Purchase Ledger Manager

This role will ensure the effective operation of the Purchase Ledger Function, through the operation of a strong financial control environment. Ensuring transactions are dealt with in an efficient, correct and timely manner resulting in the accurate and timely payment of supplier invoices. This role will provide leadership to the Purchase Ledger team and deliver great service to St John people, and our suppliers. You will also have the opportunity to develop people and deliver change.

Role: Purchase Ledger Manager
Location: Sheffield
Contract: Permanent (With a flexibility of considering on a Fixed Term Contract)
Closing date: 08/01/2026

A new opportunity has opened following an internal promotion, offering ambitious professionals the chance to step in and drive impact.

Our offer to you

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Health and Wellbeing portal - access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts - you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping

About Us

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,416 employees and over 31,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response & Nighttime Economy) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, NHS Cadets and Young Responders programmes). There is also a buoyant social enterprise network which delivers first aid training and supplies medical consumables to businesses and consumers.

Job Summary

This role will ensure the effective operation of the Purchase Ledger Function, through the operation of a strong financial control environment. Ensuring transactions are dealt with in an efficient, correct and timely manner resulting in the accurate and timely payment of supplier invoices. This role will provide leadership to the Purchase Ledger team and deliver great service to St John people, and our suppliers. You will also have the opportunity to develop people and deliver change.

About You

• Educated to at least GCSE level or equivalent (Grade C / 4) including Maths & English.
• Experienced in running a large purchase ledger function and be an expert in operating a strong financial control environment.
• In depth knowledge and understanding of accounting principles and demonstrable experience of leading a team to deliver within these rulesets.
• Experience of working with large complex finance data sets and managing month and year end finance processes.
• Strong stakeholder management and customer service focus with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

About the Role

• Ensure accurate and timely processing of supplier invoices, ensuring appropriate controls are in place to protect the integrity of the volume and range of financial transactions overseen.
• Ensure monthly supplier reconciliations are completed on all accounts; identifying and resolving any discrepancies in a timely manner to ensure the account is up to date.
• Ensuring the weekly payment run is accurate and paid on time through the exercise of robust controls and appropriate review and follow up.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers and key internal and external stakeholders, regularly liaising with them to ensure effective ways of working and process adherence. Be the stakeholder's main point of contact and resolve their queries.
• Manage & resolve Email Management System query queues to agreed SLA's.
• Work as a part of a senior leadership team, providing reports and analysis, mitigating risks and working on shared tasks and projects.
• High volume transactional processing ensuring that the charity's polices, and processes are adhered to in respect of these transactions and that financial and reputational risk is minimised.
• Apply subject-specific technical expertise and insight, initiative and judgement to ensure the highest standards of enquiry resolution and process adherence and compliance are achieved.
• Ensure that evolving technical requirements are appropriately recorded, process-mapped and agreed with stakeholders, to ensure continued compliance.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws, accounting standards and SJA policies. Understand and work within GDPR and confidentiality practises.
• Foster and maintain a spirit of continuous development, looking to grow excellent service delivery to customers and create a positive working environment for team members.
• Establish, lead, guide and develop the purchase ledger team. Implement a performance management culture in line with SJA policies, including making sure that 1-1s, performance and development reviews and team meetings take place regularly and with recorded outcomes and actions.

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply).

Find out more about us, including our new Ask Me campaign, at .

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here.

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have several networks including Multi Culture, Disability and Accessibility, Pride, Family and Carers and Women's groups. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and gender equality, and have a sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship. We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.

St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role.

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy.