VP, Head of Expense Management Operations

Michael Page; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

MPI, a leading investment bank in NYC, seeks a Vice President, Head of Spend Operations to oversee expense management, accounts payable, corporate card programs, procurement support, and spend governance. You will drive end-to-end spend operations, controls, and efficiency across the organization.

Lead a team, set SLAs, monitor spend analytics, and partner with Finance, Legal, and Procurement. Strong focus on automation and financial governance for scalable growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• 6-10+ years of progressive experience in finance operations, accounts payable, spend management, procure-to-pay, or shared services.
• 5+ years of management experience.
• Strong understanding of expense management controls, accounts payable operations, and financial governance.
• Experience implementing process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Advanced Excel and financial systems proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all spend operations activities: AP, expense reimbursement, corporate card administration, vendor payments, spend governance.
• Develop and execute the strategic vision for Spend Operations.
• Establish performance metrics, SLAs, and operating controls to drive efficiency.
• Oversee a team responsible for day-to-day spend operations.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Excel

Process optimization

Governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

Tools

Concur

Coupa

Ariba

Workday

Job description

Investment bank is seeking a Vice President, Head of Spend Operations to lead the firm's expense management, accounts payable, corporate card, procurement support, and spend governance functions. This individual will oversee the end-to-end spend operations framework, ensuring disciplined expense management, strong internal controls, operational efficiency, and a high-quality experience for employees and business stakeholders.

Investment bank in NYC

Description

Investment bank is seeking a Vice President, Head of Spend Operations to lead the firm's expense management, accounts payable, corporate card, procurement support, and spend governance functions. This individual will oversee the end-to-end spend operations framework, ensuring disciplined expense management, strong internal controls, operational efficiency, and a high-quality experience for employees and business stakeholders.

Client Details

Investment bank in NYC

Spend Operations Leadership

• Lead and manage all spend operations activities, including accounts payable, employee expense reimbursement, corporate card administration, vendor payment processing, and spend governance.
• Develop and execute the strategic vision for the spend operations function, aligning processes with the firm's growth objectives.
• Establish performance metrics, service level standards, and operating controls to drive efficiency and accountability.
• Manage and develop a team responsible for day-to-day spend operations activities.

Expense Management & Controls

• Oversee expense approval workflows and ensure compliance with firm policies and procedures.
• Monitor spending trends and identify opportunities for cost control and process optimization.
• Partner with Finance leadership to support budgeting, forecasting, and expense analysis initiatives.
• Maintain strong internal controls to mitigate operational, financial, and compliance risks.
• Review and approve high-value or complex transactions and vendor payments.

Accounts Payable & Vendor Management

• Oversee the full accounts payable lifecycle, including invoice processing, payment execution, reconciliations, and vendor maintenance.
• Develop and maintain vendor onboarding and payment controls.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Procurement stakeholders on vendor due diligence and contract administration processes.
• Ensure timely and accurate payments while optimizing working capital management.

Corporate Card & Employee Expense Programs

• Manage corporate card programs and travel and entertainment expense processes.
• Ensure policy compliance through monitoring, audits, and employee education.
• Evaluate opportunities to streamline expense reporting and reimbursement processes through automation and technology solutions.

Process Improvement & Transformation

• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance scalability, efficiency, and control.
• Lead initiatives involving automation, workflow redesign, and financial systems enhancements.
• Utilize data analytics and reporting tools to improve spend visibility and decision-making.
• Support finance transformation projects and operational excellence initiatives across the organization.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner closely with Accounting, FP&A, Treasury, Human Resources, Technology, Legal, Compliance, and business leadership teams.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for spend operations issues and vendor payment matters.
• Present spend analytics, operational performance metrics, and key initiatives to senior management.
• Support audits and regulatory examinations by providing documentation and responding to inquiries.

MPI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or based on an individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state or local law. MPI encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants.

Profile

A successful VP, Head of Spend Operations should have:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• 6-10+ years of progressive experience in finance operations, accounts payable, spend management, procure-to-pay, or shared services environments.
• 5+ years of management experience leading operational teams and processes.
• Strong understanding of expense management controls, accounts payable operations, and financial governance.
• Experience implementing process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Advanced Excel and financial systems proficiency.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Experience within investment banking, capital markets, broker-dealers, alternative asset management, or other financial services environments.
• Exposure to procurement platforms and expense management systems such as Concur, Coupa, Ariba, Workday, or similar solutions.
• CPA, MBA, or other relevant professional certification.
• Experience leading automation, transformation, or finance modernization initiatives.

Job Offer

• Permanent position in New York.
• Salary of $175,000 to $200,000.

MPI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or based on an individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state or local law. MPI encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants.