Senior Travel & Expense Specialist
Nscale
London, UK
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Job Title: Senior Travel & Expense Specialist
Location: Poland, Warsaw - Hybrid
Role Overview
As a Senior Travel & Expense Specialist at NScale, you will take ownership of the end-to-end travel and expense function while supporting key Accounts Payable operations across the business. In this senior-level role, you will serve as a trusted subject matter expert for travel and expense processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance, scalability, and operational excellence in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
You will work closely with senior stakeholders across Finance, HR, Operations, and business leadership, providing guidance, driving process improvements, and ensuring alignment between operational execution and company policies. This role requires strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to confidently partner with leadership teams, influence decision-making, and operate effectively across all levels of the organization.
Responsibilities
- Own and manage the full travel and expense lifecycle, including review, validation, approval workflows, and processing of employee expense reports
- Serve as the primary point of contact and subject matter expert for Travel & Expense systems, supporting system administration, configuration, user management, troubleshooting, testing, and optimization initiatives
- Partner closely with senior stakeholders, department leaders, and Finance leadership to ensure travel and expense processes are aligned with business priorities and internal controls
- Build strong cross-functional relationships and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, to resolve issues, provide policy guidance, and support operational decision-making
- Ensure compliance with company travel and expense policies, internal controls, and applicable tax and regulatory requirements
- Provide expert guidance and training to employees and managers regarding travel policies, expense submissions, reimbursement procedures, and best practices
- Process employee reimbursements accurately and within established service level timelines
- Perform and oversee regular reconciliations of employee expense accounts, corporate credit cards, vendor statements, and related balance sheet accounts to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timely resolution of discrepancies
- Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation, reconciliations, and detailed process explanations
- Identify, recommend, and implement process improvements and automation opportunities to enhance efficiency, scalability, and control effectiveness
- Support broader Accounts Payable activities, including invoice processing, coding, vendor onboarding, reconciliations, and payment execution
- Assist with month-end close activities related to employee expenses, reconciliations, and AP accruals as needed
- Contribute to finance transformation initiatives and support additional operational finance responsibilities in an “all hands on deck” environment
- Mentor and support junior team members where applicable and help drive best practices across the function
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience considered
- 5+ years of experience in Travel & Expense, Accounts Payable, or related finance operations roles
- Strong understanding of expense management processes, reimbursement workflows, AP operations, and vendor payment cycles
- Strong experience with reconciliations, variance analysis, and maintaining accurate financial records within a controlled environment
- Hands-on experience with ERP and expense management systems; NetSuite experience strongly preferred
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong analytical skills
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to interact confidently and professionally with senior leadership and cross-functional teams
- Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, manage priorities across departments, and communicate complex processes clearly and effectively
- Excellent attention to detail with strong organizational and problem-solving capabilities
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
- Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with a focus on process improvement, operational excellence, and compliance
- Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively within a global finance team
Nice to Have
- Experience implementing, optimizing, or scaling travel and expense management systems
- Familiarity with corporate credit card programs and policy administration
- Exposure to multi-entity, multi-currency, or international expense processing environments
- Experience working in a high-growth, VC-backed, or PE-backed company
- Prior experience supporting finance transformation or automation initiatives
- Experience mentoring junior team members or leading process improvement projects
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