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Senior Associate – Expense Governance & Controls

UK Operations | Belfast | 12‑month Fixed‑Term Contract (Potential to extend or convert to permanent)

The opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Associate to join EY’s UK Expense Governance & Controls team within Core Business Services. This is a newly established team created following the rollout of EY’s ExpenD platform, with a focus on strengthening policy compliance, governance, and insight across the firm’s travel and expenses activity.

This 12‑month fixed‑term opportunity offers the chance to work at the centre of firm‑wide operations, applying judgement, engaging with senior stakeholders, and contributing to the ongoing development of expense governance processes. There is potential for extension or conversion to a permanent role, subject to business need and performance.

The role

As a Senior Associate, you will operate as a first‑line governance approver within the UK Expense Governance team. You will be responsible for reviewing expense pre‑approvals and supporting post‑claim monitoring, ensuring alignment with EY policies while balancing commercial awareness and risk considerations.

You will work closely with a small, specialist team and report directly to a Manager, with regular exposure to partners, executive assistants, and business stakeholders across the firm.

Key responsibilities

• Acting as a Level 1 governance approver within ExpenD, applying policy judgement to expense and pre‑approval requests

• Reviewing pre‑approval requests both within and outside standard policy thresholds, with a strong understanding of EY’s Travel & Expenses policy

• Supporting compliance with EY’s Hospitality, Gifts and Favours policy and Business Resilience policy, where relevant

• Engaging with staff, Partners, and EAs to understand business rationale and provide clear, consistent guidance on expense decisions

• Escalating potential issues or higher‑risk items to Managers, using sound judgement

• Collaborating with other approvers to ensure a consistent and fair experience for all submitters

• Analysing expense trends and identifying insights to support continuous improvement in governance and controls

• Contributing to operational and governance‑focused projects as the team and processes continue to evolve

Skills and attributes for success

• Experience working in an operational, governance, compliance, or controls‑focused environment

• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to apply policy accurately and consistently

• Confidence using judgement in a risk‑aware, commercial context

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively across different levels of seniority

• Strong numeracy and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and identify trends

• Ability to build effective working relationships across functions in a complex, fast‑paced environment

• Interest in governance, controls, and operational risk within a professional services setting

What this role offers

• Exposure to firm‑wide governance and operational control within a leading professional services organisation

• Regular interaction with senior stakeholders, including Partners

• Opportunity to contribute to the development of new processes following a major system implementation

• A strong platform for progression into wider Operations, Risk, or Compliance roles within EY

• A 12‑month FTC with potential to extend or convert to permanent, depending on business needs

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