Accounts Payable Manager

STEPHEN E. DWYER

**** ******** **. ******** *******, NY 10598 914-***-**** (h) 914-***-**** (c) *************@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Talented, results-driven, "hands on" Accounts Payable Manager (18+ years) with extensive experience in Accounts Payable functions, Contracts, Audits & Project Management. Very familiar with all facets of the A/P process from invoice preparation, to payment, to check review, to posting and to reporting for all Purchase Order, Check Request and T&E type documents. Strong builder, leader & coach of high-performing teams (11 - 50 + individuals) that handle challenging assignments with accountability for quality & timely results. Assisted Accounting in month end close, ensuring that all vendor disbursements (wire transfers & checks) were paid and reflected in the general ledger timely and accurately. Track record of innovative “firsts” and business process improvement initiatives & productivity tools. Designed/delivered training to 200+ users on processing purchase & payment requests via web-based products to establish/sustain quality & accuracy company-wide. Directly interfaced with company vendors to ensure efficient and accurate payments. Demonstrated success in cultivating productive relationships with senior managers, customers and other stakeholders and successfully negotiating project deliverables. Very adept in communicating results that promote high customer and senior management satisfaction. Skilled in planning projects, identifying and monitoring key deliverables & metrics and eliminating roadblocks. Proficient in Sales and Use Tax, 1099 and Sarbanes Oxley processing.

EXPERIENCE

VERIZON BUSINESS, Rye Brook, NY 1988 – 2009

(Formerly MCI & WorldCom).

Finance Manager, International Rates & Transits, 2004-2009

Promoted to manage staff of 4 chartered with analyzing worldwide telecom markets to create combined inbound/outbound termination rate contracts & summaries and provide accurate routing, accrual & costing data to numerous departments within the company. Negotiated lower costs on bilateral routes in support of 50+ global sales staff. Oversaw all rate verification & audit issues with internal & external auditors.

• Successfully negotiated rates with 250+ international telecom carriers, lowering costs by 10% and reducing open agreements by 60% in <3 years.

• Initiated quarterly analyses of 100+ contracts that were overdue for review by as much as one year, ensuring best price/best quality and market competitiveness.

• Handled 550+ rate verifications & routing code audits/quarter, ensuring division Sarbanes-Oxley compliance rating of 97%.

• Collaborated with IT on quality & productivity system enhancements, improving accuracy & speed to market of contract distributions & settlements by ~20% & ~25% respectively.

Project Manager, Finance, 2000-2004

Led multiple new initiatives & cross-functional implementation teams – most significantly the development of a VoIP processing system and a new tracking system for selling data products. Planned/managed projects, including identifying requirements, monitoring/communicating on deliverables & timetables, resource allocation and issue resolution.

STEPHEN E. DWYER Page 2

• Presented strategic plan for VoIP processing system to senior leadership, obtained buy-in and approval to move forward. Led cross-functional implementation team of 12, achieving the following:

Identified/evaluated 3 off-the-shelf VoIP processing systems;

Benchmarked 4 companies for best practices;

Saved the company ~20% in outbound costs – ~$200M/year.

• Determined requirements for 4 new revenue-producing data products & services, resulting in 15% cost savings.

Project Manager, International Business Development, 1999-2000

Selected to research viability of company entering VoIP market. Designed strategic plan & timetable to support initiative and analyzed risks. Interfaced with multiple vendors/suppliers of VoIP to understand new product functionality & potential cost savings Reduced outstanding payables by 20%..

Manager, Accounts Payable, 1988-1999

Recruited to lead team of 11 Accounts Payable Specialists in implementing financial policies & procedures to maintain International Division’s accounts payable and expense/reimbursement processes. Reduced outstanding payables by 50%. Served on corporate team to select/fully integrate SAP Financial system. Personally focused on design of Purchase & Payables component of SAP.

• Selected to serve on corporate team representing ~10 divisions to consolidate 10 systems into one – a first-of-a-kind, in-house disbursement system that was compatible with Corporate Accounts Payable.

• Designed previously nonexistent EDI [Electronic Data Interchange] payment process for MCI International that was considered state-of-the-art and later installed company-wide.

• Implemented first ever Document Imaging and electronic Travel & Entertainment Direct Deposit Programs for company.

PRIOR RELATED EXPERIENCE

Shearson Lehman Brothers, Inc., AVP/Accounts Payable Manager

Savin Corporation, Accounts Payable Manager

EDUCATION

Completed 40 hours toward MBA [Computer Finance], Long Island University, Dobbs Ferry, NY

BA, Marketing/Accounting, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY

ADDITIONAL TRAINING

How to Better Organize, Control, and Manage Accounts Payable, AMA

The Sales and Use Tax Seminar, AMA

Microsoft Office: MS Word PowerPoint Excel

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Secretary, Board of Directors & Divisional Director, Westchester Putnam Baseball Association

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