Manager, Accounts Payable & Process Excellence

Title: Manager, Accounts Payable & Process Excellence
Department: Control D410
Reports To: Vice President of Corporate Finance & Treasury
Location: Quincy, MA (Hybrid)
FLSA Status: Exempt
Pay Range: $90,000 - $130,000 per year, dependent on experience and qualifications

Who We Are

Bay State Milling Company is a family-owned business committed to supporting the growth of the next generation of grain-based foods through innovative, plant-based ingredients. With a proud legacy dating back to 1899, we continue to build on our reputation for quality, integrity, and creativity while modernizing our systems and processes to serve a dynamic market.

Position Summary

The Manager of Accounts Payable & Process Excellence oversees all aspects of the company’s vendor payment and disbursement processes across multiple North American entities. This individual will lead a small team responsible for accurate and timely processing of vendor invoices, expense reimbursements, and other payments, while maintaining a strong focus on internal controls, automation, and process improvement.

This position plays a key leadership role in the ongoing transformation of Bay State Milling’s back-office operations, including the implementation of Microsoft D365. The ideal candidate is both detail-oriented and strategic—able to drive change by simplifying workflows, optimizing system use, and ensuring compliance and consistency across locations.

Position Purpose

The Manager of AP & Process Excellence will serve as a change agent within Corporate Services, leading efforts to modernize the company’s payables processes through automation, AI-driven tools, and disciplined performance management. This role will champion vendor management best practices, enforce adherence to company policies, and train teams across the organization on proper procurement-to-pay procedures.

Success in this role will be defined by measurable improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and accountability—achieved through strong leadership, effective use of technology, and a continuous-improvement mindset. The manager will help position Accounts Payable as a strategic enabler of working-capital performance and an integrated component of the company’s digital finance transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Accounts Payable function across all company locations, ensuring timely and accurate processing of invoices, payments, and expense reports.
• Supervise and develop a high-performing AP team, fostering a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
• Evaluate and redesign AP workflows to leverage automation, robotic process automation (RPA), and emerging AI tools to eliminate manual effort and increase accuracy.
• Define, track, and report key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure team productivity, accuracy, and process efficiency; implement corrective action and training as needed.
• Partner closely with Treasury, Accounting, Procurement, and IT to ensure data integrity between systems, proper accruals, and alignment with working-capital objectives.
• Champion vendor management best practices, including standardized onboarding, payment terms governance, and proactive communication with suppliers.
• Manage daily cash disbursement processes and coordinate funding approvals with Treasury to optimize cash flow and payment timing.
• Maintain oversight of AP aging and accrued purchase reports, ensuring timely resolution of outstanding items.
• Lead process documentation and training initiatives across the organization to promote understanding of end-to-end payables processes.
• Collaborate with the D365 implementation team to design and optimize the procure-to-pay functionality and ensure successful adoption post-go-live.
• Oversee annual 1099 reporting and compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Support internal and external audits through documentation, testing, and control validation.
• Identify and implement opportunities for digital transformation that improve accuracy, transparency, and scalability within AP.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or Business Administration required.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive AP experience, including at least 3 years in a management role.
• Proven experience managing AP in a multi-entity or multi-location environment.
• Demonstrated success leading automation or technology-enabled process improvement initiatives; experience with AI tools or RPA preferred.
• Strong understa