Accounts Payable Manager (AP Manager)

Convergent Research is a nonprofit science studio best known for pioneering the Focused Research Organization (FRO). We’re launching moonshot science projects which may change the trajectory of scientific progress. Large scale brain mapping, climate measurement, and software for math all have something in common - they each need a nonprofit legal entity, payroll providers, health benefits, boards, contracts, office space, press releases, websites… For each of the FROs that Convergent Research supports, we provide the backend infrastructure to help them move fast.

About the Role

As Convergent Research and our portfolio of FROs continue to grow, maintaining accurate, timely, and compliant financial operations is critical to everything we do. We're looking for a seasoned Accounts Payable Manager (AP Manager) to join our finance team — someone who can fully own the AP function, operate with a high degree of independence, and bring both rigor and judgment to a fast-moving, multi-entity, multi-country environment spanning the US and UK.

You'll be the in-house expert on all things payable — the person who keeps AP running accurately and smoothly day to day across Convergent and its growing portfolio of FROs.

Reporting to the Procurement Systems Manager, your role is to bring procurement systems to life in practice: maintaining workflows, championing policies, and feeding insights and improvement ideas back from your day-to-day work. You're the operational engine that makes the systems run.

You will work closely within the Finance team to ensure invoices are coded accurately and consistently across entities. You'll support FROs with procurement and billing needs, maintain strong vendor relationships, and serve as a go-to AP resource for Convergent.

This is a fully remote position with domestic travel required quarterly for team and organizational onsites, and as needed.

You Are:
• A seasoned AP professional — you've owned an AP function before and know what "good" looks like at every stage of the cycle

• Highly independent — you can identify what needs to be done, prioritize it, and execute without close supervision

• Detail-oriented and accurate, with a strong sense of ownership over your work and a low tolerance for errors slipping through

• Comfortable working with high volumes of transactions without sacrificing quality

• A clear communicator — both written and verbal — who can handle vendor disputes, internal inquiries, and audit requests with equal professionalism

• Organized and able to manage competing priorities and deadlines

• Comfortable with ambiguity and building process where it doesn't yet exist

• Proficient in Google Sheets/Microsoft Excel and experienced with tools like Ramp, Payhawk, QuickBooks, and Ironclad; you pick up new systems quickly

• A team player who is proactive about surfacing issues and proposing solutions before they become problems

You Will:
Own AP Operations End-to-End

•
Manage the full AP cycle across multiple entities — invoice intake, coding, approval routing, payment execution, and reconciliation — with minimal oversight

•
Maintain vendor master data and ensure documentation (W-9/W-8, contracts, purchase orders) is complete and audit-ready

•
Enforce internal controls and approval thresholds in accordance with company policy and procurement guidelines, including three-way match where applicable

Run Payments and Manage Vendor Relationships

•
Execute payment runs accurately and on schedule, coordinating with the Finance Team on timing of significant disbursements

•
Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor inquiries and billing disputes, resolving issues independently and professionally

•
Reconcile vendor statements and manage AP aging proactively

Support Close, Compliance, and Audit

•
Own AP close activities — including accruals, aging review, and balance sheet reconciliations — and deliver on time each month

•
Support external audits with organized, complete documentation and direct auditor engagement on AP-related inquiries

•
Manage 1099 preparation and filing; support VAT coding as applicable across our UK entities

•
Ensure records are maintained in accordance with retention policies and regulatory requirements

Champion Process Improvement

•
As the day-to-day operator, you'll often be the first to spot friction or gaps — flag and escalate these so the right improvements can be made

•
Support the rollout and adoption of spend management tools (Ramp and others as we grow) as directed by your manager, providing on-the-ground feedback on what's working and what isn't

•
Maintain AP policy documentation and procedure guides across all entities we support, flagging when updates are needed

In 6 months you will have (6 month goals):
•
Owned the full AP function independently — managing invoices, payments,and vendor relationships end-to-end across all Convergent entities and FROs with a high degree of accuracy and minimal escalations

•
Developed a deep understanding of each FRO we support — understanding each FRO’s vendors, spending patterns, and compliance requirements well enough to manage their finances accurately and anticipate issues before they arise

•
Strengthened our AP controls — audited existing workflows, identified gaps, and implemented or proposed changes that make our processes more scalable, compliant, and resilient as we continue to grow

•
Become a trusted partner to the Finance Team and beyond — the go-to person for anything AP-related, known for responsiveness, accuracy, and sound judgment

We Offer (Amazing Benefits):
• A rare chance to build institutional architecture for frontier science and work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields

• Competitive Salary: The salary range for this role is $73,000-$104,000.

• Up to a 6% 401k match because future-you deserves comfort

• Top-tier medical, dental, and vision insurance—majority of options are fully covered for you and your dependents. Stay healthy, my friend

• Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, as well as voluntary supplemental insurance options

• 19 holidays (including a full week off at the end of the year—yes, we enforce it)

• 3 weeks PTO with tenure increases, with separate allotments for sick and parental leave

• Generous fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement—because tiny humans are a big deal

• Education and professional development benefits

• Wellness allowance for fitness and wellness activities (treat yourself to climbing shoes or Calm.com—no judgment)

• 3x/year offsite team retreats and additional opportunities to meet your teammates in person

Outro

Convergent Research aims to help fill a structural gap in today's R&D system. We enable fundamental research that requires unusual levels of scale and coordination yet is not rapidly monetizable by industry. We’re bringing together top talent from academia, industry, and startups to build a new model for innovative R&D.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We believe in hiring individuals based on their unique talents—not on race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law or our company policies. We are more than a proud Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Our goal is to foster a healthy, safe, and respectful environment where all employees are valued and treated with dignity. Harassment of any kind is not tolerated here. #LI-remote #LI-KP1