Senior Funding Operations Specialist

In the last year at Loka, our teams have helped clients advance the world’s #1 AI reading tutor, eliminate $1B in food waste and develop novel drugs for fighting cancer. To cap it off, at the end of 2024 Loka was recognized by AWS as Innovation Partner of the Year, outshining 150,000 partners for the title. And we did it all while working remotely and enjoying every other Friday off 😎

The Senior Funding Operations Specialist is Loka’s central orchestrator for all AWS funding programs, ensuring meticulous management from request to reconciliation. This role is crucial for optimizing funding approvals, mitigating financial risk and fostering seamless communication across internal teams and AWS. Success entails highly organized processes, strict compliance and strategic improvements that enhance our funding efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Funding Request Management

  • Serve as the primary coordinator for all AWS funding programs ensuring proper submission and timely follow-up.

  • Maintain a centralized tracking system for all open funding requests, capturing details such as request owner, AWS program, submission date, approval status and expiration.

  • Regularly review program guidelines to ensure funding requests meet AWS eligibility criteria and internal policies.

  • Ensure timely customer review and sign-off, escalating as necessary to prevent bottlenecks and expedite funding approvals.

• Information Sharing & Communication

  • Act as the liaison between AWS account teams, internal Sales, Finance, PM and Engineering teams to distribute updates on funding availability, program changes, approval status and next steps.

  • Prepare and distribute weekly/monthly dashboards or reports summarizing active, approved and closed funding requests.

  • Notify stakeholders of missing documentation, incomplete applications or discrepancies requiring action to avoid delays or denials.

• Verification & Compliance

  • Audit submitted funding requests to verify accuracy of claims, project scopes, budget alignment and compliance with AWS program requirements.

  • Collect and validate supporting materials prior to funding approval.

  • Ensure timely completion of post-approval tasks, including acquiring agreed-upon deliverables and submitting required proofs of performance to AWS.

• Tracking & Reconciliation

  • Update funding request statuses in real time.

  • Collaborate with Finance to ensure proper invoicing.

  • Identify and remediate any gaps between committed activities and actual deliverables to mitigate clawback risk.

• Process Improvement & Documentation

  • Continuously refine funding request workflows and templates (funding request forms, approval matrices, closeout checklists) to streamline the process and reduce cycle time.

  • Document processes, best practices and lessons learned to build a knowledge base for new team members.

  • Lead funding-program training sessions for all teams on an ad hoc basis.

Required Qualifications

• Experience

  • 5+ years in program coordination and administration, specifically managing funding programs, tracking requests and ensuring guideline adherence, preferably within a technology services or consulting environment.

  • Record of adherence to program guidelines and data validation, meticulously reviewing documentation, ensuring program rule compliance and validating submitted data.

  • Familiarity with AWS services and AWS funding mechanisms is a significant plus.

• Soft Skills

  • Meticulous attention to detail

  • Exceptional organization

  • Strong written and verbal communication

Benefits

• Every other Friday off (26 extra days off a year)

• Remote and flexible

• Explore and Relocation programs (three months work abroad or full international relo)

• Paid sick days and local holidays

• Mental wellness and physical fitness programs

• Defined career path

• Business English classes

• Continuous Learning Support

Your achievements matter to us! Ensure your CV and LinkedIn profile are up to date and accurately reflect your experience. Please submit your CV in English.