Ap Manager Jobs in Crete, IL (NOW HIRING)

The Americas Shared Services Manager leads and optimizes the end-to-end transactional finance functions — Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), and Travel & Expense (T&E) — for Fortifi’s operations across the Americas. Reporting to the Americas Controller, this role is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of vendor payments, customer invoicing and collections, cash application, and employee expense reimbursement, while maintaining the internal controls and documentation discipline that underpin reliable financial reporting.

Operating within a shared services model, the manager builds and develops a high-performing team, establishes clear performance metrics, and drives standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across all transactional processes. This role applies documentation and control standards consistent with a public-company-ready environment to protect the business and support the broader controllership organization’s progression toward a more disciplined and frequent reporting cadence.

The Americas Shared Services Manager partners closely with the controllership function, business unit finance teams, and stakeholders across Sales, Operations, Procurement, HR, and Payroll to resolve issues, improve working capital, and deliver a high level of service to internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development 

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing shared services team supporting AP, AR, T&E, and month-end reconciliation activities across the Americas.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and service-level expectations that drive operational excellence and accountability.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, customer service, ownership, and process standardization.
• Manage workload planning, resource allocation, cross-training, and team development initiatives.

Accounts Payable 

• Lead and oversee the daily end-to-end accounts payable function, ensuring timely and accurate processing of vendor invoices and payments.
• Maintain vendor master data integrity, optimize payment terms, and resolve invoice and payment discrepancies.
• Partner with Procurement and Operations to streamline procure-to-pay workflows and strengthen vendor relationships.

Accounts Receivable & Collections 

• Oversee customer invoicing, cash application, and the end-to-end order-to-cash process.
• Manage collections activities and monitor aging reports to improve working capital and reduce past-due balances.
• Assist in forecasting monthly working capital targets and manage the team to achieve collection and vendor-payment objectives.

Travel & Expense (T&E) 

• Oversee corporate travel and expense reimbursement processes across the region.
• Ensure compliance with company travel and expense policies; review expense trends, policy exceptions, and audit findings.
• Collaborate with HR, Payroll, and business leaders to improve the employee experience and process efficiency.

Month-End Close & Reconciliation 

• Support month-end and year-end close activities, including account reconciliations and reporting within established timelines.
• Ensure AP, AR, and T&E sub-ledgers are accurately reconciled to the general ledger each period.
• Maintain a complete audit trail to document period-end controls.

Internal Controls & Compliance 

• Maintain strong internal controls over transactional finance processes, applying documentation standards consistent with a public-company-ready control environment.
• Ensure compliance with Fortifi corporate accounting policies, control standards, and audit requirements.
• Support internal and external audit activities, providing requested documentation and remediating identified control deficiencies.

Process Improvement & Systems 

• Drive process improvement, ERP enhancements, and automation initiatives to increase efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Standardize transactional processes across Americas entities to support a shared services / center-of-excellence model.
• Partner with controllership and systems teams on continuous improvement and technology adoption.

Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Partner with Sales, Operations, Procurement, Finance, HR, and Payroll to resolve billing, payment, and customer-account issues.
• Provide service and support to business unit finance teams and internal stakeholders.
• Lead and participate in special projects and assignments as required.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• CPA, CMA, and/or MBA a plus.
• Five or more years of progressive experience in Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, general accounting, or shared services.
• Two or more years of leadership experience managing AP, AR, or transactional finance teams.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles, internal controls, and financial processes.