Lead: Accounts Payable - Mastercard Foundation

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Head, Procure to Pay, the Lead, Accounts Payable will oversee invoice processing and disbursements across the Mastercard Foundation’s global operations, based out of the Ghana Shared Services Hub. You will lead a high-performing, geographically dispersed team, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely payments. In this role, you’ll drive process improvements, enhance internal controls, and support the adoption of ERP and automation tools to deliver efficient, service-oriented AP operations.

Working closely with Procurement, Contracts Management, and Finance teams, you will help streamline Source-to-Pay processes and contribute to global shared services initiatives that enable the Foundation’s mission through operational excellence.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Lead and mentor the Ghana-based Accounts Payable (AP) team and remote colleagues across Canada and other regions, fostering a collaborative culture of kindness, respect, inclusion, and high performance.
• Provide coaching and development opportunities that enhance team capabilities, support professional growth, and build leadership bench strength.
• Build a collaborative environment that empowers team members to co-create and implement process improvements that enhance service delivery.
• Drive employee engagement across a geographically dispersed and culturally diverse team, ensuring scores meet or exceed organizational benchmarks.

• Oversee day-to-day AP operations, ensuring invoices, employee reimbursements, and credit card expenses are accurately coded, matched, approved, and paid on time.
• Ensure tight integration between Accounts Payable, Procurement, and Contracts Management to resolve purchase order issues, minimize exceptions, and maintain service level agreements (SLAs).
• Achieve and sustain performance targets including 95% of invoices paid within agreed terms and a 20% reduction in processing cycle times while maintaining 98% payment accuracy.
• Ensure adherence to internal controls, tax regulations, and local compliance requirements, supporting zero major audit findings and promoting fraud prevention measures.
• Respond to internal and external stakeholder inquiries with a focus on service excellence, targeting over 80% first-contact resolution.
• Manage aged payables (>30 days) with proactive escalation and issue resolution processes.
• Promote a service-oriented mindset within the team, achieving internal customer satisfaction scores of 4.5/5 or higher.
• Champion feedback-driven improvements by implementing at least two customer-focused service enhancement initiatives per year.
• Support ERP and AP automation tool optimization by promoting user adoption, delivering training, and achieving 90% usability satisfaction across key stakeholder groups.
• Support alignment of global shared services standards by collaborating with teams across regions to ensure consistent and reliable delivery.
• Continuously review, improve, and digitize AP processes to increase efficiency while balancing risk management and control requirements.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of AP performance, including monthly and quarterly KPIs, process improvement updates, and dashboard metrics.
• Represent the Ghana AP function in global working groups and cross-functional collaborations, sharing insights and contributing to the evolution of operational processes across the Foundation

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field; CPA, ACCA, or equivalent professional qualification required.
• Minimum 10 years’ progressive experience in finance operations or shared services, with at least 3 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Strong expertise in Accounts Payable within complex, multi-national or multi-entity environments.
• Proven ability to lead geographically dispersed teams and foster inclusive, high-performing team cultures.
• Proficient in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Workday) and AP automation tools; experienced in digital transformation.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills; able to translate data into actionable insights.
• Experienced in managing complex projects, improving processes, and driving operational excellence.
• Well-versed in risk management, internal controls, and regulatory compliance (local and international).
• Committed to the Foundation’s values and passionate about delivering inclusive, meaningful impact through your work.

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