Team Lead Travel & Expense Management

Job description

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES Service Performance and Issue Resolution Coordinate daily Travel & Expense Management activities, ensuring accurate and timely execution in line with service levels and financial closing timelines. Monitor team performance metrics and service level agreements, implementing corrective measures for deviations. Actively engage in complex cases, providing hands-on support to ensure accurate resolutions and compliance with policies. Resolve first-level escalations concerning rejected or incomplete expense reports, policy non-compliance flags, missing receipts or documentation, corporate credit card discrepancies, and employee reimbursement queries. Act as the initial point of escalation for operational issues, ensuring prompt resolution and escalating structural issues to the Head of Purchase-2-Pay Operations. Process Management and Continuous Improvement Drive standardization and continuous improvement within the Purchase-2-Pay operations team. Collaborate with the process management team to enhance underlying processes and support the implementation of new or updated work instructions, tools, and systems. Support the alignment between the Travel & Expense Management front-end tool (e.g., Concur) and the back-end accounting and payment systems to ensure seamless data flow and posting accuracy. Collect and contribute improvement ideas to the continuous improvement backlog. Participate in pilot activities, testing, and training related to changes impacting the operational line. Ideally bring an understanding of AI tools and automation capabilities to identify opportunities for streamlining processes, reducing manual effort and enhancing operational efficiency. Team Leadership and Development Lead and develop the team within the Purchase-2-Pay operations team, fostering Omya's culture and values. Monitor team workload, support capacity planning, identify skill gaps and training needs, and facilitate onboarding and knowledge transfer. Support training on Travel & Expense Management systems, expense management tools, posting standards, and policy application. Stakeholder Management and Communication Collaborate closely with the Head of Purchase-2-Pay Operations to ensure alignment between team execution and operational targets. Engage with other Team Leads within Purchase-2-Pay and adjacent processes to ensure coordinated service delivery. Act as the primary business expert point of contact for SAP Concur's support and implementation team. Serve as the central point of contact for in-country teams on all SAP Concur-related queries. Education • University degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related fields • Relevant vocational education with significant experience may be considered Experience • 4–6 years of experience in a process‑ or function‑related operational role, preferably within Travel & Expense accounting, Accounts Payable or General Accounting • First leadership or coordination experience (e.g., acting as senior, subject matter expert or deputy team lead) Knowledge and skills • Working knowledge of accounting principles as they apply to Travel & Expense postings, employee advance clearing and period-end activities • Solid understanding of the end-to-end Travel & Expense process and the integration of systems with back-end ERP accounting and payment modules • Hands-on experience with SAP Concur for expense report processing, policy compliance monitoring and troubleshooting • Case and ticket management for expense report rejections, reimbursement delays, credit card discrepancies and employee queries • Strong attention to detail for Travel & Expense financial postings, supporting documentation, receipt validation and approval workflows • Comfortable coordinating with Travel Management, HR, Payroll, Treasury, Corporate Controlling and employees Other requirements • Solid understanding of P2P systems and invoice‑to‑payment workflows • Knowledge of internal controls and compliance for Travel & Expense approval, reimbursement and payment processes • High accuracy in reviewing expense reports, cost assignments, tax codes and transfer files • Understanding of procurement policy frameworks POSITION SCOPE Reporting Line(s) Solid line(s) to: Head of Purchase-2-Pay Operations Number of direct reports: 4 Performance Measures Performance measures will be defined on team specific service obligations Working Relationships Internal contacts Head of Purchase-2-Pay Operations Other Team Leads within Purchase-2-Pay and adjacent processes Process management within Purchase-2-Pay HR, IT support Business contacts External contacts Service providers or external business partners as required for daily operations