Risk Specialist II , TERA
Risk Specialist II, TERA (Travel and Expense Reimbursement Audit)
Job Description
Amazon's Finance Operations Risk Management Services is seeking a Risk Specialist II to join our Travel and Expense Reimbursement Audit (TERA) team within Accounts Payable. In this role, you will be a key driver of controllership excellence, owning the strategy and execution of pre- and post-reimbursement expense audits across a dynamic global business environment.
You will work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders and process owners to establish and maintain the highest standards for FinOps/TERA manual and automated audit processes, identifying defects, driving process improvements, and delivering scalable solutions that enhance controllership and operational efficiency.
Key Responsibilities:
Job Description
Amazon's Finance Operations Risk Management Services is seeking a Risk Specialist II to join our Travel and Expense Reimbursement Audit (TERA) team within Accounts Payable. In this role, you will be a key driver of controllership excellence, owning the strategy and execution of pre- and post-reimbursement expense audits across a dynamic global business environment.
You will work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders and process owners to establish and maintain the highest standards for FinOps/TERA manual and automated audit processes, identifying defects, driving process improvements, and delivering scalable solutions that enhance controllership and operational efficiency.
Key Responsibilities:
- Carry out the vision and mission of TERA team to prevent and detect potential fraud, abuse, and waste at the earliest time and with the minimal financial impact to Amazon
- Identify process improvement opportunities through root cause analysis and data-driven insights, translating findings into automated workflows that reduce manual effort and increase defect detection rates
- Develop and implement automation solutions to proactively identify defects, anomalies, and policy violations within expense submissions
- Execute audits, deep dives, and special projects in a timely manner while communicating recommendations and findings to management and other stakeholders
- Standardize audit and fraud detection processes to improve detection, efficiency, and consistency in standard work, while decreasing defects.
- Coordinate with different team members to conduct deep dives walkthroughs and quality reviews of evidence to resolve complex problems
- Influence without authority to drive adoption of best practices and enhanced controls across global teams
- Review employees expense reimbursements and spend on corporate cards for compliance with Amazon Travel and Expense reimbursement policy
- Identify and clearly define issues and root causes for the potential fraud and financial abuse, work with various operations team to improve their process
- Understand and follow Amazon’s policies and procedures on expense reimbursement, corporate cards and Business Code of Conduct
- Influence the FinOps Cards & Expense automated expense audit roadmap in terms of increased accuracy detecting expense submissions containing potential fraud and reducing the percentage of false positives that negatively impact expense audit productivity.
- Implement operational program controls by creating project plans, establish SOPs, process controls, prioritize and coordinate workstreams as necessary
- Identify and escalates gaps in existing fraud prevention/detection tools and risk assessment methodology
- Drive improvement projects to build mechanisms within TERA team to prevent and detect fraud, abuse, and waste in timely manner
- Conduct process deep dives and communicate product and program level risk to product leadership, technical teams; Influence product, technical, operations teams to implement controls.
- MBA/Post graduate degree in finance and/or professional qualification like Chartered Accountant/Certified Fraud Examiner.
- Minimum of 7+ years of relevant professional experience in Internal audit, external audit or accounts payable
- Experience in data analysis using Excel, VBA, SQL, python etc.
- Minimum of 3+ years of team lead or team management experience
- Work experience in expense reimbursement audit, internal audit, corporate cards fraud, investigations, conflict of interest or any other forensic investigation. Prior Forensic experience or CFE would be an added advantage
- Excellent organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously
- Strong leadership and analytical skills, and ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Ability to work as a team player in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Strong interpersonal skills, including persuasive written and oral communication skills
- Strong forensic data analysis skills with experience writing SQL or Python and using Tableau or Quick for visualization
Basic Qualifications
- 4+ years of compliance program management, legal, governance, audit, risk/loss prevention, or equivalent experience
- Experience establishing successful partnerships with internal and external teams to execute tactical initiatives or equivalent
- 4+ years of program requirements definition and data and metrics leveraging to drive improvements experience
- Experience with research and investigation skills or equivalent
- 4+ years of program or project management experience
- Experience handling confidential information
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional auditing qualification, or similar risk or compliance credentials
- Experience with SQL and Excel
- 5+ years of fraud identification and detection, investigation and analysis for root causing and providing suitable preventive mechanisms, or 2+ years of security service, loss prevention, asset protection, investigations, or law enforcement experience
- Experience leading prioritization of tasks, team scheduling, time management, and meeting deadlines
- Experience engaging, verbally and in writing, with internal and external stakeholders to convey complex ideas in a clear, concise manner