Team Leader – Corporate Travel & Expense

Job description

What success looks like in this role: • Drive innovation through development of internal and external partnerships, best practices, KPIs, and automation opportunities across travel booking, expense processing, and corporate card programs. • Acts as primary point of contact and accountability for Travel & Expense operations, engaging business leaders, Finance, Procurement, and HR to ensure alignment with company objectives. • Foster and maintain a strong service-oriented culture within the team, balancing employee experience, compliance requirements, and cost management goals. • Support leadership in developing and executing a multi-year Travel & Expense strategy, including technology roadmap, supplier strategy, and process optimization initiatives. • Oversee delivery of travel, expense, and card program operations, policies, and best practices that ensure a compliant, efficient, and user-friendly program aligned with corporate governance standards. • Direct dispersed team and service providers (e.g., TMC, expense platform, card provider) in executing both strategic and day-to-day operational activities to improve compliance, control costs, and enhance service delivery. • Lead, recruit, and manage a T&E operations team responsible for expense audit/review, policy compliance, user support, and vendor management. • Provide guidance and decision-making on all matters related to travel policy, expense reimbursement, exceptions, and escalations. • Develop strong partnerships with cross-functional stakeholders (Finance, Procurement, HR, Internal Audit, Tax) to support enterprise-wide initiatives and compliance requirements. • Own and manage the T&E operating plan, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance tracking (e.g., travel spend, program costs, savings initiatives). • Lead development and execution of cost optimization strategies, including supplier negotiations, travel category management, and demand management initiatives. • Promote continuous improvement through process standardization, automation (e.g., AI, OCR, auto-expense), and simplification of user workflows. • Ensure effective governance and performance management of external vendors, including contract compliance, SLA adherence, and ongoing service improvements. • Monitor and improve key program metrics, including:• Expense submission timeliness • Policy compliance rates • Audit exception rates • Cost per transaction • Traveler satisfaction • Lead compliance initiatives, including enforcement of submission timelines, audit controls, and alignment with financial reporting requirements. You will be successful in this role if you have: • Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, or related field with 7&#43; years of progressive experience in corporate Travel & Expense, finance operations, or shared services. • Strong understanding of T&E processes, including travel booking, expense reimbursement, corporate card programs, and policy governance. • Experience managing enterprise T&E platforms (e.g., SAP Concur, Navan) and working with Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and card providers. • Proven leadership experience managing teams and vendors in a global or large-scale environment. • Strong analytical and financial acumen with ability to interpret data, develop insights, and drive decision-making. • Demonstrated ability to lead multiple initiatives and deliver results in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. • Strong customer service orientation with ability to balance user experience and compliance enforcement. • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills across all levels of the organization. • Experience driving process improvement, automation, and operational efficiencies. • High attention to detail, problem-solving capability, and ability to manage competing priorities. • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint. Unisys is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that considers all qualified applicants without regard to age, blood type, caste, citizenship, color, disability, family medical history, family status, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, parental status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status or any other category protected by law. Local employment practices and rights may vary by jurisdiction and are subject to applicable local laws. 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