The posting
The Accounting team at Planet is seeking an Accounts Payable Specialist / T&E Auditor to become a part of a global Finance team.
We are building and maintaining lean and scalable accounting processes to ensure Planet’s financial stability. You will work closely with other departments, with our various vendors, internal customers as well as employees and you will be responsible for a wide variety of tasks. This position will be part of Planet’s operational accounting with an opportunity to contribute to the growth of the business by finding corporate efficiencies and supporting the implementation of new systems and processes of the company. The ideal candidate is a self-starter, attentive and detail-oriented thinker, and a reliable colleague with an excellent work ethic, who sees challenges as opportunities. You can apply generally accepted accounting principles and internal controls.
Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.
Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.
Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.
As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.
We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community, and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to Use Space to Help Life on Earth.
Planet is headquartered in San Francisco, California, Earth.
- Health Insurance/HMO
- Enjoy unlimited MadMax Coffee
- Diverse learning & growth opportunities
- Accessible Cloud HR platform (Sprout)
- Above standard leaves
- Accounts Payable & Payments: Managing day-to-day accounts payable operations with flexibility to work on multiple projects and deliverables, including accounts payable, employee expense reimbursements, and preparing/managing payments, reconciliation of all AP and Cash accounts as well as Accruals for multiple European countries, the US and the Asia-Pacific region.
- T&E & Expense Management: Audit Travel & Expense reports to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations (European and US). Verify adherence to global travel regulations, tax laws, per diem rates, mileage reimbursements, and other travel-related costs. Oversee travel expense auditing and manage the travel expenses process.
- Master Data Maintenance: Maintain AP master data to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Financial Close & Reporting: Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end financial close processes. Create regular and relevant internal/external payment and audit reports for management.
- System Expertise: Leverage experience with travel management tools such as Navan (formerly TripActions) to streamline expense submission and auditing processes.
- Data Analysis & Policy Improvement: Analyze travel and expense data to identify trends, opportunities for cost savings, and areas for policy improvement. Provide feedback and suggest policy updates based on audit findings.
- Stakeholder Cooperation: Cooperate with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., suppliers, financial authorities, banks, and internal customers) to address financial and accounting issues.
- Training & Support: Provide guidance and training to employees on proper submission of travel and expense reports, ensuring awareness of policies and best practices.
- Team Backup & Projects: Act as a backup for other team members in different areas of accounting and support ad-hoc projects/reports as required by management.
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or other quantitative major, or equivalent experience/commercial training.
- At least 5–6 years of progressive experience working for an international company with multiple country responsibilities, US GAAP accounting experience, and a Shared Service Center mentality preferred.
- Experience conducting thorough audits of employee travel and expense (T&E) reports and monitoring compliance across European and US regulations.
- Hands-on experience with travel management tools like Navan and reconciliation software like Floqast.
- Solid knowledge of MS Office applications, especially Excel.
- Experienced team player with an excellent work ethic, capacity to work independently, and consistent performance with a sense of urgency.
- Strong organizational skills with proven ability to prioritize tasks, meet strict deadlines, and maintain data integrity and accuracy.
- Fluent English; excellent verbal and written communication skills for interacting with internal and external stakeholders.
- High level of resilience and an agile approach to problem-solving.
- Experience with Navan, FloQast, Coupa, NetSuite or equivalent ERP systems.
- Experience working in a high-growth, rapidly changing environment.
- Strong analytical skills for identifying cost-saving opportunities and optimizing accounting workflows.
- Flexibility in working hours
