Senior Vice President, Operations

U.S. Travel Association•Washington, DC

10d•$275 - $300•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Vice President, Operations is a transformational leader responsible for modernizing U.S. Travel’s internal operations, strengthening organizational culture and building the operational foundation to support the association’s next phase of growth. Collaborating with the entire leadership team, the SVP oversees Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Legal to ensure systems, processes and teams are integrated, strategic and designed for scale. This is not a steady-state operator role. The SVP is a change agent who identifies inefficiencies, surfaces risks and uses data to inform decisions. This leader brings the organization along through change, aligns people with vision and builds the infrastructure needed for a healthier, more efficient and more collaborative U.S. Travel. The SVP exemplifies U.S. Travel’s core values by serving as a strategic, curious, ambitious, high-performing and collaborative leader who elevates teams and drives organizational progress.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Fifteen or more years of senior-level operational leadership across Finance, HR, IT and Operations.
Experience modernizing systems and processes during organizational growth.
Strong background in strategic financial planning, forecasting and resource management.
Proven ability to lead through change, build trust and elevate organizational performance.

Nice To Haves

Experience in mission-driven, association, nonprofit or complex environments strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Champion an inclusive, collaborative culture that fosters trust, transparency and accountability.
Optimize change management through improved communication, alignment and engagement across the organization.
Lead enterprise-wide initiatives that enhance agility, cross-team collaboration and operational effectiveness.
Strengthen internal communication channels and ensure decisions are made with visibility and coordination.
Oversee HR strategy, talent development, performance management, benefits and employee relations.
Ensure HR has both strong foundational processes and a strategic orientation that supports organizational goals.
Take a strategic approach to managing employees, including understanding their value as assets whose knowledge, skills and abilities can be developed to achieve organizational goals.
Modernize HR systems and practices that support engagement, development and retention.
Coach managers and elevate leadership capabilities across the organization.
Ensure HR is a proactive partner in organizational planning and change.
Integrate Finance more deeply into organizational decision making, planning and forward-looking strategy.
Lead strategic financial planning, forecasting and multi-year modeling that supports sustainable growth.
Ensure Finance is visible, collaborative and aligned with organizational priorities
Use financial and operational data to identify trends, risks and opportunities that guide leadership decisions.
Strengthen internal controls, reporting clarity and financial processes with a focus on usability for non-financial leaders.
Lead the modernization of internal systems, infrastructure and digital workflows.
Ensure technology decisions are integrated across departments and aligned with organizational needs.
Strengthen data governance, cybersecurity, workflow automation and system adoption.
Improve processes and tools that support collaboration, communication and decision making.
Manage U.S. Travel’s relationship with outside legal counsel to ensure effective guidance and alignment with organizational needs.
Evaluate current legal practices, policies and processes to identify areas for greater efficiency, effectiveness and risk mitigation.
Ensure legal considerations and risk awareness are incorporated into cross-functional operations and strategic planning.
Strengthen organizational understanding of legal responsibilities, risk exposure and compliance needs.
Ensure Finance, HR, IT and Legal operate as unified strategic partners with the entire organization.
Identify operational gaps, inefficiencies and communication breakdowns and design practical solutions.
Build strong working relationships with leadership colleagues and leverage their openness to modernization.
Lead operational reviews and redesigns that support growth, performance and organizational clarity.
Drives association business continuity, owns proactive planning and cross-functional readiness.