Global Finance Associate - Travel & Expense - Japanese

Who We Are

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformation-inspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact.

To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital ventures—and business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive.

What You'll Do

Join us as we embark on a journey to transform BCG’s Finance organization. “Future Finance” is a multi-year journey to prepare the Finance function for the BCG of the future: a BCG that continues to grow, and one that has become more complex, more diverse and more interdependent. By rethinking structures and standardizing processes across geographies and business entities, we will make it simpler and more efficient to work together and flex to meet the needs of BCG.

As part of the Global Finance Operations Centre (GFOC), you will be responsible for pre-payment audit and processing of employees’ expense claims in accordance with BCG’s Travel and Expense (T&E) policy

for its offices across multiple locations. This role will specifically support BCG's Japan office, requiring effective communication with Japanese-speaking stakeholders and application of local T&E policy nuances. Also will be responsible for managing employee queries and their timely resolution, and related daily/monthly closing and reporting activities.

Roles and responsibilities

• Review Employee expense claim reports for accuracy and appropriate documentation:
  • Submitted expenses are in compliance with the respective BCG office’s Travel and Expense policy
  • Submitted expenses match with the receipts provided
  • Proper approval has been obtained for expenses incurred outside of the policy
• Resolve expense claims related queries via effective collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure the highest user satisfaction
• Prepare and distribute the routine report/reminder to local finance offices
• Provide regular updates to local finance for any expense trends, abnormal behaviour, improvement action plan, and audit procedure changes
• Partner and maintain relationships with local finance teams to address travel expense policy and audit questions as they arise
• Maintaining the highest quality standards and ensure no duplicates claims or remibursements are initiated
• Maintain employee and approver data in the system. Prepare periodic reconciliations to ensure data is accurate and up to date
• Follow set processes and highlight when there is a need for change or update
• Adhere to the internal compliance policy and guideline established by the management on their daily operational activities
• Maintain exception logs for the process-related exception as and when they occur for knowledge retention
• Complete ad hoc requests and perform other duties as needed with minimal oversight
• Active participation in the organization-wide projects and initiatives
• Liaise directly with employees, approvers, and local finance teams in Japan in Japanese (spoken and written) for query resolution and audits
• Translate/localize routine reports, reminders, and policy communications between English and Japanese for the Japan office
• Interpret and apply Japan-specific T&E policy nuances (e.g., local tax treatment of allowances, statutory receipt/documentation norms) alongside global BCG policy
• Act as the primary point of contact for Japan-side escalations requiring language and cultural fluency
• Support onboarding and training of new hires or approvers in Japan on T&E tools and policy, in Japanese where needed

What You'll Bring

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum qualification B.Com with prior experience of working in a global finance operations team
• 2-4 years of relevant experience in travel and expense processing, reporting, query management
• MS Excel, Word proficiency and adaptable to several software applications
• Preferably exposure to ERP systems and T&E Workflow solutions like Concur, Chrome River etc.
• Business-level proficiency in Japanese (reading, writing, and speaking) is mandatory – JLPT N2 or above preferred; ability to draft professional business communication in Japanese
• Working proficiency in English to collaborate with global stakeholders and internal teams

Who You'll Work With

We pride ourselves on a collaborative working environment and utilize digital tools to foster that collaborative environment across a global company. The Global Finance Operations Centre aims at providing best in-class operational excellence and execution through partnership, building trust and credibility. It provides a foundation to ensuring smooth finance operations, coordinating change and ensuring performance of individual processes with high service levels.

Additional info

YOU'RE GOOD AT

• Ability to prioritize and manage workload
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills – strong attention to details
• Strong initiative and willingness to take on projects in a proactive manner
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment; excellent time management skills and ability to meet tight deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills & effective listening skills
• Relationship building, partnering and collaboration
• Committing to improvement through feedback and self-reflection,learning new topics & skills
• Strong customer orientation and flexible to business needs
• Utilizes sound judgment in dealing with work flow and uncertain situations
• Handles situations with confidence, understanding and tact
• Ability to respect all BCG information as personal and confidential
• Strong cross-cultural communication skills and sensitivity to Japanese business etiquette; ability to translate/interpret between English and Japanese accurately in a professional context

At BCG, our people and relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that in-person collaboration plays an important role in our culture, mentorship, and professional development.

For this role, you will generally be expected to work from a BCG office or in person with clients on a regular basis (typically around 50% of working time), depending on business needs and in line with local policies and practices.

We aim to provide a dynamic and collaborative environment that fosters connection and teamwork.

Boston Consulting Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under national, provincial, or local law, where applicable, and those with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with applicable state and local laws.
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