Principal Consultant - AP SME

Extropy is seeking a Principal Consultant to serve as a senior-level resource combining deep Accounts Payable (AP) Subject Matter Expertise with strong Project Leadership and Governance capabilities.

This role provides strategic direction and oversight on client engagementsfocusing on business outcomes, delivery quality, and solution alignmentwhile collaborating with Extropy's internal PMO and Project Managers who manage project administration and coordination.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience with AP automation platforms (Basware, Esker, or similar), expertise in process transformation, and the ability to lead complex enterprise programs with confidence and composure in executive-facing environments.

Key Responsibilities

AP Subject Matter Expert (SME) Functions

• Serve as the primary functional and technical AP expert for complex automation and transformation programs.


• Lead AP solution design workshops, translating business needs into optimized process and system solutions.


• Provide guidance on workflow design, invoice coding logic, compliance controls, and automation strategies.


• Review configurations, integrations, and workflows for accuracy, scalability, and alignment with best practices.


• Support hypercare and post-go-live optimization, providing root cause analysis and strategic recommendations.


• Develop and deliver training sessions on AP process standards, design principles, and solution governance.


• Act as an escalation point for AP-related functional and configuration challenges.

Project Leadership & Governance Functions

• Partner with Extropy's Project Managers to ensure project success, milestone delivery, and client alignment.


• Lead client-facing project leadership activities, including steering committees, milestone reviews, and issue resolution discussions.


• Maintain strategic oversight of timelines, scope, risks, and quality gates, while delegating administrative tracking to the PM team.


• Facilitate requirements validation and decision-making workshops with senior stakeholders.


• Drive governance adherence across design, build, and deployment phasesensuring deliverables meet quality standards.


• Provide directional guidance to internal PMs on risk prioritization, escalation management, and stakeholder communications.


• Lead change control discussions and ensure decisions are properly communicated and documented.

Client Engagement & Leadership

• Serve as the primary client-facing advisor for all AP-related strategic and solution matters.


• Build strong, trusted relationships with executive sponsors, finance leadership, and IT stakeholders.


• Present AP solution designs, recommendations, and transformation progress to senior executives.


• Collaborate closely with delivery leads, Solution Architects, and PMs to align execution with client objectives.


• Mentor junior consultants and architects, fostering skill development across the delivery team.


• Support pre-sales, scoping, and solution definition activities through subject matter leadership.

Proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Delivery Leadership

• ?90% of projects delivered on schedule and within scope (with PMO support).


• Executive stakeholder satisfaction ?4.5/5.


• 95% success rate of go-lives without major escalations.


• Achievement of quality gate approvals on the first submission.

Technical & Process Excellence

• ?20% reduction in post-implementation AP support issues.


• Timely closure of high-severity AP escalations (target: <24 hours).


• 3+ optimization or process improvement recommendations per quarter.


• Reusable solution design assets contributed to the Extropy knowledge base.

Team & Capability Development

• Actively mentor and coach junior consultants and Solution Architects.


• Deliver 2+ internal knowledge-sharing sessions per quarter.


• Positive feedback scores from mentees and peer evaluations.

Business Impact

• Maintain a 7580% utilization rate on billable engagements.


• Support pre-sales pursuits through solutioning and client presentations.


• Identify client expansion and cross-sell opportunities.

Progression Goal:

• Advance from project-level leadership to practice-level influence, driving AP automation excellence and strategic client transformation outcomes across multiple delivery pods.


• Within 1824 months, the Principal Consultant should demonstrate readiness to evolve into a

  Practice Lead or Senior Principal role

Qualifications and Experience Requirements

Required Experience

• 710 years of experience in AP automation, financial process transformation, or related consulting roles.


• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Basware, Esker, or comparable automation platforms.


• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale transformation programs with multi-system integrations.


• Familiarity with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or Workday.


• Demonstrated success guiding project teams through delivery lifecycle phases in coordination with PMO support.


• Strong understanding of invoice workflows, PO matching, exception handling, and global AP processes.

Technical Skills

Deep functional and configuration knowledge of Basware or equivalent AP automation platforms.

Understanding of integration design, data mapping, and workflow automation frameworks.

Experience establishing process governance and compliance controls in AP and procurement operations.

Familiarity with Agile and hybrid delivery methodologies.

Proficiency in tools such as Asana, SharePoint, PowerPoint, and Visio for governance and client communication.

Soft Skills

Exceptional client-facing communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.

Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Ability to influence and guide stakeholders toward practical, outcome-driven decisions.

Experience mentoring consultants and developing internal capabilities.

Calm and composed under pressure, confident, and engaging with executive sponsors.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, Finance, Information Technology, or a related field.

Project Management certification (PMP, Agile, Scrum Master) preferred.

Basware or equivalent platform certifications strongly preferred.

Work Arrangement

• Remote


• 9AM to 5PM EST with flexibility working with global teams across multiple time zones.

Travel Requirements

• Occasional travel for workshops, training, or project go-lives (as required).