Group Manager PTP SME

Introduction

We are looking for a highly experienced Finance Transformation Leader specialising in Procure to Pay (P2P) / Accounts Payable (AP) to drive process optimisation, AI-enabled automation, and strategic efficiency initiatives. This position blends value enablement with hands-on execution, requiring strong stakeholder engagement and transformation leadership to deliver AI-powered financial improvements while maintaining business continuity. The successful candidate will connect deep P2P domain knowledge with practical expertise in deploying Generative AI, Agentic AI, and intelligent automation solutions across the AP value chain.

Your Role And Responsibilities

• Strategic Finance & AI Transformation
• Develop and implement a roadmap for AP process transformation that integrates AI, automation, and analytics across each phase of the P2P lifecycle.
• Discover, prioritise, and lead AI use cases across invoice processing, exception management, vendor master governance, and payment optimisation.
• Create Target Operating Models that embed AI Agents, co-pilots, and intelligent workflows as standard delivery components.
• Promote Lean, Six Sigma, and AI-augmented approaches to improve operational excellence in AP processes.
• Enable new solution development through sole source, RFP, and renewal activities, including AI-driven differentiated value propositions.
• AI & Technology Leadership in P2P
• Own end-to-end AI deployment across the P2P stack, including Generative AI invoice extraction, AI-based exception triage, and predictive payment analytics.
• Lead the rollout of Agentic AI workflows (e.g., Microsoft Copilot Studio, IBM watsonx) to automate recurring AP activities such as intercompany billing, PO matching, and payment runs.
• Assess and deploy AP automation capabilities, including RPA, AI-native solutions (Hypatos, Kofax, Esker), and S/4HANA intelligent automation.
• Ensure governance of AI model performance, hallucination risk, and exception escalation procedures within production AP environments.
• Drive scaling from POC to production for AI solutions, including Smart Billing AI Assistants and Vendor Master AI cleansing tools.
• Identify and bring forward differentiated AI solutions that enhance IBM’s market position in F&A BPO.
• Stakeholder & Vendor Management
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior finance leaders, CPOs, and external partners to align AP transformation and AI adoption objectives.
• Work with global finance teams to ensure standardisation, compliance, and AI governance across international payment regulations.
• Lead negotiations with ERP vendors, AI platform providers, and financial institutions to deliver cost-effective, future-ready payment solutions.
• Operational Excellence & Compliance
• Define and maintain KPIs for AP performance, including AI impact metrics: touchless invoice rate, AI exception resolution rate, straight-through processing (STP) %, and cost-per-invoice.
• Ensure compliance with financial governance policies, regulatory frameworks (GST, e-invoicing mandates, Peppol), and AI ethics standards.
• Perform periodic audits to evaluate fraud risks, AP controls, and AI model integrity.
• Develop sub-offerings that deliver incremental AI-enabled value to client engagements.
• Consulting & Change Management
• Drive AP process improvement initiatives using AI diagnostics, process mining, and intelligent benchmarking.
• Create a structured change management plan covering AI adoption readiness, workforce reskilling, and digital trust building.
• Deliver training and upskilling sessions for AI-augmented AP tools, Copilot/Claude usage, and Prompt Engineering for finance teams.
• Leadership & Communication
• Lead a high-performing finance transformation team, mentoring professionals on AP strategy and AI-enabled delivery.
• Share AP transformation findings, AI business cases, and financial impact reporting with senior leadership and board members.
• Cultivate a culture of continuous innovation, AI experimentation, cost efficiency, and accountability across finance operations.
  
  

AI Skills & Competency Framework – P2P

AI Skill Domain

Required Proficiency / Tools

Generative AI for AP

Prompt engineering for invoice extraction and exception resolution; experience with LLM-based AP copilots (Microsoft Copilot, Claude,GPT-4)

Agentic AI & Automation

Design and govern AI Agents for end-to-end AP tasks; familiarity with Microsoft Copilot Studio, Power Automate, Claude

Intelligent Document Processing

AI-OCR, IDP platforms (Opentext, ABBYY, Kofax); structured/unstructured invoice data extraction

AI-Augmented Analytics

Predictive payment analytics, supplier risk scoring, anomaly detection; Power BI / Tableau with AI overlays

Process Mining & AI Diagnostics

Celonis, SAP Signavio, or equivalent for AI-driven P2P bottleneck identification and remediation

AI Governance & Responsible AI

Model risk management, AI audit trails, hallucination controls, GDPR/data privacy in AI-enabled AP workflows

ERP-Native AI Capabilities

SAP S/4HANA Intelligent Invoice Management, SAP Cash Application, Oracle AI for Payables, Workday AI features

AI Change Management

Workforce reskilling strategies for AI adoption; AI literacy programme design for AP/P2P teams

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Deep expertise in P2P / AP processes, procurement finance, and shared services environments
• Consulting experience in finance transformation, AI-enabled automation, and process reengineering.
• Demonstrated capability to engage and influence senior stakeholders across finance, operations, and procurement.
• Practical experience with ERP systems (SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, Workday) and AI-native AP automation platforms.
• Ability to design AI solutions from POC through to large-scale production deployment in BPO environments.
• Strategic approach with capability to quantify and communicate AI-driven cost efficiencies and STP gains.
• Strong communication skills—capable of translating AI strategies into actionable finance insights for C-suite stakeholders.
  
  

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• MBA, CA, or CPA qualification will be an advantage.
• Certification in Lean Six Sigma, AI for Finance, Microsoft Copilot Studio, or IBM watsonx.
• Experience in global finance transformation and shared service centre environments.
• Familiarity with e-invoicing regulatory mandates (India GST, EU Peppol, ZATCA) and their AI compliance implications.