Head of Spend Operations

This role is responsible for ensuring operational excellence across vendor payments, employee reimbursements, spend governance, and compliance while driving modernization, automation, and data-driven decision-making. Lead the firm's accounts payable and corporate expense functions, ensuring payments and reimbursements are processed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with company policies.

Client is seeking a Head of Spend Operations to lead and transform the firm's Accounts Payable (AP) and Travel & Expense (T&E) functions. This role is responsible for ensuring operational excellence across vendor payments, employee reimbursements, spend governance, and compliance while driving modernization, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

Client Details

Global Investment Bank

Description

Leadership & Operations

• Lead the firm's accounts payable and corporate expense functions, ensuring payments and reimbursements are processed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with company policies.
• Manage recurring vendor payments, proactively addressing invoice gaps and coordinating with business stakeholders to avoid payment delays.
• Maintain vendor master records, including banking and tax documentation.
• Oversee corporate card and travel expense programs, ensuring timely reimbursement and issue resolution.

Controls & Compliance

• Establish and maintain spend policies, approval workflows, and financial controls.
• Ensure compliance with SOX requirements, audit standards, and record-retention obligations.
• Develop analytics-driven monitoring processes to identify policy violations, anomalies, and potential fraud risks.
• Support tax and controllership teams with reporting requirements, including 1099 reporting, sales and use tax compliance, and regulatory documentation.

Transformation & Process Improvement

• Drive automation and modernization of procure-to-pay and T&E processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Support technology evaluations, vendor selections, and implementation of AP, expense management, and ERP solutions.
• Develop KPI dashboards and spend analytics to improve visibility into operational performance and expenditure trends.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing automation, reducing processing times, and enhancing service quality.

Team Leadership

• Manage and develop onshore and offshore teams responsible for spend operations.
• Ensure consistent service delivery, accountability, and operational excellence across geographies.
• Communicate operational performance, risks, and strategic transformation initiatives to senior leadership.

Profile

• 6-10 years of experience in AP, procure-to-pay, expense management, finance operations, or transformation.
• Proven leadership experience managing global or distributed teams.
• Expertise in process automation, ERP systems, expense platforms, and financial controls.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience leveraging reporting, data analytics, AI, or EPM technologies.
• Demonstrated success implementing operational improvements within regulated or fast-paced environments.

Job Offer

Competitive Package