Accounts Payable Intern at ALU in Remote

Summary: The African Leadership University (ALU) is a transformative institution dedicated to developing ethical and entrepreneurial leaders for Africa's future. The Accounts Payable Intern will provide operational and administrative support to the Accounts Payable and Expense Management function, focusing on invoice processing, vendor documentation, and payment preparation. Responsibilities: - Capture and process supplier invoices in the accounting/ERP system - Validate invoices against purchase orders, contracts, and approved documentation - Check coding accuracy, tax treatment (VAT/WHT where applicable), and completeness of supporting documents - Ensure invoices are recorded within agreed timelines and payment cut-offs - Follow up on pending approvals or missing information and escalate when required - Support vendor onboarding by collecting and verifying required documentation (bank details, tax documents, Reconciliations) - Maintain accurate and up-to-date vendor records in the system - Ensure vendor master data changes are processed only with proper approvals and documentation - Support preparation of scheduled payment runs (e.g., mid-month and month-end) - Maintain payment trackers, invoice ageing reports, and payment readiness lists - Ensure invoices included in payment runs are fully approved and compliant - Assist with urgent payment requests, ensuring correct escalation and approvals are followed - Assist with supplier statement reconciliations - Identify discrepancies and escalate them for resolution - Support month-end AP activities, including accrual, Prepayment & Allocation support and invoice cut-off checks - Maintain organized AP documentation for audit and compliance purposes - Follow segregation of duties and approval workflows strictly - Support internal and external audits by preparing required documentation - Ensure adherence to finance policies, procedures, and internal controls - Reviewing employee expense claims for completeness and receipt validation - Ensuring compliance with company travel & expense policy - Performing preliminary GL coding for travel, accommodation, meals, and related expenses - Flagging policy exceptions for review - Support preparation of employee reimbursements in scheduled payment runs - Work closely with the People Ops and Finance teams to support reimbursement and claims processing - Perform any other duties or responsibilities as may be reasonably assigned by the Finance Associate, consistent with the scope of the role, the individual’s level of experience, and the organization’s operational requirements Required Qualifications: - Completed a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field - Basic understanding of accounting principles and financial documentation - Exposure to ERP or accounting systems (Netsuite & Rydoo) is an advantage - Basic to intermediate Excel or Google Sheets skills - High level of accuracy and attention to detail - Ability to follow procedures and controls strictly - Organized, reliable, and disciplined in task execution - Comfortable working with numbers and operational finance tasks - Ability to escalate issues appropriately - Team-oriented and professional mindset Required Skills: Accounting principles, ERP systems Important Skills: Excel skills