Accounts Payable Assistant

**WHO ARE SOFA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL?**

Sofa Brand International is a market leader, with a turnover of close to £100m, and home to five unique sofa brands: Duresta, Parker Knoll, G Plan, Collins & Hayes, The Lounge Co.

Our range of contemporary and classic styles reflect the individual needs and lifestyles of our customers and can be found in 600 retail outlets across the UK. Sofa Brands International has a collective heritage of over 500 years’ experience in the industry. With a wealth of design, manufacturing, sales, and marketing talent, we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to British-made, handcrafted furniture.

At the heart of the group lies great British design and craftsmanship. Every piece of furniture from SBI’s six brands is made by hand in purpose-built factories in Nottinghamshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. The group excels in combining the best of traditional furniture making methods with cutting-edge techniques.

At Sofa Brands International, we work hard to offer the best in the industry and we’re the largest manufacturer of quality sofas in UK. Our employees are the lifeblood of SBI; the group currently employs 1,100 people.

**JOB OVERVIEW**

Reporting to the AP Manager, you will be instrumental in the end-to-end AP process for our 5 UK based entities and Head Office, including invoice processing, internal and external query resolution, statement reconciliations, new supplier creation and more.

The Accounts Payable Assistant will have a wide range of duties and responsibilities. These will include:

- Daily invoice processing of both raw material purchases and general business expenses (both directly through ERP system and in future through OCR automation).
- Processing of Direct Debit invoices to cleardown with Direct Debit payments.
- Assist in the creation of regular supplier payment runs - ensuring accuracy of payment methods and supplier data.
- Resolution of internal purchasing and external supplier queries.
- Develop and maintain good relationships with colleagues across all departments within the organisation and suppliers.
- Regular statement reconciliations.
- Submitting supplier change requests to the AP Manager.
- Managing the completion of new supplier forms in accordance with the group process for submission and approval by the AP manager.
- Ensuring supplier invoices are processed efficiently with accuracy to adhere to payment terms.
- Appropriate escalation of issues to the relevant internal stakeholders.

**QUALITIES WE VALUE**
- **Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Tenacity and confidence.
- Act with integrity.
- A team player who leads by example.
- Calm and professional under pressure.
- Excellent organisational skills and high attention to detail.
- Strong work ethic and willing to go the extra mile in time and effort.
- Excellent communication skills at all levels.

**KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCE**
- **Previous experience using OCR Automation software is preferable.
- Delivery of a high-quality customer service to both internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to actively work on high volume transactional tasks.
- Uses initiative to identify, investigate and solve problems.
- Able to efficiently manage and escalate queries.
- Able to prioritise and meet deadlines.
- Good knowledge of Excel.

**DIVERSITY**

At Sofa Brands International, we don’t just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our people, our customers, and our wider community that we live in.

Sofa Brands International is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We will never discriminate against any applicant or employee based on age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, citizenship, marital status or civil partnership/union status, disability, pregnancy, genetic information or any other basis prohibited by applicable country or local laws.

**Salary**: £22,000.00-£26,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Sick pay

Schedule:

- Day shift
- Monday to Friday

**Experience**:

- purchase ledger: 1 year (preferred)
- Accounts payable: 1 year (preferred)

Ability to Commute:

- Melksham, SN12 6GU (required)

Ability to Relocate:

- Melksham, SN12 6GU: Relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person