Director, Corporate Travel Program

Pacific Life • Charlotte, NC

4d

About The Position

For more than 150 years, Pacific Life has helped millions of people plan for their futures. Our people bring passion, expertise, and a collaborative mindset to everything we do — and we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where you can do your best work. Pacific Life is seeking a Director, Corporate Travel Program to lead and evolve our enterprise travel and expense ecosystem. This role is accountable for the end‑to‑end strategy, governance, and execution of Pacific Life’s global travel program, including policy, supplier strategy, Travel Management Company (TMC) performance, online booking tool adoption, travel and expense reimbursement oversight, duty of care, analytics, and savings delivery. This leader will define and execute a multi‑year travel strategy, partner closely with Procurement, Finance, HR, Legal, Risk, and IT, and lead a small internal team and vendor resources to deliver a compliant, cost‑effective, and traveler‑centric program that supports Pacific Life’s business objectives.

Requirements

• BA/BS in Business, Supply Chain/Procurement, Finance, Hospitality Management, or related field
• 10+ years in corporate travel/category management or T&E operations within large, multi‑site organizations; insurance/financial services preferred.
• Proven leadership owning TMC/OBT strategy, supplier negotiations, SLAs, and policy governance.
• Hands‑on experience with OBTs (e.g., Concur Travel), Expense platforms (Concur Expense, Coupa), Corporate Card programs, and data reconciliation.
• Strong analytics and financial acumen (forecasting, savings modeling, KPI design), vendor negotiation, and stakeholder influence.
• Excellent communication—executive‑ready storytelling, clear policy writing, and traveler-centric messaging.
• Risk management and duty‑of‑care ownership; familiarity with privacy and PCI requirements.
• Program/project management, process excellence, and change management.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or professional certifications (GBTA, CPM, PMP) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Program Strategy & Governance Define the 2–3 year enterprise travel strategy and roadmap (policy, technology stack, supplier mix, sustainability).
• Own travel policy creation, updates, approvals, and global communications; lead change management and training.
• Establish governance cadence (monthly ops reviews, quarterly business reviews) with clear KPIs and executive reporting.
• Oversee the Travel & Expense reimbursement process. Includes the auditing of emplyuee expense reports to ensure compliance with company policies, tax regulations and budgetary constraints.
• Supplier & Category Management Lead sourcing and negotiations for air, hotel, car rental, and ground programs; manage preferred partners and rate integrity.
• Manage the TMC relationship and service model (SLAs, after‑hours support, VIP/executive desk).
• Own Online Booking Tool OBT strategy (e.g., Concur) and expense/card integrations (corporate card, virtual card, lodge card); ensure rate loading, content quality, and UX enhancements.
• Operations, Adoption & Experience Drive OBT/mobile adoption; reduce off‑channel leakage and agency‑assisted bookings through design and policy clarity.
• Optimize process flows across booking, ticketing, ticket exchange/unused credits, expense audit, and reimbursement.
• Develop clear, empathetic traveler communications (guides, FAQs, travel alerts) and playbooks for executive/admin travel.
• Duty of Care, Risk & Compliance Own duty‑of‑care program (traveler tracking, incident response, medical/security assistance) with the TMC and security partners.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, audit requirements, and data privacy/PCI obligations across vendors and tools.
• Partner with Legal/Risk on contract terms, indemnities, SLAs, and incident documentation; remediate audit findings timely.
• Data, Analytics & Savings Build dashboards for spend, savings, policy compliance, supplier performance, traveler satisfaction, and carbon metrics.
• Forecast demand and budgets; reconcile agency data with card/expense feeds; deliver actionable insights to business leaders.
• Identify savings levers (advance‑purchase, fare class optimization, preferred usage, hotel rate auditing, dynamic discounting).
• Leadership & Stakeholders Lead, coach, and develop the Travel Program team and vendor resources; promote continuous improvement and operational rigor.
• Serve as primary liaison to executive admins and business units; support events, roadshows, and large program initiatives.

Benefits

• Prioritization of your health and well-being including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Wellbeing Reimbursement Account that can be used on yourself or your eligible dependents
• Generous paid time off options including: Paid Time Off, Holiday Schedules, and Financial Planning Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave as well as an Adoption Assistance Program
• Competitive 401k savings plan with company match and an additional contribution regardless of participation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees