Senior Travel Specialist

Duke Energy•Charlotte, NC

4h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Travel Specialist supports daily operations of the Commercial Travel Services program and provides periodic event management assistance to achieve team objectives. This role delivers a best-in-class travel management program through strong vendor partnerships that prioritize safety, security, cost savings, compliance, and customer experience. Key responsibilities include managing day-to-day travel program operations, maintaining vendor relationships, supporting onsite and offsite event execution, coordinating hotel room block contracts, and collaborating with employees, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure timely fulfillment of travel and event needs. The role also manages critical program reporting and analytics, leveraging data to monitor performance, identify trends, support sourcing decisions, and drive continuous program improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
6 years related work experience
In lieu of Bachelor's degree(s) AND 6 year(s) related work experience listed above, High School/GED AND 10 year(s) related work experience

Nice To Haves

In addition to desired degree, 10 years related work experience
Global Leadership Professional (GLP) and/or Global Travel Professional (GTP)
Strong analytical, written, and oral communication skills with the ability to convey information clearly and present confidently.
Demonstrated dependability and accountability, with excellent organizational, project management, and time management abilities to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
Proven ability to collaborate across functions and teams, delivering high-quality customer service and resolving issues efficiently through strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills while maintaining professionalism under pressure.
High proficiency with technology and software tools, with the aptitude to quickly learn new systems and leverage them to enhance accuracy, productivity, workflow efficiency, and reporting quality.
Exceptional attention to detail with sustained accuracy in complex, high-volume, and routine tasks.
Flexibility to support business needs, including availability for early morning or late evening work as required.
Background in the business travel or event management industry.
Experience managing sourcing activities, supplier negotiations, RFP/RFI processes, and conducting quarterly business reviews.
Demonstrated experience in vendor management, contract administration, and partnership support.
Experience delivering customer service in a fast-paced environment, handling complex inquiries and resolving challenging issues.
Experience working with reporting tools, dashboards, or data analysis to support operational decision-making.

Responsibilities

Administers the corporate travel program and provides support to employees across the Duke Energy footprint.
Provides travel consulting, training, and guidance to ensure cost efficiency, policy compliance, and enterprise value.
Delivers customer service to internal employees and Business Unit partners, including Traveler issue resolution Special travel request support
Collaborates with cross-functional teams to resolve escalations and enhance the traveler experience.
Manages vendor relationships to ensure performance, service quality, and engagement.
Supports supplier proposal evaluations, contract implementations.
Manages the annual hotel RFP process
Supports execution of onsite and offsite events.
Negotiates and manages hotel room block contracts.
Coordinates group travel for special events.
Manages program analytics and reporting activities—daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual.
Provides insights that inform Decision-making Performance management Continuous improvement
Administering the enterprise-wide corporate travel program
Ensuring policy compliance
Driving enterprise-wide value
Leading special projects
Coordinating cross-functional alignment