Travel & Expense Lead

Travel & Expense Lead (Initial Contract)

Location: Warsaw, Poland
Working pattern: Hybrid (3 days in office)
Salary: PLN 25,000 - 28,000 per month depending on experience
Contract: Initial 6 month contract, ASAP start.

Altum Consulting are partnering with a high-growth international Technology business that is building and scaling its finance operations in Warsaw. We are looking for an experienced Travel & Expense Lead to take ownership of the end-to-end Travel & Expense function while supporting wider Accounts Payable and finance operations.

We are looking for an experienced Travel & Expense or Accounts Payable professional who has progressed into a leadership position and is comfortable owning a function rather than simply managing day-to-day processing.

Role:

• Own and continuously improve the full Travel & Expense lifecycle, including expense review, validation, approval workflows, reimbursements and issue resolution.
• Lead the day-to-day Travel & Expense operation, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant processing.
• Own the Travel & Expense systems roadmap, acting as the key subject matter expert for system administration, configuration, user management, troubleshooting, testing, reporting and optimisation.
• Partner with Finance leadership and senior stakeholders to establish effective Travel & Expense policies, controls, service levels and operating procedures.
• Provide guidance and support to employees and managers on travel policy, expense submissions, reimbursements and best practice.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, internal controls, tax requirements and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Lead regular reconciliations of employee expense accounts, corporate credit cards, vendor statements and related balance sheet accounts.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies, ensuring accurate and timely financial records.
• Support month-end close activities, including reconciliations, accruals and expense-related reporting.
• Maintain strong audit readiness across the Travel & Expense function, including documentation, reconciliations, control evidence and process documentation.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, process improvement and standardisation to improve efficiency, scalability and employee experience.
• Lead cross-functional projects and change initiatives relating to Travel & Expense and wider finance operations.
• Develop and maintain clear process documentation, procedures and controls.
• Act as a key escalation point for complex Travel & Expense issues and stakeholder queries.

You'll be/have:

• 5 years' experience in Travel & Expense, Accounts Payable or a related finance operations environment.
• Previous experience leading, managing or developing a team.
• Strong knowledge of Travel & Expense processes, reimbursement workflows and corporate card programmes.
• Experience owning or supporting Travel & Expense systems, including system administration, configuration, testing and reporting.
• Strong experience with reconciliations, variance analysis and month-end close.
• Experience working within a controlled finance environment with a strong understanding of compliance and audit requirements.
• Experience with an ERP and/or expense management system; NetSuite experience would be highly advantageous.
• Advanced Excel skills with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and confidence communicating with senior leadership.
• A track record of driving process improvements, automation and operational efficiencies.
• Strong organisational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent English communication skills.

Candidates will be considered immediately for interview and start. Please reach out to Jen McMurray on the attached details for further information.