Finance Operations Coordinator

Institute of Foundation Models

$70K — $110K *
Finance & Insurance
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field (or equivalent experience)
  • 2-4 years of accounting, bookkeeping, or finance operations experience, preferably in a startup or lab environment
  • Advanced proficiency in MS Excel/Google Sheets and modern banking platforms
  • Extreme attention to detail and high integrity when handling confidential data
  • Experience Managing manual processes with a proactive approach.

Responsibilities

  • Verify and track vendor invoices through a master spreadsheet
  • Process travel and expense reports, ensuring documentation for reimbursements
  • Organize and maintain a comprehensive Vendor Master File
  • Update monthly financial spreadsheets to identify spending variances
  • Calculate and report cash runway for leadership
  • Research banking options and facilitate account setup
  • Build and maintain a digital repository for vendor contracts and agreements

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape finance processes from the ground up
  • Work closely with leadership and have a direct impact on financial operations
  • Gain experience in a startup environment with varied role responsibilities
  • Potential career progression as the first dedicated finance hire
  • Collaborative team culture focused on growth and innovation.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a Finance Operations Coordinator to support the IFM Sunnyvale team. The role will serve as a local coordination point for finance administration, vendor documentation, contract records, credit card and expense tracking, financial data requests, and general administrative support.

This is a coordination and documentation role. It does not include tax compliance, accounting close, payment execution, or independent finance decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Administration
  • Act as the local focal point for finance-related administrative coordination at IFM Sunnyvale.
  • Collect, review, organize, and track invoices, receipts, reimbursements, credit card bills, vendor records, and supporting documents.
  • Ensure payment and expense documentation is complete before submission to HQ Finance or the relevant processing team.
  • Coordinate with HQ Finance on data requests, approval follow-ups, payment status updates, and documentation requirements.
  • Maintain accurate records and trackers for invoices, reimbursements, credit card bills, vendor payments, open commitments, and pending items.
Expense, Card & Reimbursement Support
  • Support the tracking of IFM management credit card bills, receipts, assigned users, limits, and pending documentation.
  • Follow up on missing receipts, unclear charges, incomplete approvals, and outstanding expense documentation.
  • Support travel and out-of-pocket reimbursement documentation for IFM personnel.
  • Coordinate reimbursement information with HQ Finance, HR, or the approved processing channel.
Vendor, Contract & Procurement Coordination
  • Maintain an organized vendor master file, including W-9s, banking details, contact information, and required supporting documents.
  • Support vendor onboarding and documentation follow-up with vendors and internal stakeholders.
  • Maintain records of vendor contracts, agreements, renewals, and related financial commitments.
  • Support purchase request follow-up, vendor communication, delivery coordination, and issue tracking where required.
Budget & Reporting Support
  • Maintain planned vs actual spend trackers, open commitment logs, and expected payment summaries.
  • Support financial visibility by tracking upcoming bills, known obligations, and pending payment-related matters.
  • Flag variances, delays, missing information, or unusual items for IFM management and HQ Finance review.
  • Prepare simple financial summaries and tracker updates when requested.
Banking, Platform & Administrative Support
  • Support banking or finance platform setup by coordinating required documentation with HQ Finance, external providers, and internal stakeholders.
  • Assist in collecting and organizing documents such as EIN, incorporation records, banking forms, and other required information where applicable.
  • Maintain basic records for any approved petty cash or local payment support arrangements, where applicable.
  • Provide general administrative support for the Sunnyvale office, including supplies, logistics, visitors, meetings, and local coordination.
  • Help maintain clear filing structures, working procedures, and documentation standards as the operation matures.

Role Boundaries

This role is not responsible for:
  • Tax filings or tax compliance.
  • Bank payment execution or payment approval.
  • Accounting close, reconciliations, or financial statements.
  • Independent procurement, budget, or finance decisions.
  • Acting as a controller, senior accountant, or finance manager.

The role is focused on coordination, documentation, tracking, follow-up, and liaison with HQ Finance and relevant central teams.

Academic Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, operations, or a related field.
  • Equivalent hands-on experience in finance administration, bookkeeping support, office administration, or operational coordination may also be considered.
  • Additional coursework or certifications in accounting, finance, business operations, or administration would be an advantage.


Professional Experience

  • 2 to 4 years of experience in finance administration, bookkeeping support, office administration, procurement support, vendor coordination, or operational support.
  • Experience managing financial workflows and administrative support in a fast-paced business environment is preferred.
  • Proven experience supporting invoice tracking, expense documentation, reimbursements, vendor records, credit card bills, contract records, and basic financial administration.
  • Experience in a research lab, university, technology company, startup, or similarly fast-moving environment is a strong advantage.
  • Experience coordinating with central finance, HR, procurement, legal, banking, or external vendors is preferred.
  • Familiarity with manual process setup, tracker building, and evolving procedures is preferred.


Technical Skills

  • Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
  • Ability to maintain accurate trackers, logs, and simple financial summaries.
  • Familiarity with invoices, receipts, reimbursements, credit card bills, vendor records, contract repositories, and payment documentation.
  • Familiarity with banking platforms, expense tools, payroll systems, or accounting software is preferred.
  • Comfortable using shared drives, digital folders, spreadsheets, and administrative systems.


Attributes

  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to clean, complete, and reliable records.
  • High integrity and discretion when handling confidential financial, vendor, banking, and management information.
  • Practical, organized, and reliable, with strong follow-through.
  • Comfortable following up on missing information, receipts, approvals, and vendor documents.
  • Able to work independently in a developing operational environment.
  • Clear communicator who can coordinate professionally with local teams, vendors, IFM management, HQ Finance, and central functions.
  • Able to manage multiple administrative and financial coordination tasks without losing track of details.


$70,000 - $110,000 a year

Salary Range

The posted salary range represents the company's good faith estimate of the compensation for this position upon hire. The actual compensation offered may vary within this range depending on individual qualifications, including but not limited to relevant skills, experience, education, certifications, geographic location, and specific business needs.

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