Sr Manager Accounting (Accounts Payable)

Sr. Manager – Accounts Payable

Location: Advance India Innovation Center - Hyderabad, India

Position Summary

Advance Auto Parts is seeking a highly experienced Senior Manager to lead a team of approximately 60 accounting professionals within the Advance India Innovation Center (AIIC), including three direct reports at the Manager level. This role provides senior leadership across Accounts Payable, with functional alignment to U.S.-based leaders responsible for these areas.

The Senior Manager will be a key leader in India, accountable for building a high-performing team, strengthening functional execution, and serving as a trusted business partner between AIIC and U.S. Controllership leadership. The ideal candidate will combine deep accounts payable or shared service expertise with strong leadership presence, sound judgment, and the ability to influence across geographies. A critical expectation of the role is to identify and implement AI, automation, and other process improvement opportunities that reduce manual, non-value-added work, improve efficiency, and enable the team to deliver higher-value insights to the business.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Operational Oversight

• Lead, develop, and oversee a team of approximately 60 accounting professionals, including Assistant Managers, Managers, Analysts, and Senior Analysts across Accounts Payable.
• Provide clear direction, coaching, talent development, and performance management to build accountability, engagement, and readiness for expanded responsibilities.
• Serve as a senior AIIC liaison to U.S. functional leaders, ensuring priorities, initiatives, deliverables, and projects are understood, executed accurately, and completed on time.
• Navigate relationships effectively across India and U.S. teams, building trust, alignment, and disciplined communication in a matrixed operating environment.
• Foster a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, collaboration, and strong business partnership across the team.
   

Process Transformation, AI & Automation

• Collaborate with team and functional leaders to identify, prioritize, and lead AI, automation, and workflow improvement initiatives that reduce manual effort, eliminate non-value-added activities, and create sustainable process efficiencies.
• Partner with functional leaders and technology teams to embed automation into recurring accounts payable processes, including invoice holds, inquiries, quality audits, debit balances, vendor management, payments, interface errors, reporting, and analysis.
• Improve invoice holds, debit balance, and interface error resolution cycle times while maintaining accuracy, control discipline, and clear visibility to risks and issues.

• Elevate the team’s contribution from transactional execution to value-added analysis, insights, and proactive support for business decision-making.
   

Functional Oversight

• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close activities for assigned Accounts Payable processes to ensure timely, accurate results.
• Provide oversight of debit balance analysis, internal and external inquiries, interface errors, India BU, payment forecasting, and Vendor A/R returns. Partner with US functional manager on vendor management and payment processes.
• Ensure proper accounting, governance, and control over invoice processing, invoice holds, and quality audits.
• Oversee process improvements, AI, data analysis/metrics, and SOP governance, partnering closely with team members, IT, and U.S. leaders as needed.
• Ensure compliance with applicable U.S. GAAP, India statutory requirements, company accounting policies, and internal/external control expectations.
   

Controls, Compliance & Audit

• Support U.S. and India audit requirements by ensuring PBC requests, analyses, and supporting documentation are accurate, complete, and delivered by assigned deadlines.
• Maintain and strengthen SOX and internal control processes by promoting disciplined execution, documentation quality, and timely remediation of control issues.

• Proactively identify operational and control risks and communicate clearly with U.S. and India stakeholders to drive timely resolution.
   

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 12+ years of progressive accounts payable experience, with meaningful exposure to shared services, or controllership operations.
• Proven experience leading managers and large teams in a matrixed, global environment, with the ability to motivate, develop, and hold teams accountable.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement AI, automation, and process improvement opportunities that improve efficiency, quality, and scalability.
• Strong business partnering skills, including the ability to influence stakeholders, manage competing priorities, and communicate effectively across India and U.S. leadership teams.
• Strong ERP, reporting, and analytical skills; Oracle and AS400 experience preferred.
• Executive presence, sound judgment, strong communication skills, and a leadership style grounded in collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.