R&D Financial Operations Consultant

Trident Consulting; Aliso Viejo (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Trident Consulting is seeking an experienced R&D Financial Operations Consultant to support the R&D FP&A team in Aliso Viejo, CA. This onsite role focuses on month-end close, data cleanup, and process improvements to enhance financial accuracy and efficiency.

You will collaborate with FP&A, Accounting, Procurement, and R&D stakeholders to develop scalable trackers and reporting tools, manage prepaid expenses, POs, and cost centers, and document procedures with clear ownership.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of accruals, prepaids, journal entries, reconciliations, and month-end close.
• Experience with purchase orders, vendor invoices, cost centers, and financial data cleanup.
• Advanced Excel and ERP experience (Oracle or SAP).
• Ability to independently investigate issues and partner across functions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an accrual tracker to monitor outstanding invoices, prior-month reversals, recurring accruals, and expenses requiring re-accrual.
• Review prepaid schedules, identify discrepancies, validate amortization periods, and redesign tracking tools for accuracy and visibility.
• Audit open POs for incorrect cost centers, inaccurate coding, outdated commitments, and other discrepancies; coordinate corrections.
• Review historical transactions, open commitments, and allocations to resolve inconsistencies across R&D projects and cost centers.
• Work with R&D project owners, Accounting, Procurement, and FP&A to validate obligations, confirm services received, investigate missing invoices, and resolve issues.
• Evaluate close workflows, identify gaps, and design scalable processes for accruals, prepaids, and expense tracking.
• Create user-friendly trackers, reconciliation tools, and documented procedures with clear ownership and deadlines.

Skills

Accruals management

Prepaids tracking

Month-end close

Cross-functional work

Education

Bachelor's in Accounting or Finance

Tools

Excel

Oracle ERP

SAP ERP

Job description

Trident Consulting is seeking a \\" R&D Financial Operations Consultant” for one of our clients in \\" Aliso Viejo, CA- Onsite” A global leader in business and technology services.

Title: R&D Financial Operations Consultant

Rate: $53/hr on W2 (Inclusive all)

Contract - Onsite

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Finance & Accounting Consultant to support the R&D FP&A team with month-end close activities, financial data cleanup, and process improvements. This individual will partner closely with FP&A, Accounting, Procurement, and R&D stakeholders to improve financial accuracy, transparency, and efficiency while developing sustainable processes and tracking tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an accrual tracker to monitor outstanding invoices, prior-month reversals, recurring accruals, and expenses requiring re-accrual.
• Prepaid Expense Management
• Review and reconcile prepaid schedules, identify discrepancies, validate amortization periods, and redesign tracking tools for accuracy and visibility.
• Purchase Order Review & Cleanup
• Audit open POs for incorrect cost centers, inaccurate coding, outdated commitments, and other discrepancies; coordinate corrections.
• Review historical transactions, open commitments, and allocations to resolve inconsistencies across R&D projects and cost centers.
• Cross-Functional Partnership
• Work with R&D project owners, Accounting, Procurement, and FP&A to validate obligations, confirm services received, investigate missing invoices, and resolve issues.
• Evaluate close workflows, identify gaps, and design scalable processes for accruals, prepaids, and expense tracking.
• Reporting & Documentation
• Create user-friendly trackers, reconciliation tools, and documented procedures with clear ownership and deadlines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong knowledge of accruals, prepaids, journal entries, reconciliations, and month-end close.
• Experience with purchase orders, vendor invoices, cost centers, and financial data cleanup.
• Advanced Excel and experience with ERP systems such as Oracle or SAP.
• Ability to independently investigate issues and partner effectively across functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• R&D finance experience.
• Medical device, biotech, or pharmaceutical background.
• Process improvement or ERP transition experience.
• CPA or public accounting experience.
• Reconciled, easy-to-maintain prepaid expense tracker.
• Structured accrual tracking process with invoice, reversal, and re-accrual visibility.
• Resolution of material PO and cost center discrepancies.
• Improved R&D financial data and open commitment accuracy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Documented month-end close procedures and clear ownership.