Head of Accounts Payable EMEA

Location: Brand: RS Group Function: Finance Work Location: Location : This is a hybrid role, offering a combination of being able to work remotely and from our Riga office in Latvia or in UK: in London, Corby or Manchester. Contract Type : Permanent The Opportunity We’re looking for an experienced and forward ‑ thinking Head of Accounts Payable to lead our EMEA AP function within Global Shared Business Services (GSBS). This is a pivotal leadership role, accountable for transforming how we deliver AP services across a multi ‑ location, geographically distributed team. You’ll lead a team of around 20 colleagues, shape a modern, efficient, best ‑ in ‑ class AP operation, and influence the end ‑ to ‑ end Procure ‑ to ‑ Pay process across the region. If you’re passionate about process transformation, operational excellence, and inspiring high ‑ performing teams, this is a role where you will have visible impact across the entire organisation. What You Will Be Doing Redesigning, standardising, and optimising the EMEA Accounts Payable operating model. Introducing automation, improved processes, stronger controls, and digital solutions. Influencing purchasers and stakeholders to adopt new ways of working across the Procure ‑ to ‑ Pay lifecycle. Leading, developing, and motivating a multi ‑ location AP team, building capability and accountability. Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. Owning end ‑ to ‑ end invoice processing and supplier payment performance. Ensuring invoices are processed accurately, promptly, and in full compliance with policy, audit, and legal requirements. Driving performance against SLAs, KPIs, and operational excellence targets. Partnering with senior stakeholders across Finance, Procurement, GSBS, and the wider business. Collaborating with the Procure ‑ to ‑ Pay Global Process Owner to improve processes ahead of ERP implementation. Using data and insights to influence decision ‑ making and drive behavioural change. Enhancing AP controls, governance, and compliance across all markets. Identifying and mitigating operational and financial risks. Ensuring accurate, complete, up ‑ to ‑ date process documentation. What You’ll Bring Essential Proven leadership experience within Accounts Payable or Procure ‑ to ‑ Pay in multi ‑ market or multi ‑ location environments. Strong track record of driving transformation, standardising processes, and embedding new ways of working in complex organisations. Confident and credible influencer, able to engage effectively from operational teams up to senior leaders. Highly analytical and data ‑ driven, with the ability to build meaningful performance reporting. Strong people leader with high emotional intelligence and a passion for developing high ‑ performing teams. Curious, resilient, pragmatic, and able to operate effectively in a fast ‑ moving environment. Fluent in both Latvian and English (spoken and written). Experience of building and running a large, complex global AP function. Motivated by improving processes, inspiring teams, influencing change, and delivering exceptional service. Desirable Experience with finance or IT transformation programmes, particularly SAP. Experience integrating acquisitions and new business entities. Additional language skills. We Are RS We’ve been solving industry problems for over 80 years. We turn the ‘what ifs’ into the ‘why nots’, the impossible into the possible. Our purpose? Making amazing happen for a better world. We offer service and product solutions to over 1.2 million customers globally, shipping a parcel every 2 seconds to over 130 countries. With over 800,000 stocked and 3 million unstocked products, we’re a trusted partner to the world’s leading industries. We’re looking for curious, driven, and empathetic professionals to join our journey. People who think differently, act with purpose, and want to make a real impact. Rewards Our Reward Strategy Philosophy is designed to offer market competitive base salaries and provide all of our people the opportunity to participate in a short-term incentive, enabling them to share in the success of the Company. Our total reward package is more than just the cash; our recognition and benefit offering provide the opportunity for us to recognise, reward and enable the wellbeing of our people at all stages of their journey with RS. Our rewards and benefits vary by country, but include: Financial - pension/retirement; life assurance; salary finance (payroll deduction loan scheme) Wellbeing - medical plans; health screening; critical illness; disability insurance; holiday / paid time off; employee assistance programme; discounted gym/health club membership Lifestyle - transportation assistance schemes (e.g., cycle to work, travel loans, car leasing); onsite catering/lunch vouchers; retail discounts Spotlight – our global recognition programme provides a platform to highlight and recognise people role modelling our values Ready to Make Amazing Happen? Join c. 9,000 colleagues and help us shape the future of our industry. Whoever you are, wherever you are — it all starts here. Apply now and make RS a part of your journey. #LI-VB1 #LI-Hybrid #LI-HYBRID #LI-PR1