About the role

Senior Manager / AVP – Travel Services

Experience: 15+ Years

Location: Gurgaon

Reporting To: SVP – Workspace & Facilities

CTC: ₹30–35 Lacs per annum

Job Summary

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic leader to head the organization’s global Travel Services function and drive end-to-end corporate travel operations across geographies. The role will be responsible for leading the travel function, establishing governance frameworks, driving operational excellence, managing global travel partners, ensuring policy compliance, and delivering a seamless employee travel experience while optimizing costs and mitigating travel-related risks.

The incumbent will lead all aspects of corporate travel operations including travel management, travel policy governance, visa coordination, travel technology platforms, foreign exchange management, event and client visit logistics, vendor management, and travel analytics. The role will also play a key role in driving automation, process standardization, traveler safety, and stakeholder engagement across the organization.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience managing global travel operations within a multinational organization, including exposure to US and EMEA markets, along with hands-on expertise in Concur and CWT platforms.

This role will work closely with the Global Mobility team to support short-term and long-term travel requirements; however, the ownership of immigration and mobility processes will remain with the Mobility team.

Key Responsibilities

Travel Function Leadership

Lead and manage the organization’s global corporate travel function across regions and business units.
Define and drive the overall travel strategy aligned with business, employee experience, compliance, and cost optimization objectives.
Establish standardized travel processes, governance frameworks, SLAs, and operational controls across geographies.
Build strong stakeholder relationships with leadership teams, HR, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Workplace, and business functions.
Lead and mentor the travel operations team and drive a high-performance service-oriented culture.
Ensure business continuity planning and traveler risk management processes are effectively implemented.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives, automation, and digitization within the travel ecosystem.

Corporate Travel Management

Manage end-to-end corporate travel operations including air, hotel, rail, visa coordination, insurance, and ground transportation.
Oversee travel bookings and operational support for domestic and international travelers across multiple geographies.
Ensure smooth traveler experience while maintaining compliance with company travel policies and governance standards.
Drive travel cost optimization initiatives through strategic sourcing, demand management, negotiations, and vendor partnerships.
Manage travel escalations and provide timely resolution to employees and business stakeholders.
Ensure appropriate traveler support mechanisms are available for emergency travel situations and after-hours requirements.

Travel Policy & Compliance

Develop, implement, and periodically review global travel policies, standards, approval matrices, and operational processes.
Ensure policy compliance across regions and manage exceptions through appropriate governance mechanisms.
Collaborate with HR, Finance, Legal and business stakeholders to align travel governance and compliance requirements.
Ensure applicable visa categories and travel documentation requirements are appropriately coordinated for compliant business travel.
Monitor evolving travel regulations, geopolitical developments, and travel advisories impacting employee travel.

Visa, Mobility & Travel Coordination

Coordinate and support business visa processing for international travel requirements.
Liaise with visa agencies, embassies, travel partners, and employees to ensure timely processing of travel documentation.
Closely work with the Global Mobility team to support short-term and long-term travel requirements for employees across geographies.
Guide travelers on documentation requirements, travel compliance, timelines, and travel-related processes for international assignments and business travel.
Maintain understanding of mobility, immigration, and travel compliance requirements to ensure effective coordination with relevant stakeholders.
Support travel planning and logistics related to employee mobility programs and international assignments, while ownership of immigration and mobility processes remains with the Mobility team.

Forex & Expense Management

Manage foreign exchange requirements for business travelers and ensure operational efficiency in forex services.
Coordinate with authorized forex vendors, banking partners, and finance teams.
Monitor travel expense trends and support reconciliation, audits, reporting, and cost optimization initiatives.
Partner with Finance teams to strengthen travel spend governance and reporting accuracy.

Event Management & Client Visits

Lead planning and coordination of corporate events, leadership meetings, offsites, annual conferences, townhalls, and business events.
Manage logistics and travel arrangements for client visits, leadership visits, and external stakeholders.
Coordinate venue bookings, accommodation, transportation, hospitality, and event logistics.
Ensure seamless execution of events while maintaining budget, service quality, and employee experience standards.

Travel Technology & Systems

Own and manage travel management platforms including Concur and CWT.
Work closely with travel management companies and system providers for configurations, enhancements, automation, troubleshooting, and reporting requirements.
Ensure travel workflows, approval structures, dashboards, policy controls, and reporting mechanisms are effectively maintained.
Drive system optimization initiatives to improve traveler experience, policy adherence, and operational efficiency.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

Manage strategic relationships with travel management companies, airlines, hotel partners, visa agencies, mobility partners, insurance providers, and forex vendors.
Lead vendor selection, commercial negotiations, performance reviews, and contract governance.
Ensure adherence to service levels, KPIs, compliance requirements, and operational standards.
Partner with global business leaders and regional HR/Finance teams to support evolving travel and mobility requirements.

Reporting & Analytics

Prepare and present travel MIS, dashboards, analytics, and leadership reports.
Analyse travel spends, policy compliance, traveler behaviour, vendor performance, and operational trends.
Identify opportunities for savings, process improvements, automation, and governance enhancements.
Present periodic business reviews and strategic insights to leadership teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Strong leadership experience in managing global corporate travel operations and travel functions within multinational organizations (MNCs).
Deep understanding of global travel operations, travel compliance, traveler risk management, and governance frameworks.
Working knowledge and understanding of mobility and immigration processes.
Hands-on experience with Concur, CWT, and travel management systems.
Experience managing travel operations for US and EMEA regions.
Strong exposure to vendor management, procurement, commercial negotiations, and service delivery management.
Knowledge of visa coordination, forex management, travel risk management, and event coordination.
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
Ability to lead teams and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced global environment.
Strong focus on operational excellence, customer experience, and process improvement.

Educational Qualification

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Hospitality, Travel Management, or related field.
MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification would be preferred.
Relevant certifications in Travel Management or Global Mobility would be an added advantage.