Travel Manager

Travel Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and continuously improve the company's travel programme by ensuring cost optimization, saving opportunities, policy compliance, supplier performance, traveler safety, accurate travel data, and effective service delivery across multiple locations. The role supports management with timely travel insights, implements strategic travel initiatives, manages key supplier relationships, and ensures travel processes are aligned with the company's operational, financial, and duty‑of‑care requirements.
• Provide Management with relevant and timely data on travel volumes, travel costs, savings opportunities, supplier performance, and policy compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost optimization of our corporate travel programs across multiple countries and business locations.
• Develop, implement, and support strategic travel policies, processes, and programmes that improve cost control, compliance, traveler experience, and operational efficiency.
• ROUT a RFP to select a global Travel Vendor.
• Negotiate contracts or rates with travel service providers such as airlines, hotels and car hire companies, and ensure these are integrated into our TMC processes and are constantly updated.
• Implement travel policy changes as required and ensure updated requirements are communicated and embedded into TMC processes.
• Lead the rollout and implementation of travel programmed solutions in new countries and operating locations, which will include onboarding, implementation, and relationship management of the company's preferred Travel Management Companies (TMC) and travel vendors (Hotels, Airlines, Transport providers, Meeting venues and other travel service providers).
• Manage the performance of vendors, Travel Policy compliance and reporting metrics.
• Manage and support travel, accommodation, meetings, and event arrangements for major business events, leadership meetings, safety conferences, workshops, and project‑related gatherings.
• Identify business needs, operational challenges, and market opportunities, and recommend practical travel solutions that support the company's commercial and operational objectives globally.
• Support the company's Travel Risk Management and Duty of Care framework by ensuring traveler visibility, risk awareness, and emergency response readiness across business travel activities.

Essential Qualifications and Skills

• University Degree, relevant travel management courses or Diploma.
• In‑depth knowledge of international travel industry trends; minimum of 5 years in a Travel Management role.
• Working knowledge of Travel industry standard tools and systems.
• Ability to identify processes needing improvement, and to recommend improvements, particularly utilizing the latest technology.
• Solid track record of delivering against cost reduction targets.
• A strategic thinker with demonstrable ability of working with global Flight, Hotel and Car Vendors to optimise travel spend.
• Ability to identify cost saving and value optimisation opportunities.
• Customer‑oriented approach.
• Capable of operating at a fast pace in a changing environment.
• Effective negotiator and good relationship builder.
• Understand IT requirements to ensure 'joined up' systems e.g. ERP to TMC database.
• Passionate about technology and self‑service.
• All matters pertaining to the Corporate Travel industry and have leveraged their experience to deliver demonstrable value to their previous organisations in terms of financial savings, employee safety and travel experience.
• Demonstrable ability to influence and operate effectively both internally and amongst vendor community.