Senior Purchase Ledger Specialist
About Lanes Group
Lanes Group is the UK's leading wastewater and utilities solutions provider, delivering essential services that keep communities, businesses and infrastructure running. Our people are at the heart of our success, and we're committed to creating an environment where individuals can develop their careers and reach their full potential.
The Role
As a Senior Purchase Ledger Specialist, you will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end purchase ledger process, ensuring supplier invoices, payments and reconciliations are completed accurately and on time. In addition, you will provide day-to-day leadership and line management to a small team of Purchase Ledger Clerks, supporting their development, performance and workload management. You'll act as a key point of contact for supplier queries, drive continuous improvement within the function and provide guidance to colleagues across the Purchase Ledger team.
What You'll Be Doing
- Managing the full purchase ledger cycle from invoice receipt through to payment.
- Leading and supervising a small team of Purchase Ledger Clerks, providing direction, support and coaching.
- Monitoring team workloads, allocating tasks and ensuring service levels and deadlines are achieved.
- Supporting the recruitment, onboarding and training of new team members as required.
- Processing high volumes of supplier invoices accurately and efficiently.
- Reviewing and approving invoice coding and ledger postings.
- Maintaining supplier accounts and ensuring ledger integrity.
- Preparing and processing weekly and monthly payment runs.
- Ensuring payments are authorised, accurate and made within agreed terms.
- Performing supplier statement reconciliations and resolving discrepancies.
- Investigating and clearing aged items on supplier accounts.
- Acting as a key contact for supplier queries and escalations.
- Resolving invoice disputes quickly and professionally.
- Identifying opportunities to improve processes, controls and team efficiency.
- Ensuring compliance with internal controls, audit requirements and company policies.
- Providing technical support, guidance and knowledge-sharing across the Purchase Ledger team.
- Producing and reviewing team performance metrics, escalating risks and issues where appropriate.
Essential Experience & Skills
- Proven experience in a senior purchase ledger or accounts payable role.
- Experience working within a high-volume processing environment.
- Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial controls.
- Advanced Excel skills and experience using finance systems such as SAP, Oracle, Dynamics or similar.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong organisational and time management skills.
- Ability to manage workloads effectively and meet deadlines.
- Confident communication and relationship-building skills.
If you're an experienced Purchase Ledger professional looking to take the next step in your career, apply today and become part of the Lanes Group team.
Skills Required
- Proven experience in a senior purchase ledger or accounts payable role.
- Experience working within a high-volume invoice processing environment.
- Experience supervising or line-managing a small team.
- Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial controls.
- Advanced Excel skills.
- Experience using finance/ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Dynamics or similar.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong organisational and time management skills.
- Ability to manage workloads effectively and meet deadlines.
- Confident communication and relationship-building skills for supplier and stakeholder interactions.
What We Do
Lanes Group is the UK's largest privately owned drainage and wastewater utility specialist, providing comprehensive drainage, sewerage repair, and railway works. Serving sectors including water utilities, rail, highways, and energy, the company offers expert services such as CCTV drainage surveys, pipe rehabilitation, and liquid waste removal. They are driven by core corporate values of innovation, integrity, and collaboration.
