Occupations and Terms of Reference › Accounts payable clerk
Universal terms of reference · POS-158 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Accounts payable clerk
To pay suppliers accurately and on time, so that services keep receiving what they need and payments are properly approved.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You process supplier invoices and payments. You match invoices to orders and receipts, check approvals, and prepare payment runs on schedule.
Reports to: Finance manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Match invoices to orders and receipts.
- Check approvals before payment.
- Prepare the weekly payment run.
- Resolve supplier queries.
- Report overdue invoices.
Working conditions and demands
- Detailed, repetitive work; accuracy matters.
- Handles confidential supplier and bank data.
- Pressure before payment deadlines.
What good looks like
- Suppliers are paid on terms.
- No payments without approval.
- Duplicate payments are prevented.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Public money and patient payments are handled with integrity and recorded fully.
- Staff are treated fairly, consistently and with respect.
- Confidential information about people and finances is protected at all times.
- Controls exist to prevent error and fraud, and are followed by everyone.
- Concerns about money or conduct are raised and investigated without reprisal.
- Decisions are recorded so that anyone can see why they were made.
- Every role has a clear procedure, and deviations are reported and corrected.
- Support teams are judged by how well they help clinical services deliver safe care.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-158 |
| ISCO-08 | 4311 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Finance |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-156. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Finance manager | Approvals and payment runs. |
| Procurement officer / buyer | Purchase orders and goods received. |
| Budget analyst | Budget holder queries. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment run | Prepares the payment run on schedule and within approvals. | Runs on schedule; exceptions logged | Weekly | C-01 · C-02 | T-06 | POL-WHISTLE | 1 |
| Supplier queries | Resolves supplier queries promptly. | Queries answered within 5 working days | Weekly | C-01 | T-06 | – | 1 |
| Controls | Keeps payment records complete and checks approvals each week. | Weekly approval check recorded | Weekly | C-02 | T-06 | POL-WHISTLE | 1 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Routine payment matching within policy | Invoices without approval or with suspected duplicate (finance manager) |
| Choice of payment method within policy | Invoices over the agreed approval limit (finance manager) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Accounting or bookkeeping qualification | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Accounts payable or bookkeeping experience | 1 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | C-01 · C-02 |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Invoice matching and payment | Matches invoices | Runs payment checks | Designs payment controls | Payables audit | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-02 | Approval and fraud awareness | Follows approval steps | Spots unusual payments | Designs approval controls | Control audit | Every 12 months | T-06 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Payment runs on schedule | 100% | payment calendar | Weekly |
| PI-02 | Duplicate payments | 0 | payables review | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Supplier queries answered in time | 95% or more | query log | Weekly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Accounts payable clerk | 1 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 foundation | T-06 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |