Associate, EMEA Travel & Expenses (fixed term)

Bain & Company; Rosebank; Hybrid; ZAR 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Bain & Company is seeking an Associate for Global Travel & Expense to ensure timely, accurate processing of employee expense reports. You will own markets, ensure policy compliance, and support audits while maintaining efficient reimbursement cycles.

You will collaborate with regional and global teams, respond to inquiries, and train new joiners on policies and systems. This role offers a hybrid work arrangement with occasional remote work from home.

Qualifications

• Fluent written and verbal English required.
• Strong attention to detail and high data accuracy.
• Good time-management and organization to meet deadlines.
• Clear and professional communication with employees.

Responsibilities

• Review expense submissions for accuracy and policy compliance.
• Own assigned market and ensure audits align with policy and SLAs.
• Support timely employee reimbursement, aiming for two-week processing.
• Provide backup coverage and take on additional scope when needed.
• Coordinate with regional and global teams to balance workloads and meet service-delivery goals.
• Identify deviations and escalate with proper justification and approvals.
• Respond to employee inquiries and resolve system-related issues promptly.
• Manage service tickets within agreed SLAs, with fast triage for urgent items.
• Build strong relationships with employees and local Finance/HR stakeholders.
• Facilitate training on Travel & Expense policies and systems for new joiners.
• Prepare monthly reports for assigned auditor markets with accuracy.
• Contribute to team improvements and process optimization.

Skills

English proficiency

Excel

Attention to detail

Time management

Data entry

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Accounting or Finance degree

Tools

Expense systems

Job description

We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You’ll join our Global Travel & Expense team, working with colleagues across regions and markets to support timely and accurate employee expense processing. You’ll also collaborate with local office stakeholders, including employees and Finance and Human Resources teams, to provide guidance, resolve issues, and support consistent Travel & Expense processes.

WHERE YOU’LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM

As an Associate, Global Travel & Expense, you’ll play a key role in supporting the Travel & Expense team by ensuring employee expense reports are processed accurately and on time.

You’ll take ownership of your assigned market, help maintain compliance with company policies, manage your responsibilities efficiently, and contribute to the team’s overall service standards and objectives.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Review employee expense submissions for accuracy, completeness, appropriate documentation, and compliance with company Travel & Expense policies.
• Take ownership of your assigned market and ensure audits are completed in line with company policy and agreed service levels.
• Support timely employee reimbursement, with a goal of reimbursement within two weeks of expense submission.
• Provide backup support across the team and take on additional scope when required.
• Partner with regional and global team members to balance workloads, respond to volume fluctuations, and support shared service-delivery goals.
• Identify unusual trends, policy deviations, and nonstandard items, escalating concerns appropriately and highlighting situations that may require clarification, exception handling, or additional approval.
• Respond to employee inquiries and resolve system-related issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Manage service tickets in line with agreed service levels, responding within 24 hours for urgent tickets and within two days for standard tickets.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with employees and local Finance and Human Resources stakeholders.
• Facilitate training for new joiners within your markets, including guidance on Travel & Expense policies, expense-system navigation, submissions, and service-ticket logging.
• Prepare and deliver monthly duplicate and open-items reports for assigned auditor markets, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely submission.
• Contribute to broader team objectives and process improvements where possible.

ABOUT YOU

• You have proficiency in English, both written and verbal.
• You have strong attention to detail and a high level of accuracy when reviewing and entering data.
• You have good time-management and organizational skills and can work effectively against processing deadlines.
• You communicate clearly and professionally when responding to employee questions.
• You can follow structured procedures and know when to elevate issues.
• You are proficient in Microsoft Office tools, particularly Excel and Outlook.
• You can learn and adapt quickly to changes in systems and policies.
• You work effectively in a team-oriented, global environment.
• You can handle repetitive tasks with consistency and reliability.
• You maintain confidentiality and integrity when working with sensitive information.
• You have a basic understanding of Travel & Expense processes and policy compliance.
• You are familiar with expense systems and documentation requirements for expense processing.
• You have an awareness of general finance, accounts payable, or administrative workflows.
• You are able to work full-time and, once training is complete and performance is established, work remotely from home on some days each week.
• Tertiary education in Accounting or Finance is a plus.

This is a non-AA position, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of race, gender, or background.