Expense Operations Lead (2455)

Expense Operations Lead

The Expense Operations Lead is responsible for owning the company's expense reporting function, including policy development, process compliance, and leading the implementation of a future expense management system. This role oversees internal expense reporting and supports client-billable expense workflows to ensure accuracy, policy alignment, and readiness for billing integration. They administer the corporate credit card program and serve as the subject matter expert for expense reporting, partnering with budget owners, supervisors, and other departments to support financial reporting and audit readiness. While not a people manager, this position leads the function and may evolve to include additional responsibilities such as travel coordination in the future.

Responsibilities :

Essential Functions :

Expense Reporting Process :

Maintain a comprehensive understanding of all company travel activity and provide proactive guidance, clarification, and support for employees before, during, and after travel.

Collaborate with key stakeholders-including budget owners, project managers, and department leads-to establish clear, trip-specific travel policies and guidelines.

Oversee expense report reviews, corrections, policy compliance, and follow-up with staff on incomplete reports.

Verifying costs against receipts. Ensuring company expense policy adherence. Streamlining expense-related procedures for efficiency and accuracy.

Act as day-to-day lead for the expense reporting process : ensure timely submissions, reviews, escalations, and compliance tracking.

Promote consistency and compliance in expense documentation, working closely with travelers to ensure accurate and policy-aligned reporting.

Policy & Compliance :

Develop, maintain, and drive alignment of company-wide expense-related policies and processes.

Create documentation on expense procedures and provide training to employees, supervisors, and project managers.

Administer the corporate credit card program, including controls, card issuance, limits, and fraud monitoring (does not approve spend transactions).

Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for all things expense-related across the organization.

System Implementation :

Key team member in the transition from manual / legacy expense tools to a future expense management system (including vendor evaluation, configuration input, and rollout support).

Reporting & Insights :

Acts as primary conduit and accounting point of contact for aligning across teams such as Business Development, Budget Owners, and Finance.

Monitor and report on expense KPIs, including submission timeliness, policy exceptions, reimbursement turnaround, and audit readiness.

Provide reporting and insights to leadership on expense trends, compliance, and policy exceptions.

Budgeting & Financial Support :

Assisting in budget preparation and expense control activities. Analyzing financial statements to determine monthly expenses.

Financial Audits :

Participate in assembling financial data for internal and external audits. Ensure all documentation is organized and readily available for auditors.

Confidentiality & Ad Hoc Duties :

Protect the organization's value by maintaining strict confidentiality of financial information.

Acts responsibly and ethically when working with sensitive financial information, whether it is information for the company or for individuals.

Complies with local, state, and federal financial regulations, as well as the regulations established by the company itself.

Assist the Controller in performing special projects related to finance and accounting. Perform other duties assigned to support the finance team and company operations.

Future scope : role may expand to coordinate company travel booking if determined necessary.

Qualifications :

Minimum 4 years of experience in managing corporate expense reporting or equivalent finance operations role.

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration preferred.

Experience writing, implementing, and enforcing financial policies.

Experience working within NetSuite or other enterprise ERP systems.

Demonstrated experience participating in system implementation or transition projects (expense system or similar ERP / finance tool) is a plus.

Prior ownership of a credit card program or similar financial control function.

Strong process orientation and attention to compliance.

Ability to manage functions independently in a remote work environment.

Strong knowledge of the MS Office suite.

Advanced / Super User level of expertise in MS Excel.

Experience with government contracting organizations preferred.

Valid driver's license and insurance.

Applicants are subject to government security investigations and must meet eligibility requirements related to the clearance process.