Accounts Payable Manager

Job Title: Accounts Payable Manager Location: Tyler, TX Department: Controllership Reports To: Director of Shared Services Direct Reports: AP Specialist Normal Work Schedule: The typical working hours are 7:30 am to 4:00 pm with a 30-minute lunch. Overview Of Company Soules Foods is a thriving family-owned food company that has made a positive difference for its customers and consumers for nearly 50 years. Our purpose and promise of Great Food, Made Simple® drives us. Based in Tyler, Texas, the company is a leading national producer of ready-to-eat and ready-to- cook chicken and beef products and is the number one producer of chicken and beef fajitas in the USA. We proudly serve a broad portfolio of great-tasting, high-quality products sold throughout the US via retail, food service distributors, and restaurants. Our wide array of national customers includes prominent organizations such as Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Sysco, and HEB. The company was established in 1975 by John Soules Sr., and the business is now in the second generation of family leadership. The organization has expanded dramatically over the past decade, and with its continued growth, it now has annual sales of approximately $1 billion. The company employs over 2,000 individuals and has three manufacturing facilities in Gainesville, Georgia; Valley, Alabama; and its headquarters in Tyler, Texas. Job Summary The Accounts Payable Manager leads the day-to-day procure-to-pay operation, ensuring vendors are paid accurately, on time, and in line with company policy and internal controls. This role manages the AP team, owns the approval and business decision on new vendors and vendor changes, owns payment runs, and supports month-end close. Approved vendor setups and changes are executed by the Data Compliance team. The role partners closely with Procurement, Receiving, Plant Operations, Treasury, Data Compliance, and the General Accounting team. Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business, or equivalent experience. 5+ years of accounts payable experience, including 2+ years supervising or leading a team. Solid understanding of three-way match, accruals, reconciliations, and month-end close. Working knowledge of 1099 reporting, sales and use tax, and AP internal controls, including vendor master controls. Hands-on experience with an ERP system. Intermediate to advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP). Preferred Experience in food manufacturing, CPG, or distribution with high invoice volume. Experience implementing AP automation, OCR, e-invoicing, or AI-enabled AP tools. Multi-entity or multi-plant AP experience. Competencies Attention to detail: catches errors before payments go out. Team leadership: develops staff and holds the team to clear standards. Problem solving: gets to the root cause of recurring invoice and vendor issues. Continuous improvement: looks for ways to automate and simplify AP work. Communication: works effectively with vendors, plants, and internal partners. Integrity: protects company funds and confidential vendor and banking data. Key Responsibilities NOTE: This description is not intended to be all-inclusive. An employee may perform other related duties to meet the organization's ongoing needs; these duties are considered marginal. Team leadership Hire, train, coach, and evaluate AP staff; set clear daily and weekly priorities. Balance workloads and cross-train the team to cover peak periods and absences. Build and maintain written desk procedures for every AP process. Serve as the escalation point for complex vendor, invoice, and payment issues. AP operations Oversee end-to-end invoice processing, including PO and non-PO invoices, three-way match, and approval routing. Resolve price and quantity discrepancies with Purchasing, Receiving, and plants. Review and approve weekly payment runs (ACH, check, wire, virtual card) and verify supporting documentation. Manage freight, utility, ingredient, packaging, and co-manufacturer invoices common to food manufacturing. Capture early-pay discounts and avoid late fees while supporting Treasury's cash management. Vendor approval and management Own the approval and business decision on new vendor requests and changes to existing vendors, including payment terms and payment method, in line with Procurement policy. Confirm business need and required documentation before approving, then route approved requests to Data Compliance for setup; AP does not enter or change vendor master records. Approve vendor banking changes under dual-approval rules; Data Compliance performs call-back verification and executes the change. Decide which inactive or duplicate vendors should be deactivated or merged during periodic reviews, with Data Compliance executing the cleanup. Maintain professional vendor relationships and resolve inquiries and past-due statements promptly; run periodic vendor statement reconciliations. Close, compliance, and controls Prepare AP accruals, AP sub-ledger to general ledger reconciliations, and aging reports for month-end close. Manage 1099 reporting, sales and use tax review on invoices, and unclaimed property filings. Maintain segregation of duties between vendor approval, vendor master entry, invoice processing, and payment release; document key AP controls and support internal and external audits. Run duplicate-payment reviews and monitor exceptions. Administer employee expense (T&E) and purchasing card programs and enforce policy. Systems, automation, and process improvement Act as the AP power user for the ERP and any AP automation or OCR tools. Identify and implement automation such as e-invoicing, workflow approvals, electronic payments, and AI-assisted invoice capture, coding, and exception handling. Continuously raise the share of invoices processed without manual touch. Track and report AP KPIs to the Director of Shared Services monthly. Support system upgrades, testing, and new location or acquisition integrations. Work Environment This job is carried out in a professional office setting and involves using standard office equipment like laptops, desk phones, and smartphones. Regular visits to production facilities may also be required. During those visits, the employee is occasionally exposed to cold and/or humid conditions. The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, cold temperatures, electrical shock and vibration risks. The noise level in the work environment is moderate. Physical Demands Employees must be able to stand, walk, or sit; use their hands for tasks; reach with their arms; and communicate verbally. Occasional lifting or moving objects is necessary, along with close, distance, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The applicant who fills this position will be eligible for the following: Incentive Pay: This position is eligible for the Company’s bonus plan, with amounts varying based on program terms. Vacation / Sick days Medical, Dental, Vision Benefits Telemedicine Onsite Clinic – Tyler and Valley 401 (k) with company match STD and LTD Life insurance & other voluntary benefits Career Development: We support professional growth through continuous learning and development opportunities. Soules Foods is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status. Applicants with disabilities needing accommodation during the application process can contact Human Resources at the relevant location. Soules Foods will not discriminate against applicants who discuss their compensation. We also participate in the E-Verify program where required by law. Unsolicited Assistance: Soules Foods does not accept unsolicited support from external recruitment vendors for U.S. positions. Resumes or candidate profiles submitted without a valid written request and search agreement from HR will be considered the property of Soules Foods. No fees will be paid for candidates hired through unsolicited referrals.