Director, Travel Initiatives

General Purpose

The Director, Travel Initiatives leads the strategy, governance, and performance of the Company's Travel, Corporate Credit Card, and Meetings & Events programs. This role drives enterprise-wide initiatives to optimize spend, enhance employee experience, strengthen compliance, mitigate risk, and support business growth while overseeing travel operations, supplier management, policy governance, and cross-functional projects.

This role partners extensively with Executive Leadership, Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Human Resources, Legal, Loss Prevention, and business stakeholders to drive enterprise-wide initiatives, deliver measurable business value, and implement best-in-class processes and programs. The position routinely completes projects and communicates recommendations, business cases, risks, opportunities, and performance results to senior leadership and executive audiences, including C-suite stakeholders.

Strategic Leadership & Program Management

• Directs the development and executes the Company's long-term strategy for Travel, Corporate Credit Card, and Meetings & Events programs, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and financial goals.
• Leads the development of governance, operating models, policies, procedures, and performance standards across all assigned programs.
• Provides strategic leadership and executes complex enterprise-wide initiatives impacting multiple business functions, locations, and stakeholder groups.
• Sets the strategic direction for project governance frameworks, success metrics, and reporting mechanisms to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with business objectives.
• Identifies emerging industry trends, technologies, and best practices and recommends strategic opportunities to improve travel and corporate credit card programs.

Travel Program Leadership

• Maintains overall responsibility for the Company's travel program, policies, supplier strategy, traveler experience, compliance programs, reporting, and operational effectiveness.
• Oversees and maintains travel policies, standards, and governance processes that balance employee experience, risk mitigation, and cost management.
• Provides strategic oversight of the Travel Management Company and all travel-related suppliers, including airlines, hotels, ground transportation providers, meeting and event vendors, and travel technology partners.
• Leads contract negotiations, supplier performance reviews, service-level management, and supplier relationship strategies to maximize value and business outcomes.
• Leads the development and execution of sourcing strategies for meetings, conferences, training events, leadership meetings, and other corporate events.
• Provides strategic oversight for key performance indicators and operational metrics to assess program effectiveness and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Owes and manages the Company's Corporate Credit Card Program, including program strategy, governance, policy development, compliance oversight, employee adoption, controls, reporting, and ongoing program enhancements.
• Directs development of reporting frameworks and performance dashboards to monitor spend, compliance, traveler behavior, supplier performance, and program effectiveness.
• Evaluates program performance and identifies opportunities to improve operational efficiency, user experience, reporting capabilities, and spend visibility.
• Serves as the executive escalation point for significant traveler, supplier, operational, or program-related issues.

Executive Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership regarding travel, operational, and strategic initiatives.
• Develops and delivers clear, concise, and data-driven presentations, recommendations, and business cases to various leadership teams.
• Communicates complex business issues, risks, and opportunities in a manner that supports executive decision-making.
• Influences and gains alignment across diverse stakeholder groups while effectively managing competing priorities and organizational change.
• Builds strong cross-functional partnerships to ensure successful execution of strategic initiatives and ongoing program effectiveness.
• Directs development of the team through performance and talent planning.

Qualifications And Special Skills Required

• Bachelor's Degree required
• 10+ years of progressive experience in travel management, strategic sourcing, procurement, finance, operations, corporate credit card programs, meetings & events, consulting, or other related disciplines
• 5+ years leading complex enterprise-wide projects and strategic initiatives
• GTP, CTM, PMP, CMP certifications preferred
• Demonstrated experience presenting recommendations and influencing decisions with senior executives and C-suite leaders
• Strong project and program management experience with a proven record of leading large-scale cross-functional initiatives
• Experience developing business cases, strategic plans, executive presentations, and change management strategies
• Ability to communicate complex findings clearly and succinctly, both verbally and in writing, and lead presentations to senior-level Executives
• Strong negotiation, supplier management, and contract management experience
• Advanced analytical, financial modeling, Excel, and PowerPoint capabilities
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into concise executive-level recommendations
• Proven ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments and manage multiple competing priorities
• Demonstrated strategic mindset with the ability to connect operational initiatives to broader business objectives