Accounts Payable Specialist

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Accounts Payable Specialist

Role Summary

The Finance Manager – Accounts Payable will lead AstraZeneca’s end-to-end AP operations, T&E/corporate card governance, and related finance processes, ensuring accurate and timely payments, strong internal controls, and compliance with AZ policies and India statutory requirements. Key policy frameworks include AZ’s COUPA Policies, Concur Travel & Expense, Corporate Card Policies, AZPIL Travel Allowance Policy, and regulations under Companies Act, SEBI (as applicable), MSME, GST, and TDS. The role also oversees fixed assets capitalization and compliance with capital expenditure guidelines and AZ Standards and supports payroll reconciliations and cash flow management.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Compliance

• Lead end-to-end AP processing in ERP and COUPA (invoice capture, 2/3-way match, exception resolution, payment runs) with SLA adherence

• Enforce COUPA P2P policies, Concur T&E workflows, and Corporate Card Policies (issuance, limits, receipts, timely submission/approval), and apply AZPIL Travel Allowance Policy.

• Maintain robust internal controls and India statutory compliance (Companies Act, MSME payment timelines/interest, GST/TDS; SEBI disclosures/related-party rigor where relevant); prevent duplicates, manage vendor bank changes, and monitor anomalies.

• Govern vendor master data (KYC, PAN/GST validation, bank verification), perform supplier reconciliations, and resolve disputes; ensure ontime payments to MSME vendors.

• Fixed Assets & Capital Governance

• Oversee fixed assets lifecycle: capitalization, asset master integrity, tagging, useful lives, depreciation, retirements/disposals, CWIP monitoring, and GR/IR linkages to capex POs.

• Ensure adherence to capital expenditure guidelines (business case, approvals, budget checks, DOA) and compliance with Internal GAM (Global Accounting Manual) for recognition, classification, impairment, and disclosures.

• Coordinate with Procurement, Projects, and Facilities for asset receipt/acceptance, inservice dates, and timely capitalization; support asset physical verification and audit requests.

• Cash Flow, Payroll & Close

• Partner with Treasury to optimize Inter Company and external payment calendars/terms and manage WAPT while meeting MSME statutory obligations; provide weekly cash forecast inputs and FCF drivers from AP, T&E, and capex.

• Drive accurate period close: Payroll reconciliations, AP accruals, GR/IR and vendor reconciliations, T&E/corporate card accruals, fixed asset additions/depreciation, and balance sheet substantiation.

• Systems, Reporting & Improvement

• Champion ERP, COUPA, Concur, OCR/IDP, einvoicing, supplier portals, and RPA; define requirements, lead UAT, and drive adoption/data quality.

• Own KPI dashboards and insights, GR/IR aging, MSME ontime compliance, T&E adherence, fixed asset capitalization timeliness, and FCF

• Lead automation and simplification initiatives to reduce errors/manual work; manage escalations and stakeholder satisfaction across AP, T&E, and fixed assets.

Skills and Competencies

• Technical Finance: AP accounting, 2/3way match, GR/IR, accruals, GST/TDS, T&E/corporate card accounting, fixed assets capitalization/depreciation, CWIP, and payroll GL reconciliations.

• Controls and Compliance: Internal control frameworks (e.g., SOX/IFC), COUPA/Concur policy enforcement, segregation of duties, audit readiness, Internal GAM adherence, and India statutory compliance (Companies Act, MSME, GST/TDS; SEBI as applicable).

• ERP and Tools: Proficiency with SAP S/4HANA/, COUPA P2P, Concur T&E; familiarity with OCR/IDP, einvoicing, supplier portals, and RPA/automation.

• Data and Analytics: Advanced Excel/reporting; ability to design dashboards and analyze KPIs for process optimization and FCF drivers.

• Stakeholder Management: Effective communication and influence with Procurement, Treasury, HR/Payroll, Projects, back office, middle office ,business units and issue resolution.

Experience and Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance and CA/CPA/CMA – Intermediate or Final

• Experience: 7–10+ years in finance with exposure to Audit , Treasury, Taxation ,GL reconciliation : India multientity/multicurrency exposure preferred.

• Industry Background: Large enterprise or Global Business Services/Shared Services; pharma/biotech or manufacturing exposure is beneficial.

• Regulatory/Policy: Proven compliance with COUPA, Concur, Corporate Card Policies, AZPIL Travel Allowance Policy, Ind AS, IFRS and India GST/TDS, MSME, Companies Act; familiarity with SEBI contexts where applicable.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.