) and Coupa (procurement, invoicing, expenses, supplier onboarding). Partner with IT, Finance Systems, and product owners to enhance system integrations, automate workflows, eliminate manual touchpoints, and strengthen data quality. Evaluate and implement new technologies including AP automation, AI/ML solutions, payment platforms, and global disbursement tools. Requirements 10+ years of Accounts Payable experience within a global corporate environment. 5+ years of people leadership experience, including leading teams through change. Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field. Accounting designation preferred but not required. Strong proficiency with AP and finance systems such as NetSuite, Coupa, Concur, and BlackLine. Experience leading or partnering with geographically distributed teams, including offshore resources, is preferred. Self-starter who can operate effectively in an evolving, fast-paced environment. Demonstrated executive-level communication skills and presence, with the ability to build strong relationships across multiple stakeholder groups. Change-oriented leader with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, capable of identifying, investigating, and resolving data anomalies and operational issues. Circana Behaviors Beyond technical skills, experience, and role-specific attributes, these shared behaviors are fundamental to our culture and success. We seek individuals who consistently demonstrate and champion these behaviors in their daily work:
Stay Curious:
Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions.
Seek Clarity:
Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action. Own the
Outcome:
Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices. Center on the
Client:
Relentlessly adding value for our customers. Be a
Challenger:
Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement.
Champion Inclusivity:
Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity.
Commit to each other:
Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone. Location This position can be located in the following area(s): Remote, US The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $165,000
This job is also eligible for bonus pay. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees. An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission. You can apply for this role through the Circana careers website or Intranet site for internal candidates. This role is subject to AI-assisted screening. Circana uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess resumes for alignment with job requirements by helping locate details in resumes that relate to the job description. This position is expected to remain open for approximately 30 days and may close earlier if sufficient qualified candidates are identified. #LI-JP1
