Accountant - Payables

Job Summary

The Accounts Payables Specialist is responsible for the full cycle of supplier invoice processing, payments and reconciliation of vendor accounts to ensure accurate, timely and compliant payments in line with company policies and UAE regulatory requirements. This role will collaborate closely with Procurement, Receiving, Projects, and other internal stakeholders to ensure proper approvals and coding.

Key Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices from receipt to payment: validate for accuracy, completeness, correct cost centre/GL coding, and approval in accordance with delegation of authority.
• Match purchase orders (POs), delivery receipts/GRNs (if applicable) and invoices; follow up on discrepancies.
• Enter invoices into the ERP/accounting system and manage payment runs (cheque, bank transfer, local or foreign currency).
• Maintain vendor master data: create & update vendor records, verify bank account details and compliance with KYC/AML requirements.
• Reconcile vendor statements to sub-ledger and GL; investigate and resolve outstanding items, credit memos, disputes or aging invoices.
• Perform month-end closing tasks related to payables: accruals, prepaid expense transfers, outstanding invoice review, reporting.
• Respond to vendor queries regarding payment status, remittances, credit notes or supplier statements.
• Ensure all payments are processed in a timely manner and vendors are paid within agreed terms; monitor ageing and escalation of overdue items.
• Maintain and file supporting documentation (invoices, approvals, GRNs, payment advices) in compliance with audit and regulatory requirements.
• Support audit activities: provide schedules, documentation, explanations for internal/external auditors.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders (Procurement, Projects, Operations, Receiving) to clarify invoice issues, ensure correct approvals and control cost centres.
• Identify opportunities to improve AP processes (automation, batching, workflow improvements, cost/time savings).
• Adhere to UAE VAT/Tax regulations as relevant to payables (e.g., verify tax invoices, ensure correct VAT treatment).
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, procedures, delegations of authority and external regulatory requirements (local UAE laws).

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or related discipline (or equivalent).
• Experience: typically 2–5 years in accounts payable, accountant or finance role (adjust level based on seniority). For more senior roles, 5+ years or supervisory experience may be required.
• Strong proficiency in MS Excel (data filtering, pivot tables, v-lookups), and good familiarity with ERP/accounting systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, NetSuite) in the UAE or multinational environment.
• Excellent attention to detail, proactive, highly organised and able to meet deadlines.
• Good verbal and written communication skills in English; Arabic language ability is a plus (depending on vendor base).
• Strong vendor-relationship skills, ability to follow up, resolve queries/disputes diplomatically and professionally.
• Ability to work with large volumes of invoices, payment runs and multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Understanding of UAE VAT/tax implications on vendor invoices and payments (preferred).
• Ability to adhere to confidentiality, accounting ethics and integrity in handling payment sensitive data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a multi-entity or shared services environment.
• Prior exposure to ERP implementation or process automation (e.g., OCR for invoices, RPA).
• Familiarity with U.A.E. accounting standards, local banking/payment procedures and vendor compliance requirements.
• Professional accounting qualification (e.g., CPA, ACCA) is a plus.

Job Types: Full-time, Contract