Travel & Expense Operations Team Leader

Job Overview:

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Travel & Expense Operations Team Leader to join Weatherford’s Travel & Expense Team. Reporting to the Global Category Manager – Travel & Expense, you will lead operational oversight, supplier program support, and project coordination for Weatherford’s corporate travel program. 

The Travel & Expense Operations Team Leader will oversee the management and optimization of our Global Travel & Expense program, ensuring Weatherford’s policies are applied to our global travelers and processes. This role is responsible for leading a global team of Weatherford Travel Operations professionals, building a team with best-in-class talent and fostering an environment of strong engagement and collaboration. This role will establish relationships with internal stakeholders to develop and execute strategies that meet business outcomes. 

The Travel & Expense Operations Team Leader requires leadership and expertise for the day-to-day operations for Weatherford’s travel reservations and expense reporting processes, including managing strategic supplier output, enhancing current processes and interacting with travelers and business partners as required. 

Coordination with the Global Category Manager – Travel & Expense is essential to ensure the delivery of a cohesive global strategy, coordinating sourcing efforts and policy, and executing initiatives. Strong partnerships with Weatherford functional stakeholders are required across HSSE, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations and other functions to drive total cost efficiency that are critical to the organization. 

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership And Management:

• Lead, mentor, manage and develop a high-performing global team of Travel & Expense specialists.  
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment. 

Strategy Development:

• In partnership with the Global Category Manager, implement the global travel and expense strategy aligned with company objectives and policies. 
• Identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements. 

Stakeholder Management:

• Partner with the Global Category Manager, other business or functional partners and stakeholders across Weatherford and geo-zones on the best travel strategy for the company. 
• Act as the primary point of contact for employees managing travel bookings across the organization, with streamlined communication and support. 
• Identify pain points or inefficiencies in the travel and expense process. 
• Develop and lead a Travel Super User Group, with regular meetings/forums to share updates and gather feedback. 
• Act as a liaison between travel management, travelers and external partners. 
• Collaborate with HR, finance, tax, compliance, and business partners to align Travel offerings to the travel policy, and adopt changes as required by statutory or regulatory changes. 
• Partner with HR and Security on Duty of Care requirements, including ensuring travel data visibility required to provide medical, safety and security assistance to travelers in need. 

Compliance And Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with company policies, and external regulations, and manage safety and security risks in travel in conjunction with Security (HSSE). 
• Identify, monitor and track compliance violations and security risks and report to the Security HSSE for action. 
• Monitor adherence to travel and expense policies, making recommendations for updates as needed. 

Expense Management and Corp Card Administration: 

• Oversee the expense reporting process, ensuring accuracy and timely reimbursement. 
• Analyze expense data to identify trends and areas for cost optimization. 

Technology And Tools:

• Implement and manage travel and expense management tools to enhance efficiency. 
• Stay updated on industry trends and technologies to drive innovative solutions. 

Reporting And Analysis:

• Prepare and present regular travel and expense reports to Global Category Manager. 
• Provide insights into travel and expense patterns and recommend actionable strategies. 
• Drive benchmarking, best practices, and continuous improvement. 
• Monitor & report on Travel performance metrics.
• Report & analyze T&E spend patterns. 
• Implement travel processes with Weatherford businesses (acquisitions, re-orgs, etc.). 
• Interface with other teams to improve and simplify handoffs between Travel and the regions and/or other enterprise standards. 
• Assist with T&E related compliance and audit issues. 

Skills:

• Significant experience in Global Travel Operations, or equivalent consulting experience related to other professional travel services. 
• Demonstrated ability in leading organizational, process, and culture change. 
• Strong analytical & reporting skills, experience with Power BI is a plus. 
• Prior travel operations, expense reporting, corporate card or online booking tool support experience required. 
• Previous experience with T&E accounting processes, including familiarity with Concur data extracts interfacing to ERP’s. 
• Previous experience implementing Concur and corporate credit card globally, including employee training, communications, focused on change management. 
• Demonstrated interpersonal and leadership skills in a cross functional and cross-cultural environment. 
• Strong accounting skills and knowledge recommended. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, or 10+ years of relative experience in Travel & Expense Management. 
• Significant experience in travel and expense management.
• Strong experience in a leadership role. 
• Strong understanding of global travel regulations and travel risk management. 
• Excellent leadership, communication (verbal/written) skills. Ability to work with all levels of leadership globally. 
• Experience with travel and expense management software. 
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use data to drive decision-making. 
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities. 
• Ability to travel to meet business needs (up to 10%). 

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