Corporate Planning & Management-Procure to Pay- Dallas-Associate

The Corporate Planning & Management (CPM) Division unifies Finance & Planning, Spend Management, Operational Risk and Resilience, and CPM Engineering teams to deliver business planning and analytics, expense management, third party risk management, and governance strategies across the firm. CPM have 5 operating pillars.

Finance & Planning supports the execution of the firm's strategic objectives through the management of the planning process, firmwide reporting and analytics and insights into the firm's business plans and budgets. They develop consistent framework for revenue division projections creating transparency, accountability and efficiency around projections. This pillar also includes the CF&O, EO and Engineering divisional CFOs, who are strategic finance advisors helping the firm and the non-revenue divisions achieve commercial financial opportunities. Product Finance is responsible for the overall governance and proactive management of the firm's non-compensation expenses. Spend Management encompasses the functions responsible for managing all aspects of the firm's spend with third parties - advising commercial agreements and driving operating efficiency. Departments include Strategic Sourcing, Procure to Pay, Integrated Travel and Expense, Infrastructure and Transformation and Sustainable Operations. Operational Risk & Resilience drives firmwide Operational Risk programs along with second line teams and implements required changes within CPM. The Corporate Insurance & Advisory team in this pillar identifies, procures, and manages corporate insurance needs for the firm and its investing businesses. The CPM Engineering team provides engineering solutions that enable the firm to manage third-party spend, data and automation, plan budgets, forecast financial scenarios, allocate expenses and support corporate decision making in-line with the firm's strategic objectives.

Professionals in CPM have an analytical mindset, exhibit intellectual curiosity and are from diverse academic backgrounds. This role sits within the Spend Management pillar under the department Procure to Pay

Procure to Pay Associate will take increased responsibility in the invoice processing function, including validation, exception management, and critical vendor payments. They will actively contribute in maintaining the vendor master database, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Additionally, they will provide guidance and support to junior team members, ensuring smooth operations and adherence to established procedures. Also handling escalation queries from internal and external stakeholders, resolving complex issues efficiently. This role involves managing invoices related to general expenses, legal, market data, and telecommunications expenses, while also identifying opportunities for process enhancement and efficiency. Individual will collaborate closely with managers to drive improvements and achieve departmental objectives.

The role requires collaboration with different functions across the firm on a regular basis, an ability to work independently, and ability to interact with senior professionals across the firm. It also entails in-depth analysis and reporting for senior management, requiring diligence and a commercial mindset. The candidate is required to work closely with global counterparts. Should have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Job responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Oversee processing and quality control of payments to 3rd parties, regulators, and tax authorities.
• Oversee Accounting and reporting for transactional taxes associated with payment activity across markets.
• Review and approve authenticated payment instructions associated to onboarding of new vendors.
• Provide support and guidance to Business Units around thematical issues and enable trainings to address the same.
• Participate and contribute towards implementation of strategic platforms including documentation of process and change management.
• Understanding firm's policies and procedures thoroughly to ensure the team is complaint.
• Manage relationships across the firm to ensure an inclusive and strategic approach to projects and challenges.
• Review invoices received, for their content and conformity to GS billing guidelines; enforce compliance by communicating any issues found promptly and directly with outside billing areas.
• Work with internal stakeholders including divisional finance teams to identify appropriate allocations and resolve complex allocation queries.
• Develop, manage, and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders and influencing positive team reputation.
• Provide governance to monitor and follow up regularly with stakeholders to ensure prompt payment of compliant invoices.
• Review daily reporting and prioritize aged invoices for daily work allocations and escalate risk events.
• Participate in team's efforts to identify areas where we can simply, control and automate processes.
• Analyze reports related to outstanding expenses of various divisions and highlight trends.
• Develop and maintain BI solutions for actionable insights on vendor spend and outstanding balances.
• Analyze complex data for trends and opportunities that can be shared with various stake holders.
• Root cause analysis and resolution.
• Works effectively in a team and contributes to a positive team environment.
• Ability to manage escalations independently & post direct management, use client experience trends to develop solutions to smooth friction points.
• Monitoring and addressing fail payments and return of funds.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors
• 3+ years of experience preferably from Accounts Payable/Procure to Pay background.
• Analytical mindset and focus on risk and control.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal (written and verbal) skills, strong attention to detail.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and regions and drive completion of team deliverables.
• Self - starter with the ability to multi-task and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Solid work ethic and high level of motivation.
• Customer experience focused individual who is comfortable working with people at all organizational levels.
• Knowledge of allocating charges to correct GL & depts.
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel and other MS Office products
• Flexible to work across multiple time zones.
• Ability to delegate with appropriate supervision, where applicable

Optional:

• Experience in Business Intelligence and Data Analysis
• Knowledge on Latin America Payment Process in line with local regulatory obligations, such as Boleto payment method and Transferencia Bancaria (TED)
• Portuguese and Spanish language