Introduction

We are seeking a seasoned Finance Transformation Leader specialising in Procure to Pay (P2P) / Accounts Payable (AP) to spearhead process optimisation, AI-enabled automation, and strategic efficiency initiatives. This role requires a blend of value enablement and execution, stakeholder engagement, and transformation leadership to drive AI-powered financial improvements while ensuring seamless business continuity. The ideal candidate will bridge deep P2P domain expertise with hands-on capability in deploying Generative AI, Agentic AI, and intelligent automation solutions across the AP value chain

Your role and responsibilities

a. Strategic Finance & AI Transformation

• Develop and execute a roadmap for AP process transformation integrating AI, automation, and analytics at each stage of the P2P lifecycle.

• Identify and prioritise AI use cases across invoice processing, exception management, vendor master governance, and payment optimisation.

• Design Target Operating Models that embed AI Agents, co-pilots, and intelligent workflows as standard delivery components.

• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and AI-augmented methodologies to drive operational excellence in AP processes.

• Support new solution development via sole source, RFP, and renewal activities, including AI-differentiated value propositions.

b. AI & Technology Leadership in P2P

• Oversee end-to-end AI deployment across the P2P stack, including Generative AI invoice extraction, AI-driven exception triage, and predictive payment analytics.

• Lead implementation of Agentic AI workflows (e.g., Microsoft Copilot Studio, IBM watsonx) to automate recurring AP tasks such as intercompany billing, PO matching, and payment runs.

• Evaluate and implement AP automation tools, including RPA, AI-native platforms (Hypatos, Kofax, Esker), and S/4HANA intelligent automation capabilities.

• Govern AI model performance, hallucination risk, and exception escalation paths in production AP environments.

• Drive POC-to-production scaling of AI solutions, including Smart Billing AI Assistants and Vendor Master AI cleansing tools.

• Assess and bring forward differentiated AI solutions that strengthen IBM's market position in F&A BPO.

c. Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Cultivate strong relationships with senior finance leaders, CPOs, and external partners to align AP transformation and AI adoption goals.

• Collaborate 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.

d. Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Establish and maintain KPIs for AP performance inclusive of AI impact metrics: touchless invoice rate, AI exception resolution rate, straight-through processing (STP) %, and cost-per-invoice.

• Ensure adherence to financial governance policies, regulatory frameworks (GST, e-invoicing mandates, Peppol), and AI ethics standards.

• Conduct periodic audits to assess fraud risks, AP controls, and AI model integrity.

• Create sub-offerings to add incremental AI-enabled value to client engagements.

e. Consulting & Change Management

• Drive AP process improvement initiatives leveraging AI diagnostics, process mining, and intelligent benchmarking.

• Develop a structured change management approach covering AI adoption readiness, workforce reskilling, and digital trust building.

• Conduct training and upskilling sessions on AI-augmented AP tools, Copilot/Claude usage, and Prompt Engineering for finance teams.

f. Leadership & Communication

• Lead a high-performing finance transformation team, mentoring professionals in AP strategy and AI-enabled delivery.

• Present AP transformation insights, AI business cases, and financial impact reports to senior leadership and board members.

• Foster a culture of continuous innovation, AI experimentation, cost efficiency, and accountability in 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

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

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.

• Proven ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders in finance, operations, and procurement.

• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, Workday) and AI-native AP automation platforms.

• Ability to architect AI solutions from POC through to scaled production deployment in BPO environments.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to quantify and communicate AI-driven cost efficiencies and STP gains.

• Exceptional communication skills – able to translate AI strategies into actionable finance insights for C-suite audiences.

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.

Years of Experience:10 - 12

IBM

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