Travel Program Lead

Overall Purpose

The Travel Program Lead is responsible to execute on the strategy of and day-to-day management of the company's corporate travel & expense program. This role maintains flow between travel and expense processes, ensures travel policies are consistently applied, travel spend is optimized, and employee safety, compliance, and traveler experience are balanced effectively.

The Travel Program Lead will manage supplier relationships across air, lodging, ground transportation and catering service providers, oversee the Travel Management Company (TMC), and deliver analytics-driven insights to support cost control, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and enforce corporate travel policies.

• Ensure compliance with travel standards across all business units.

• Monitor proper expense policy compliance and process.

• Develop regular T&E reporting for presentation to management on compliance and spend.

• Partner with Legal, HR, Security and Risk on duty-of-care initiatives.

• Establish and manage supplier relationships with airlines, hotels, car rental, ground transportation, and catering service providers.

• Lead sourcing events, negotiations, and contract management activities.

• Manage and oversee the Travel Management Company (TMC).

• Monitor travel spend and identify cost-savings opportunities.

• Develop preferred supplier programs to maximize value and compliance.

• Track contract performance, rebates, and savings.

• Support travel budgeting and forecasting activities.

• Collaborate with internal security teams on traveler safety and emergency response.

• Ensure suppliers meet safety and insurance requirements.

• Develop reporting dashboards for spend, compliance, and supplier performance.

• Serve as the primary escalation point for travel-related issues.

• Deliver training and communication on travel policies and tools.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Hospitality, Finance, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Typically a minimum of 8 years of progressive corporate travel or travel industry experience with a minimum of three (3) years in a Travel Manager/Lead or Travel Program Manager/Lead role.
• Experience managing enterprise travel programs.
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
• Experience working with Travel Management Companies (TMCs).
• Familiarity with online booking tools (e.g., Concur, Egencia, Navan).
• Knowledge of traveler duty of care and corporate risk management.
• Background and drug screen.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting mid-size to large enterprise travel programs.
• Familiarity with procurement or strategic sourcing frameworks.
• Experience using travel analytics and reporting tools.
• GBTA or CTIE certification preferred.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling, and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers. Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States at the date of hire.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

The base pay scale for this position in:
Phoenix, AZ/ Chicago, IL / Washington, DC in USD per year is: $104,000 - $130,000.

Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate's education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.