Junior Accounts Payable Clerk

Key Role

Invoice Processing & Matching

• Receive, review, and accurately process high volumes of supplier invoices within the Bravotran software system.
• Maintain Bravotran system and report on KPI’s on a monthly basis to the Financial Controller.
• Perform three-way matching of supplier invoices against job cost entries within Cargowise and Bravotran, ensuring invoiced amounts align with agreed rates, charge codes, and shipment details.
• Verify that all invoices are correctly matched to the corresponding Cargowise job file, ensuring costs are allocated to the right shipment, branch, and cost centre.
• Identify and escalate discrepancies between invoiced amounts and expected costs, liaising with operations and the vendor to resolve differences promptly.
• Process credit notes from suppliers accurately, ensuring they are correctly offset against the relevant payable balance and job cost.
• Ensure all invoices are coded to the correct general ledger (GL) account and cost component within CW1 (e.g. origin charges, freight costs, destination charges, customs disbursements, handling fees, storage).
• Process invoices across multiple currencies, applying the correct exchange rates in line with the company's FX policy.
• Handle both Cargowise-generated cost accruals and manual invoice entries, ensuring consistency and accuracy between the two.

Vendor & Supplier Account Management

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date vendor records within Cargowise, including supplier details, payment terms, bank account information, and tax registration numbers.
• Perform weekly, bi-monthly and monthly supplier statement reconciliations(as a support function to the AP Manager), matching supplier records to the Cargowise ACP ledger and investigating and resolving any discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Respond promptly to supplier queries regarding invoice status, payment timelines, and outstanding balances, maintaining a professional and cooperative relationship with vendors.
• Manage the AP inboxes, ensuring all invoices and supplier correspondence are actioned, filed, and tracked appropriately.
• Identify and flag duplicate invoices before processing, maintaining controls to prevent double-payments.
• Monitor vendor accounts for debit balances and escalate to the AP Manager where a refund or offset may be required.
• Ensure new supplier onboarding requests are submitted in line with the company's vendor onboarding and KYC policy, with appropriate documentation obtained before payments are made.

Payment Processing & Runs

• Prepare payment runs for review and approval by the AP Manager, ensuring all payments are made within agreed terms and in line with cash flow priorities.
• Process approved payment runs accurately within Cargowise, allocating payments to the correct invoices and ensuring the ACP ledger is updated promptly.
• Process urgent and priority payments (e.g. shipping line freight releases, customs duty payments, agent pre-payments) with speed and accuracy, escalating where approval is required outside normal payment cycles.
• Ensure all payments are made to verified bank accounts and flag any changes to supplier bank details to the AP Manager for additional verification in line with fraud prevention controls.
• Process multi-currency payments, ensuring the correct bank account and exchange rate are applied.
• Maintain an accurate record of all payment runs, including supporting documentation and authorisation trails, for audit and compliance purposes.

Accruals & Cost Management

• Monitor and flag any accruals that remain open beyond a reasonable period, investigating the root cause and escalating to the AP Manager as appropriate.

Month-End Close Support

• Ensure all invoices received prior to the month-end cut-off are processed and posted within the correct accounting period close.
• Ensure all outstanding vendor queries and invoice holds are resolved or appropriately communicated prior to the period-end deadline.

Compliance, Controls & Fraud Prevention

• Adhere strictly to the company's purchase-to-pay (P2P) policy, ensuring all invoices are properly authorised before processing and payment.
• Apply the company's invoice approval matrix, routing invoices above defined thresholds to the appropriate authoriser prior to payment.
• Be vigilant for invoice fraud, including fraudulent vendor invoices, altered bank details, and phishing attempts, and escalate any suspicious activity immediately.
• Ensure VAT/GST is correctly identified and recorded on all supplier invoices, applying the appropriate tax treatment for domestic and international freight services.
• Maintain complete and well-organised invoice documentation and payment records for audit trail purposes, in both Cargowise and the document management system.
• Support internal and external audit processes by providing requested documentation, reconciliations, and responses to queries within agreed timelines.
• queries, proof of delivery documentation, and cost disputes in a professional and efficient manner.
• Complete other duties within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job, as requested
• At all times represent and act in the best interest of the company, the shareholders and the employees.
• Work in accordance with the company values to maintain a positive environment with all teams across all departments.

Qualifications & Education

• **Minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) including Mathematics and English at grade C/4 or above – essential**
• A-Levels, BTEC, or equivalent further education in a business, finance, or numeracy-related subject – desirable.
• AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualification or active enrolment in AAT studies – desirable; study support may be available for the right candidate.
• Any relevant bookkeeping or accounts payable certification is an advantage.

Skills & Experience

• **A minimum of 1-2 years of experience in an accounts payable, purchase ledger or finance administration role – essential**
• Prior experience in freight forwarding, logistics, shipping, or supply chain is highly desirable and will be a significant advantage.
• Experience using Cargowise One (CW1) is strongly preferred; candidates with experience in other logistics ERP platforms will also be considered.
• Demonstrable experience processing high volumes of invoices in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience performing supplier statement reconciliations.
• Experience processing multi-currency transactions is an advantage.
• Exposure to month-end close processes and accruals is beneficial but not essential.

Systems & Technology

• Cargowise One (CW1) — experience in the AP and job costing modules preferred.
• Microsoft Excel — competent user, including the ability to work with data tables, basic formulas (VLOOKUP/SUMIF), and pivot tables.
• Microsoft Outlook and Office 365 — proficient in managing a shared inbox and communicating professionally by email.
• Document management systems — ability to scan, file, and retrieve invoices electronically.

Financial & Accounting

• Sound understanding of the purchase-to-pay (P2P) process from invoice receipt through to payment.
• Basic understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and how AP transactions flow to the general ledger.
• Ability to apply correct VAT/GST treatment to supplier invoices, including zero-rated and exempt services common in international freight.
• Familiarity with foreign currency invoices and the application of exchange rates.
• Understanding of cost accruals and GRNI concepts is an advantage.

Freight & Logistics Knowledge (Desirable)

• Familiarity with common freight forwarding cost types: origin handling, freight (ocean/air), destination handling, customs duties & disbursements, cartage, storage, and documentation fees.
• Basic understanding of the freight forwarding job lifecycle, from booking through to completion and invoicing.
• Awareness of shipping line, airline, and agent billing practices and invoice formats.

Working Conditions & Additional Information

• Standard office hours apply (Monday to Friday). Additional hours may be required during month-end close periods.
• This is primarily an office-based role; hybrid arrangements may be considered following a successful probationary period, subject to business requirements.
• A background or credit check may be required in line with the company's finance team vetting policy prior to appointment.
• Study support (financial and/or study leave) may be available for candidates pursuing AAT or equivalent qualifications, subject to the company's training and development policy.
• The role may involve occasional cross-training across other areas of the finance function to provide cover during peak periods or staff absence.