Vendor & Payments Manager

Department: Finance

Location: London

Contact type: 12 Month FTC

Full Time/Part time: Full Time

Reporting into: Financial Controller

About Ogilvy: 

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Sainsbury’s, Argos, , Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.   

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally, and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year.  

The Role:

The Vendor and Payments Team sits with the Finance Operations Team. Its remit is to facilitate the business with making payments to suppliers and staff for expenses. The Finance Operations Team has overall responsibility for reporting to WPP, managing staff costs, helping the business with payment processing, ensuring compliance areas are met and providing commercial analysis.

Working alongside the Commercial Finance team, the Business FDs and Business Finance Managers (BFMs), the Finance Operations team provide time sensitive critical information to ensure finance processes and obligations are met and run smoothly.

Reporting into the Financial Controller, you will manage the Vendor & Payments Team of 4 staff. As well as managing the day-to-day tasks with the team, the Manager will constantly review current processes with a view to streamlining them. The V&P Manager will be the key point contract between the agency and our outsourced shared service centre for any AP and vendor related queries.

Key Responsibilities:

• Day to Day Responsibilities
• Review and improve the vendor set up process to simplify and reduce set up time. Use best practice from other WPP companies whilst keeping in line with compliance requirements.
• Integrate Health AP function into the team.
• Lead Finance onboarding for all new employee’s joining the business, ensuring they are aware of Ogilvy expense and travel polices. Ensure policies and expense/travel processes are consistently communicated to the business.
• Create a supplier database and further initiatives to reduce the volume of new suppliers being created.
• Manage the expense process ensuring all queries are resolved within an agreed timeframe.
• Oversee both trade and intercompany unprocessed supplier invoice listing, ensure volume of invoices are constantly being lowered.
• Oversee the One Time Vendor process.
• Oversee payment approval requests.
• Constantly review the payment approver listing.
• Bring all Vendor & Payment Team processes into line and standardise and document procedures.
• Act as cover for other team members as required.
• Work closely with the Compliance Manager to ensure all compliance requirements are met and consistently review and challenge AP policies.
• Work closely and develop ties with FinancePlus to ensure good communication so that issues are resolved in a timely manner.

• Line manage 5 members of the Vendor & Payments team, including performance appraisal, setting objectives and ensuring there is always adequate team coverage to avoid service interruptions

• Other adhoc tasks as required.

Required Experience:

• 5+ years previous experience of working in Accounts Payable or similar team.
• Previous experience of managing a team and hiring of staff
• Strong financial skills
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong excel and systems skills
• Excellent attention to detail.
• A proactive and inquisitive approach
• A desire to contribute to continual improvements to processes and working methods.
• Effective organisational and time management skills
• Positive, solution driven individual who works well under their own initiative.
• Be a natural team-player capable of participation at all levels.

Desired Experience:

• Media industry experience or project-based service industry
• Experience dealing with Procurement

How we help you Thrive:

•  25 days annual leave (pro-rata) + 1 Volunteer Day 
• Bupa Healthcare
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year 
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance