Manager, Accounting Operations (Travel & Expense)

Guardant Health•Palo Alto, CA

28d•$135,300 - $186,050•Hybrid

About The Position

Guardant Health is seeking a proactive leader for the Manager, Accounting Operations (Travel & Expense) role. This position requires a strong blend of operational discipline and a continuous improvement mindset. The successful candidate will serve as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Concur, leading enhancements, integrations with systems like Workday and CRM platforms, and process automation. The role is crucial for ensuring a compliant and user-friendly Travel & Expense (T&E) experience, launching a formalized travel program, and managing corporate card operations. This role involves close collaboration with Legal, Compliance, Accounting, Commercial, and IT teams, with regular reporting to senior leadership. Reporting to the Assistant Director, Accounting Operations (AP and T&E) and based in Palo Alto, this position supports the Financial Reporting and Corporate Accounting team's goals of timely month-end close and accurate, compliant expense reporting.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive experience in T&E operations, compliance, financial systems, or related operational leadership roles
2+ years of people leadership experience.
Strong understanding of Stark Law, Sunshine Act, and HCP-related compliance in a regulated industry preferred
Hands-on expertise with SAP Concur (configuration, reporting, integrations, automation) required.
Experience with Workday and CRM systems (Salesforce or Veeva preferred).
Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
Excellent analytical, project management, and process improvement capabilities.
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
Demonstrate curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to critically evaluate and responsibly leverage AI-enabled tools in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of work.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or certification (CPA, MBA) preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a high-performing T&E team, including an offshore team.
Establish operational excellence through strong processes, controls, and stakeholder support.
Develop scalable operational processes to support rapid organizational growth while maintaining compliance and service quality.
Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to expense processing timelines, policy compliance, employee satisfaction, corporate card delinquency, and operational efficiency.
Ensure full compliance with Stark Law and other applicable healthcare regulations governing spend on HCPs (healthcare professionals).
Partner closely with Compliance and Legal teams to ensure all processes align with industry standards.
Serve as the SAP Concur SME, responsible for platform administration, configuration, workflow automation, reporting, integrations, and continuous system optimization.
Manage key integrations and future platform capabilities (including Workday, CRM platforms such as Salesforce and Veeva, and travel-related solutions) to ensure accurate reporting, compliance and financial reconciliation.
Drive enhancements that increase automation, accuracy, and scalability of T&E processes.
Maintain and enforce global T&E policies in alignment with internal controls and compliance requirements.
Monitor adherence, identify trends in policy violations, and lead corrective action plans.
Design and implement a global travel program, including travel management company (TMC) selection, vendor governance, traveler safety protocols, preferred supplier programs, and travel policy administration.
Align travel tools and booking solutions to enhance visibility, compliance, and traveler satisfaction.
Manage relationships with card providers and support ongoing program optimization.
Produce monthly past-due reporting and collaborate with department leaders for timely resolution.
Use data insights to propose and implement cost control or efficiency strategies using existing KPI dashboards.
Partner with Accounting and Finance teams to support month-end and quarter-end close activities.
Review and prepare employee expense reimbursements and travel transaction related journal entries.
Prepare reconciliations and related flux analysis for T&E accounts in the general ledger and investigate and resolve reconciling items in a timely manner.
Support internal and external audit requests related to travel and expense transactions and controls.