Accounts Payable Team Lead

CompanyNavantia UK

LocationBelfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Posted At3/5/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Occupation Type

Office supervisors

Occupation Code Skill LevelIneligible

Sponsorship EligibilityIneligible for Sponsorship

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Description

Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, energy and maritime ambitions. We’re doing this by creating state-of-the-art sovereign defence capabilities, investing in the UK to modernise industrial facilities, and bolstering the nation's energy security. Established in 2022, Navantia UK is a subsidiary of Navantia SA, a Spanish state-owned company with over 300 years of naval shipbuilding history. In January 2025, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of Harland & Wolff and its four historic facilities in Belfast, Appledore, Methil, and Arnish. By combining Harland & Wolff’s proud heritage and facilities with Navantia’s global expertise, Navantia UK is well-positioned to strengthen Britain’s defence, maritime and energy industrial capabilities, supporting jobs and economic growth across the UK.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Financial Controller, the Accounts Payable (AP) Team Lead is responsible for managing the end-to-end accounts payable function. This includes ensuring accurate and timely processing of supplier invoices and payments, maintaining strong financial controls, and complying with company policies and HMRC regulations.

The role provides hands-on leadership to the AP team, drives process improvement initiatives, and collaborates with stakeholders across the business to support supplier management, cash flow, and month-end close processes. The AP Team Lead plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency, optimising systems, and supporting audits, contributing to a robust and effective finance function.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Lead, mentor, and manage the accounts payable team across all sites, promoting a high-performance culture, supporting training and development, and ensuring team engagement.
Oversee the complete accounts payable cycle, including invoice receipt, validation, approvals, matching, payment runs, and supplier statement reconciliations.
Ensure accurate and timely processing of all supplier invoices and credit notes in line with company policies, procedures, and HMRC compliance.
Manage month-end and year-end accounts payable activities, including reconciliations, accruals, and reporting.
Partner with Procurement, Operations, and other stakeholders to support supplier management, control expenditures, and optimise cash flow.

Act as the key point of contact for supplier queries and internal stakeholder requests, resolving issues professionally and promptly.

Supervise employee expense claims and corporate credit card reconciliations, ensuring compliance with company policies.

Maintain robust internal financial controls, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and company standards.

Support external audits by preparing documentation, responding to queries, and facilitating audit activities.

Monitor and report on AP performance using KPIs, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, improve accuracy, and enhance controls.

Promote continuous improvement initiatives across the accounts payable function, fostering accountability, efficiency, and service excellence.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Strong understanding of accounts payable processes, financial controls, and compliance requirements.
Proven leadership and team management skills with the ability to motivate and develop staff.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills; able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with ERP systems (SAP experience advantageous).

Highly detail-oriented, analytical, and solution-focused.

Strong stakeholder management and problem-solving abilities.

Education & Experience

Significant proven experience in accounts payable, including supervisory or team-lead responsibility.
Experience with ERP systems, ideally SAP.
Understanding of finance processes and regulatory compliance requirements.

Working Environment

Standard office environment: occasional travel and overnight trips may be required.
Working hours may extend beyond the standard schedule to meet business deadlines.

Physical Effort

Minimal physical effort required.
Primarily office-based tasks including sitting, standing, and keyboarding, with flexible breaks.

Generic Level Description

Level Overview:

Directs the activities of support staff; works collaboratively with direct reports.

Sets short-to-medium term priorities for the team to ensure task completion.

Coordinates work with other supervisors and escalate issues as necessary.

May track to an individual budget line while contributing to a higher-level manager's budget.

Complexity, Expertise & Problem Solving:

Works on issues of limited scope, following established procedures and policies.
Monitors daily/weekly operations of the team, escalating complex issues to management.
Strong technical expertise in accounts payable and related finance functions.

Decision Making & Autonomy:

Decisions impact daily operations and monthly schedules; escalation is required for non-routine issues.

Communication, Negotiation & Influencing:

Interacts with team members, functional peers, and stakeholders.
Ability to gain cooperation, communicate project updates, and manage expectations.

Supervision & Leadership:

Coordinates and supervises the daily activities of the AP team.

Receives direction on monthly/quarterly priorities and translates them into actionable plans for the team.

Qualifications

AAT qualified
Experience with ERP systems, ideally SAP.

Additional Information

An immediate start is available for the right candidate, offering a fast-paced and engaging opportunity.

We are an Opening Doors employer, committed to equal opportunity and an inclusive workplace. Our approach, shaped by our values of service, trust, excellence, agility, dedication, and you, we focus on removing barriers and recognising potential. We are committed to fairness at every stage, including providing reasonable adjustments and actively working to eliminate discrimination.

We believe talent is everywhere, and by widening access to opportunity and welcoming diverse experiences, we aim to create a workplace where every person feels valued and has an equal chance.

If you experience difficulties or are unable to apply for a role on-line please contact us at people.skills@harland-wolff.com and one of the team will be in contact to help you.