Senior Manager, Accounting Operations (Travel & Expense) at Guardant Health, Inc. — Palo Alto, CA

Company Description

Position Summary:

This role requires a proactive leader who brings both operational discipline and a continuous improvement mindset. As the internal SME for Concur, you will lead enhancements, integrations (including Workday and CRM systems), and process automation, while ensuring a compliant and user-friendly T&E experience. You will also play a key role in launching a formalized travel program and managing our corporate card operations.

You’ll collaborate regularly with Legal, Compliance, Accounting, Commercial, and IT teams, and provide consistent and transparent reporting to senior leadership.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, Accounting Operations (AP and T&E), and based in our Palo Alto office, this role will support the Financial Reporting and Corporate Accounting team’s objective of timely month-end close and accurate, compliant expense reporting in alignment with internal controls and external regulations.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Operations

• Lead and develop a high-performing T&E team, including an Assistant Manager and three offshore specialists.
• 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.

Regulatory Compliance (Stark Law & Beyond)

• Ensure full compliance with Stark Law and other applicable healthcare regulations governing spend on HCPs (healthcare professionals).
• Deliver weekly T&E data extracts to support Stark reporting and audit readiness.
• Partner closely with Compliance and Legal teams to ensure all processes align with industry standards.

Concur Systems Ownership

• 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.

Policy Governance & Execution

• 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.

Travel Program Development

• 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.

Corporate Card Management

• Manage relationships with card providers and support ongoing program optimization.
• Produce monthly past-due reporting and collaborate with department leaders for timely resolution.

Reporting & Insights

• Deliver actionable dashboards and reports related to:
• Stark Law compliance
• Expense policy violations
• Delinquent corporate card accounts
• Spend trends by business unit, region, or HCP
• Use data insights to propose and implement cost control or efficiency strategies.

Accounting & Month-end Close

• Partner with Accounting and Finance teams to support month-end and quarter-end close activities.
• Review and validate cash-related journal entries associated with employee expense reimbursements and travel transactions.
• Investigate and resolve reconciling items in a timely manner.
• Support internal and external audit requests related to travel and expense transactions and controls.

What Success Loos Like

• High employee satisfaction with T&E support.
• Timely expense reimbursement and corporate card administration.
• Strong compliance with travel, expense, and HCP spend policies.
• Successful internal and external audit outcomes.
• Accurate and timely month-end close support.
• Effective management of offshore operations and service levels.
• Reduced travel spend through data-driven policy improvements.
• Continuous improvement and automation within Concur.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in T&E operations, compliance, financial systems, or related operational leadership roles within the healthcare, diagnostics, or pharmaceutical industry.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of Stark Law, Sunshine Act, and HCP-related compliance in a regulated industry.
• Hands-on expertise with SAP Concur (configuration, reporting, integrations, automation).
• 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. Advanced degree or certification (CPA, MBA) preferred.

AI & Digital Fluency

• 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.

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. This range does not include benefits or, if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, education, job-related skills, job duties, and business need.

Primary Location: Palo Alto, CA
Primary Location Base Pay Range: $163,800 - $225,250
Other US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $139,230 - $191,463
If the role is performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is: $147,420 - $202,725 Employee may be required to lift routine office supplies and use office equipment. Majority of the work is performed in a desk/office environment; however, there may be exposure to high noise levels, fumes, and biohazard material in the laboratory environment. Ability to sit for extended periods of time.