Accounts Payable Manager

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MANAGER

FINANCE DEPARTMENT




Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. Our clients look to us to bring a distinctively high degree of quality, intensity and creativity to resolve legal challenges effectively and cost efficiently. We believe in hiring talented and dedicated individuals as members of our administrative community. We draw on the strength of our culture and structure to deliver the best of our firm to our lawyers and clients through true collaboration.


The firm is seeking a full-time Accounts Payable Manager to oversee the full AP cycle, treasury operations support, corporate credit card programs, and banking relationships while driving continuous process improvement and strengthening internal controls. This position reports to the Director of Accounting and Tax.





Responsibilities include but are not limited to:



Accounts Payable Operations

• Manage the full end-to-end AP process, including invoice intake, coding, approval routing, three-way match verification, and payment execution (ACH, wires, checks).
• Oversee AP staff, assign responsibilities, provide training, and review work for accuracy and compliance.
• Ensure timely and accurate posting of expenses, vendor charges, and matter-related costs in Aderant.
• Maintain vendor master files, conduct vendor onboarding and bank verification, and oversee W-9/1099 compliance.
• Ensure proper period cutoff, month-end AP close activities, and reconciliation of AP subledgers.

Fraud Prevention & Internal Controls

• Design, implement, and enforce strong AP controls to mitigate fraud, duplicate payments, payment diversion, and unauthorized vendor changes.
• Manage positive pay, ACH blocks/filters, and bank security protocols.
• Maintain segregation of duties and ensure appropriate user access rights across all AP, banking, and expense platforms.
• Review exception reports, vendor activity, and payment trends to detect anomalies.
• Partner with external auditors, providing documentation and supporting audit requirements.

Process Improvement & Automation

• Lead initiatives to optimize AP workflows—invoice capture, approval routing, vendor onboarding, payment automation, and reporting.
• Leverage Aderant (AP/GL modules) and Emburse to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and controls.
• Partner with IT/Finance Systems teams on system updates, new integrations, workflow redesign, and technology-driven enhancements.
• Document AP policies and procedures; implement best practices for operational excellence.

Treasury & Cash Management

• Forecast monthly cash needs by office, including monitoring cash balances and ensuring appropriate funding for AP disbursements.
• Oversee initiation and verification of ACH batches, wire transfers, international payments, and check runs, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Support short-term cash forecasting by communicating timing of major disbursements.
• Monitor bank fees and resolve issues with bank platforms or payment failures.

Banking Relationship Management

• Serve as the operational point of contact with the firm’s banks for AP-related issues, including payment investigations, returned items, fraud disputes, and access requests.
• Manage user access, entitlements, multifactor authentication, and security controls for banking portals.
• Support onboarding of new banking services and improve usage of existing tools (e.g., ACH filters, positive pay).
• Maintain documentation for payment protocols, bank account controls, and AP-related bank procedures.

Corporate Credit Card Program Administration

• Administer the firm’s corporate credit card and expense program through Emburse.
• Review and reconcile corporate card transactions, enforce receipt and policy compliance, and manage past-due accounts or delinquent users.
• Oversee card issuance, deactivation, limit changes, and cardholder onboarding.
• Partner with the credit card provider to resolve disputes, issue replacements, and roll out new program features.

Reporting & Vendor Management

• Prepare AP dashboards, KPIs, vendor aging reports, and payment analysis for Finance leadership.
• Support vendor negotiations and partner with Procurement/Operations on contract and terms management.
• Respond to vendor inquiries and ensure a high standard of customer service.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.

• Hands-on experience with Aderant (AP/GL) and Emburse expense/AP systems, or experience with similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of AP fraud risks, controls, vendor onboarding security, and payment integrity.
• Experience processing ACH, wires, checks, and bank transactions; familiarity with bank portals and treasury tools.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, SUMIFS).
• Experience supervising and developing staff.
• Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to improve processes and implement automation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8 - 10 years of AP experience in a complex, high-volume environment—law-firm or professional-services experience.
• Experience with multi-currency payments or international vendors.
• Background in procurement coordination or vendor risk management.
• Experience creating AP metrics dashboards or working with BI tools.
• Exposure to system migrations, workflow redesign, or automation projects.

TO APPLY:
A resume is required to apply for this position.


Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Taria Yarborough
Senior HR Generalist

Human Resources
[email protected]
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other legally protected category in accordance with U.S. law.
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