Corporate Travel Manager

Victaulic•Easton, PA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Our Corporate Travel department is a fast-paced, 24-hour operation focused on providing superior customer service and an excellent travel experience for our employees, customers, and executive team. In this role, the Corporate Travel Manager takes a leading role in organizing and managing travel, meeting, and event planning for the company. You will engage with senior leaders and their teams by providing advice, recommending solutions, and solving travel-related problems that may arise at any time, including outside of normal business hours. The Corporate Travel Manager will work closely with the executive team and their assistants to ensure an efficient and superior travel and event planning experience. This position requires 15-20% domestic and international travel. The Corporate Travel Manager reports to the HR Vice-President in the company's Human Resources Department. The person in this role will engage with third-party travel partners co-located at our corporate headquarters. The travel team consists of one Meeting Coordinator. Establish Collaborative Relationships – During the first 30 days, Establish and reinforce relationships with Corporate Travel Consultant and key members of the Victaulic leadership team. Organize one-on-one meetings; meet with functional department leaders to better understand their needs. Conduct Operational Review – During the first 90 days, conduct a complete operational review of all company travel guidelines, systems, and processes. Understand current and future company and event requirements and schedules. Become proficient in all Travel Software and understand the current vendors used in the department. President's Club – In close collaboration with CEO and EVP, Sales, organize the annual President's Club, including site selection, travel, and event planning for approximately 200 domestic and international employees and guests. Regional Meeting and Events- Assist, organize, and coordinate guest rooms, meeting rooms, food/ beverage, and meeting technology for approximately 30 meetings and events annually. Meetings and events includes, but are not limited to, Victaulic Board Meetings, regional sales meeting and training events.

Requirements

The person selected for this position should have more than five years of domestic and international meeting and planning experience.
They must understand global travel requirements and demonstrate the ability to manage a travel budget for a mid-size company.
There should also be strong evidence of building collaborative relationships with employees at all levels in an organization.
The candidate should have specific experience with Concur, Sabre (GDS).
Corporate Travel Manager needs negotiation skills to negotiate contracts with suppliers and service providers
Flexibility is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The person in this role is expected to be flexible due to the constantly changing nature of business travel and event planning. The person in this role must be available working outside normal business hours.
Attention to detail to ensure trip, event and/or meeting plans are accurate and complete. This may include providing all necessary forms, documents, and agreements are signed and submitted on time and ensuring the details of each trip and event are completed.
As a Corporate Travel Manager, communication is essential since conveying complex information in an easy-to-understand way is regularly required. This requires effective written and verbal communication skills such as phone calls, video conferencing, and face-to-face meetings.
Corporate Travel Manager must possess organization skills that allow them to manage multiple projects at once or keep track of various details for each project. Having these skills will allow the person in this role to stay on top of work load and ensure all associated tasks are completed timely; while no compromising accuracy.
Technology Savyness, including data analysis and report generation, is also critical in this role. The Corporate Travel Manager should be able to create reports for the company detailing the status of travel arrangements, track expenses, and other data related to corporate travel. They should also be able to make informed decisions using data and data analysis.
The person in this role must have a thorough understanding of vendor management. The Corporate Travel Manager will be responsible for knowing what each vendor offers, how much it costs, and their payment policies. It's also essential for them to know which vendors provide the best value so they can make informed decisions when choosing suppliers.

Nice To Haves

A strong background in the hospitality industry is preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee all requirements, including rooms, meeting facilities, food/beverage, materials, etc., and arrange all events with the hotel or off-site venue/caterer/other vendors
Manage event site selection process and contract negotiations with hotels and other venues for events
Determine roles & responsibilities of Meetings Consultant to assure a flawless meeting onsite by coordinating all efforts with hotel and catering personnel
Troubleshoot and correct travel/event-related issues as needed
Establish vendor relationships and evaluate the performance
Negotiate contracts or discounted rates with travel service providers
Assist client group by booking reservations (flight, ground transporation, hotel, etc.)
Build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues and industry contacts.
Be a resource to colleagues regarding the best travel options and cost
Oversee onsite meeting coordinators and monitor day-to-day activities
Drive continuous improvements to the travel program.
Implement and manage strategies to control and reduce the company's annual budgets
Achieve budgeted goals by closely monitoring all expenses