Manager, Global Card & Expense Operations

About this role

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

The Manager, Global Card & Expense Operations is responsible for leading and evolving the company’s global Corporate Card and Expense programs across 58 countries. This role goes beyond day-to-day operations and plays a key part in strengthening controls, driving compliance, leading cross-functional projects, and improving the effectiveness of expense and card-related processes.

The role will focus on the ongoing optimization of Corporate Card and Expense programs, with particular emphasis on audit, compliance, controls, policy governance, process improvement, and system enhancement initiatives. This individual will partner closely with Finance, Internal Audit, Tax, IT, Procurement, and shared services teams to identify risks, improve processes, support global consistency, and enhance the employee experience.

This is a hybrid position based in  Charlotte, NC , with an on-site expectation of  3 days per week .

Manager, Global Card & Expense Operations Responsibilities:

Corporate Card & Expense Program Management • Lead the company’s global Corporate Card and Expense programs, including program governance, policy adherence, operational oversight, and ongoing optimization across multiple countries and business environments.

• Oversee card-related processes including program administration, issuance, maintenance, controls, and exception management, while ensuring strong alignment with company policy and financial governance requirements.

• Manage SAP Concur Expense operations, including workflows, audit rules, policy configuration, and issue resolution, with a focus on strengthening efficiency, compliance, and user experience.

Audit, Compliance & Controls • Lead initiatives related to expense and card audit activities, including pre-payment and post-payment review frameworks, control execution, and policy compliance monitoring.

• Partner with Internal Audit, Controllership, and other stakeholders on audit reviews, remediation plans, and control enhancements. Support the identification, documentation, and resolution of control gaps and compliance risks.

• Drive compliance initiatives related to global expense and card programs, including areas such as policy governance, documentation standards, and applicable tax/VAT considerations in partnership with the appropriate functional teams.

• Analyze program data to identify trends, exceptions, risk areas, and opportunities to improve compliance and strengthen internal controls.

Projects, Process Improvement & Systems Optimization • Lead and support cross-functional projects related to card and expense transformation, process redesign, automation, and global standardization.

• Partner with IT and Finance systems teams to support SAP Concur Expense and ERP integrations, system enhancements, upgrades, testing, and issue resolution.

• Identify and implement process improvements that reduce manual effort, improve control effectiveness, and create a more scalable global operating model.

• Support change management efforts tied to policy updates, system enhancements, and process changes, including communications, training, and stakeholder alignment.

Reporting, Insights & Program Performance • Develop and deliver reporting and insights related to spend, policy compliance, operational performance, control effectiveness, and program health.

• Use data and analysis to support decision-making, drive accountability, and recommend improvements to card and expense processes, policies, and controls.

• Track and monitor key operational and compliance metrics, ensuring visibility into performance, trends, and areas requiring corrective action.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership • Lead an offshore/shared services team that supports expense processing, audits, and employee support, helping ensure consistent execution and service quality.

• Establish and monitor service delivery expectations, including relevant SLAs and KPIs, while driving continuous improvement across the support model.

• Serve as a key point of contact for global card and expense matters and collaborate closely with stakeholders across Finance, IT, Procurement, Tax, Internal Audit, and shared services.

Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.

• 6–9 years of experience in Corporate Card, Expense, T&E, finance operations, or a related area, with meaningful experience in card and expense program management, compliance, controls, and process improvement.

• Strong experience with SAP Concur Expense and familiarity with ERP environments such as SAP S/4HANA.

• Experience leading or supporting audit, compliance, and control-related activities, including policy adherence, exception management, and remediation efforts.

• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives or projects involving process improvement, systems, governance, or operational transformation.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify risks, and recommend practical solutions.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across global and cross-functional teams.

• Experience working with shared services, offshore teams, or global operations in a complex organization.

Preferred Qualifications • Experience supporting global expense and card programs across multiple countries.

• Exposure to  VAT, tax, or regulatory considerations  related to expense and card programs.

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