Travel Program Manager

Pearce Services

4h•$95,000 - $105,000

About The Position

As the Travel Program Manager, you will build and own the company’s first centralized, enterprise-wide travel program, transforming how thousands of employees book, manage, and expense travel across a rapidly growing, acquisition-driven organization. Your work will directly impact cost control, policy compliance, traveler experience, and operational efficiency. By creating structure where none existed, you will enable leadership to make data-driven decisions, unlock millions in cost savings, and ensure seamless integration as the company scales and acquires new businesses. You will serve as the single source of truth for all travel operations—connecting Finance, HR, Operations, IT, and Communications with external vendors and the Travel Management Company (TMC) to deliver a modern, compliant, and high-performance travel program.

Requirements

5+ years in travel program management, corporate procurement, or enterprise operations
Proven experience launching or rebuilding company-wide programs
Strong vendor negotiation and contract management background
Experience managing spend, reporting, and compliance
Track record of leading cross-functional initiatives across Finance, HR, IT, and Operations
Comfortable working in high-growth, acquisition-driven environments
Ability to own ambiguity, build structure, and execute at speed

Responsibilities

Own the design, rollout, and governance of the company’s centralized travel program
Finalize and implement the travel policy, approval workflows, and operating model
Partner with HR, Finance, IT, Operations, and Communications to ensure full adoption and alignment
Lead the integration of travel policies and systems across newly acquired companies
Act as the primary relationship owner for all travel vendors and the Travel Management Company (TMC)
Negotiate air, hotel, rental car, and TMC contracts, including pricing, SLAs, and renewals
Monitor vendor performance, traveler experience, and service delivery
Build and maintain travel dashboards, reporting, and executive insights
Identify cost-saving opportunities, leakage, and compliance risks
Drive policy adherence and continuously improve spend controls
Ensure travel policy and booking tools are embedded into new-hire onboarding
Create and maintain a central travel hub (policy, how-to guides, FAQs, tools)
Develop and launch training materials for employees, managers, and approvers
Serve as the escalation point for travel issues, exceptions, and complex cases
Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, reduce friction, and improve the traveler experience
Lead continuous improvement initiatives for compliance, cost, and efficiency
Act as the travel integration lead for acquisitions, including: Policy harmonization System transitions Vendor consolidation Change communications