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
- 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 recent solution development via sole source, RFP, and renewal activities, including AI-differentiated value propositions.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Preferred Education
Master's Degree
Required Technical And Qualified 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.
📌 Group Manager-PTP SME (Bengaluru)
🏢 IBM
📍 Bengaluru