Director, Groups & Events

About Engine

Engine is the all-in-one travel and spend management platform trusted by 38K+ businesses and groups representing 1.8M+ travelers. We're the retailer and the rails of business travel, the fastest-growing company in travel tech, built on a decade of proprietary technology, supply, and pricing no one else can replicate. Other travel and AI companies run on our infrastructure to book real trips, hold rates, and move payments, without building any of it themselves. We built it, AI-forward at every layer, from how travelers book to how the rails run. That work has earned recognition as one of Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators (2025), TravelTech's Reservation Platform of the Year (2026), and one of Built In's Best Places to Work (2020–2026).

About the Role

We're looking for a Director of Groups & Events to lead our Groups Contracts and Groups Bookings teams. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in the details as much as in the strategy — someone who doesn't just oversee the work but genuinely understands it, can step into it, and uses that proximity to make the team and the customer experience meaningfully better every day. You'll own the end-to-end support experience for group travel, from contract management through booking execution, and you'll bring the rare combination of operational depth, people leadership, and strategic clarity that this function requires.

What You'll Do

• Lead and develop the Groups Contracts and Groups Bookings teams; own performance, culture, and day-to-day operations across both teams.
• Develop your managers and leads with directness and intention — giving real feedback, building real capability, and creating the conditions for people to do the best work of their careers.
• Maintain deep, current working knowledge of end-to-end group handling — from initial inquiry and contract execution through booking confirmation and post-travel support. Pull up a contract, work a complex case, navigate the systems your team uses every day, and identify exactly where the experience breaks down.
• Drive continuous improvement relentlessly. Use data and direct observation to find problems before customers report them. Build feedback loops — from QA audits to coaching sessions to SOP rewrites to retraining cycles — and close them.
• Establish baselines, track performance, and hold the team accountable to clear and measurable outcomes — booking conversion rate, L90 median timing, QA scores, SLA performance, and client satisfaction.
• Manage BPO vendor performance. Hold external partners to Engine's quality standards, manage performance cadences, escalate when the bar isn't being met, and work with the OpEx Vendor Manager on contracts and transitions.
• Be the senior escalation point for complex group contracts, high-stakes client situations, and cross-functional issues that require experienced judgment.
• Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Account Management, and Finance to ensure group programs are set up for success and clients are supported throughout the lifecycle.
• Bring a groups-specific lens to decisions that affect the wider organization and contribute to the broader Member Support strategy.

What We're Looking For

• Customer obsessed — operationally, not rhetorically. You read case transcripts, sit with agents, and call a hotel on behalf of a client to understand what the experience actually feels like on the other end.
• True player/coach. You lead by modeling, maintain deep working knowledge of group handling, and know when to zoom out and delegate.
• Deep contact center and BPO management experience. You've run operations with BPO partners at meaningful scale — vendor selection, performance management, commercial negotiations, quality calibration, and transitions. You've managed 24/7 or extended-hours operations and built the shift structures, coverage models, and escalation protocols that keep them running.
• Continuous improvement practitioner. You've implemented process improvement frameworks — Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent — and you've seen them produce real, measurable outcomes.
• Develop people intentionally. Your direct reports get better under you. You give clear, direct feedback, invest in development, and build teams that are both high-performing and resilient.
• Set standards, don't chase them. Industry benchmarks are a starting point, not a destination.
• 12+ years in travel operations, group travel support, or a closely related field — with at least 5 years in a director-level or senior leadership role.
• Hands-on expertise with group travel bookings and contract management.
• Proven BPO management experience — vendor performance management, quality standards enforcement, commercial negotiations, and operational transitions.
• A track record of driving measurable improvement in team performance, process efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Strong people leadership — you develop talent, give direct feedback, and build teams that are both high-performing and resilient.
• Experience operating at multiple altitudes — from reviewing a contract detail to presenting a quarterly operational review to senior leadership.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills with experience partnering with Sales, Account Management, and Finance.
• High attention to detail and strong operational instincts — you notice what's broken before it becomes a problem.
• Experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where the playbook is still being written.

Bonus Points

• Experience with GDS platforms (Travelport, Sabre, or similar) in a groups or corporate travel context.
• Background in building or scaling a groups support function from the ground up.
• Familiarity with RFP management, room block logistics, or hotel commission tracking.
• Experience designing or operating a premium or tiered support model.
• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent process improvement credential.

Base Pay Range

$166,855—$230,900 USD