Travel and Expense Manager

LPL Financial•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

The Travel & Expense Manager leads the strategy, governance, and administration of LPL’s corporate travel and expense program. The role is responsible for compliance, operational excellence, cost optimization, and employee experience, including oversight of T&E policies, SAP Concur administration, vendor management, risk mitigation, and program performance. It works with Finance, Procurement, Compliance, HR, Security, IT, and Accounting to establish governance, internal controls, and processes that support regulatory requirements, audit readiness, and business objectives. The manager oversees daily program operations and provides leadership and direction to the Travel & Expense Analyst and other program resources. The role is the escalation point for complex travel and expense matters, manages travel vendor relationships, leads initiatives such as SAP Concur optimization and international expansion, and uses data and analytics to improve compliance, reduce costs, and enhance the traveler experience. It also supports the organization’s broader financial, operational, and risk-management objectives.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in corporate travel and expense management, preferably in financial services, banking, insurance, or another regulated environment.
Hands-on experience with SAP Concur Travel and Expense.
Understanding of travel policy compliance, internal controls, and audit readiness.
Demonstrated success managing vendor relationships and negotiating contracts.
Experience working with confidential traveler data and sensitive business requirements.
Customer-service mindset and experience supporting high-demand, executive-level stakeholders.
Understanding of risk management, compliance, and governance frameworks.
Analytical ability to interpret travel data, identify trends, and inform decisions.
Excellent communication, stakeholder-management, and influencing skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-accountability financial services environment.
Discretion, professionalism, and attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Prior people management experience, or clear readiness to step into a leadership role.
Experience implementing or optimizing Concur within a financial institution.
Familiarity with expense-management integration and audit/reporting tools.
Knowledge of duty-of-care platforms such as International SOS or Riskline.
Background in process-improvement or transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

Oversee the corporate travel program to align with financial services regulatory expectations, internal controls, and audit requirements.
Administer and improve SAP Concur Travel & Expense, including policy configuration, audit controls, approval workflows, system rules, user access, roles, data governance, optimization, and issue resolution.
Design, implement, and continuously improve T&E policies, procedures, and governance frameworks focused on compliance, cost optimization, and audit readiness.
Develop, maintain, and enforce travel policies emphasizing compliance, cost optimization, and duty of care.
Lead implementation and expansion of Concur for international operations in alignment with global policies, local regulations, and scalable operating models.
Establish and maintain policy enforcement, including pre-approval requirements, system-based audit rules, exception reporting, and escalation protocols.
Monitor T&E spending and KPIs, and remediate audit findings to improve cost optimization, compliance, and sustainable performance.
Ensure integration among travel, expense, and financial processes, including ERP and Accounts Payable systems, for accurate reporting and timely reimbursements.
Partner with Security, Risk, and HR to establish and maintain traveler safety and duty-of-care protocols.
Implement processes to monitor traveler location, respond to global events, and support crisis management as needed.
Ensure travel practices adhere to internal risk frameworks and external regulatory expectations, including international compliance considerations.
Manage relationships with travel management companies, airlines, hotels, and ground transportation providers.
Lead vendor negotiations to improve cost savings, service quality, and compliance.
Collaborate with Procurement, Finance, Compliance, IT, and Accounting to align T&E strategy with organizational and transformation goals.
Deliver high-touch, concierge-level service to employees, including executives and client-facing professionals.
Resolve complex or sensitive travel issues as the escalation point.
Develop and deliver training and communications to promote policy awareness, system adoption, and compliance across domestic and international teams.
Lead, mentor, and develop travel specialists or coordinators; set performance goals, coach employees, and promote accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
Identify opportunities to scale the team and improve processes as business needs evolve.