Director - Corporate Travel Operations

Director - Corporate Travel Gurgaon, India

Job Description: 

- This position heads up the India corporate travel program consisting of 8-10 onsite travel consultants, within a strategic global and operationally driven travel program. 

- Looking for a strong operational manager to drive projects that effectively span the entire company all its staff optimizing both planned and unplanned travel/event programs. 

- This is a fast-paced, timeline-driven and highly-demanding role that requires an accomplished operational leader with excellent communication skills, a high drive of motivation, ability to identify efficiencies and attention to detail; A strong drive to implement best practices critical to global travel operations will be necessary. Candidates who are fast-learner that can absorb information quickly, adjust to companies current corporate travel processes, policies, evaluate industry best practices and to elevate the team into a strategic highly accountable travel operations unit.

Shifts: Must be comfortable for 3.00pm - 12.00AM

Position Duties: 

- Managing the India corporate travel team while overseeing the general operations of an onsite team of 8-10 members

 - Collaborate with key stakeholders globally to provide transparency on spend, travel patterns, and key travel metrics across all travel categories through the review and creation of meaningful reporting 

- Working closely with the U.S. Corporate Travel Manager to contribute on the execution and development of operational travel enhancements to the program 

- Holding regular team meetings and other duties as required to ensure the team is up to date on best practices, internal changes, management decisions that directly impact the team, etc. 

- Monitoring team performance levels and ensuring resources are effectively utilized to meet priorities 

- Regular communication & training with different departments relating to their role in business travel management 

- General understanding of visa processing practices for India based employees

 - The general knowledge base of group travel logistics (air, lodging, transportation) and/or understanding of the meetings and events industry - Should be able to manage, innovate, and elevate functional operations

- Reporting and Strategic Thinking Management 

 - Identify savings opportunities and service enhancements, initiate process improvements and deployment of benchmarking-generated best practices. 

- Benchmark, analyze, monitor, and report on travel expenditures and compliance. 

- Provide monthly and quarterly reports for corporate travel expenditures against outlined corporate travel metrics to business units Travel Policy and Procedures Management 

- Working closely with the U.S. Corporate Travel Manager to periodically review of policy, processes & implement improvements

 - Monitoring 100% compliance of staff travel against corporate travel policies through Concur Travel ; Liaison between company, TMC's & Other External Supplier Relationships to build a strong working relationship

Candidate Requirements: 

- Must have 10-13 years of Relevant professional experience who understands the Global nuances of Travel function.  Must have knowledge & understanding of visa processing for Indian citizens and international travel procedures, specifically U.S. based travel guidelines 

- Strong attention to detail and ability to decipher complex travel and expense reports 

- Strategic thinker; Proven ability to anticipate and resolve complicated issues and ability to generalize reporting data through analysis and logical thought process 

- Proven project management skills (multi-faceted & complex projects) with ability to handle multiple tasks and deliver results on time 

 Excellent communication skills: Experience working across multiple levels (including executive level), functions and regions

- Should be able to clearly communicate complex information in a simple manner 

- Has cultural awareness & sensitivity: Ability to flex style to suit differing cultural norms and experience of leading a culturally diverse team 

- Extensive and proven collaborative and leadership experience 

- Great people management skills, a positive attitude with out of the box thinking and a focus on customer service

Shraddha Mehta