TAIT partners with artists, brands, IP holders and place makers to bring culture-defining, never-before-seen experiences to life. With a legacy of innovation spanning over 45 years, TAIT has grown from pioneering in rock ‘n’ roll concert staging to setting the global standard for extraordinary live events and experiences through cutting-edge technology, precision engineering, and creative design. TAIT’s 20 global offices have developed iconic productions and experiences in over 30 countries, all seven continents, and even outer space for renowned performers, theme parks, exhibits, and venues across the globe, including partnerships with Taylor Swift, Cirque Du Soleil, Royal Opera House, Nike, NASA, Bloomberg, Google, Beyoncé, and The Olympics Position Purpose The Director, Travel Services is accountable for structuring, governing, and optimizing a USD 46M+ global travel and events spend portfolio, with a clear mandate to deliver 10–20 percent sustainable, auditable savings on addressable spend. The role combines strategic sourcing, policy and governance redesign, demand management, and advanced configuration and optimization of SAP Concur to eliminate spend leakage, reduce excessive cost variability, and remove human bias from travel approval processes while preserving business productivity and traveler experience. This role will work collaboratively across all capabilities and enablers to ensure policy compliance and sustainable behavioral change. This is a high-impact value creation role with direct visibility to senior leadership. Success will materially improve cost discipline, governance, and transparency across a critical indirect spend category, while embedding AI-enabled controls that permanently remove reliance on discretionary human approvals. Essential Responsibilities / Accountabilities Spend Scope Total addressable spend: USD 46M+, including: • Air travel (domestic and international) • Hotels and lodging • Ground transportation • Travel management services (TMC) • Meetings, events, off-sites, and related services • Ancillary travel and event services Key Objectives • Deliver USD 5M to USD 9M in annualized, Finance-validated savings • Establish a clean, defensible spend baseline • Reduce off-policy, off-contract, and maverick spend • Implement structural controls that eliminate reliance on discretionary human approvals • Create a repeatable, scalable model for ongoing savings and compliance Key Responsibilities Spend Diagnostics and Baseline Establishment Leverage SAP Concur data (expense, travel, audit, and approval workflows) to establish a defensible spend baseline and identify leakage, non-compliance, and behavioral savings opportunities. Establish a credible baseline by category, geography, and business unit Identify addressable vs non-addressable spend and quantify savings levers Develop transparent reporting dashboards for Finance and senior leadership Travel and Events Policy Redesign Review and redesign travel and event policies to: Reduce premium travel behaviors Tighten discretionary spend Clarify eligibility rules, approval thresholds, and escalation paths Align policies with executive expectations, risk appetite, and operational reality Partner with HR, Legal, Capability leadership and Finance to ensure enforceability and adoption Governance and Spend Control Enhancement Redesign governance to reduce leakage and maverick spend, including: Clear ownership of approvals and exceptions Reduced manual intervention Strong linkage between booking, expense, and reimbursement systems Introduce controls that prevent non-compliant spend rather than correcting it after the fact Configure and optimize SAP Concur approval workflows, audit rules, and exception logic to reduce manual intervention and enforce policy by design. Ensure tight integration between Concur Travel, Concur Expense, and the TMC to prevent off-policy bookings and post-trip leakage. Work with capability leadership to develop training programs and information sessions to ensure all travelers understand the policies Strategic Sourcing and RFP Execution Lead end-to-end RFPs for: Travel Management Company (TMC) Airlines and airline alliances Global and regional hotel programs Event venues and production partners Design preferred vendor programs for selected categories Negotiate pricing, rebates, SLAs, service guarantees, and compliance mechanisms Ensure sourcing outcomes deliver both rate savings and behavioral savings Demand Management and Behavioral Savings Implement demand-shaping levers, including: Advance booking requirements Class-of-service restrictions Preferred supplier enforcement Trip justification and pre-approval rules Partner with business leaders to balance cost discipline and productivity Reduce price dispersion and unnecessary travel demand Performance Management and Savings Tracking Define KPIs for savings realization, compliance, vendor performance, and traveler experience Lead quarterly business reviews with key suppliers Track savings versus baseline in partnership with Finance Ensure savings are measurable, sustainable, and auditable Use SAP Concur reporting and analytics, supplemented by Finance validation, to track compliance, savings realization, and policy effectiveness versus baseline. AI-Driven Travel Approval and Spend Control Automation Design and implement an AI-based travel and expense approval agent, embedded within or layered on top of SAP Concur, modeled on best-in-class corporate deployments such as those implemented at Sanofi, to eliminate routine, subjective human review of travel expenditures and enforce policy consistently at scale. Translate travel and expense policies into SAP Concur rules, audit checks, and automated approval logic, minimizing manual touchpoints. Integrate AI decisioning with Concur Audit, Concur Travel, and expense reimbursement workflows, ensuring end-to-end control from booking through payment. Ensure AI decisions executed via Concur are fully traceable, auditable, and Finance-approved. Define AI decision rules and thresholds, including: Class-of-service eligibility Advance booking compliance Preferred vendor usage Spend caps and exception tolerances Shift human approvers to exception-only oversight, focused on: Outliers High-risk spend Legitimate business-critical deviations Partner with IT, Finance, HR, and Legal to ensure: Auditability and traceability of AI decisions Compliance with internal controls and SOX requirements Effective change management and employee adoption Quantify and track incremental savings generated through AI-driven enforcement and reduced policy leakage To perform this position successfully, each essential responsibility/accountability must be fulfilled satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the responsibilities and accountabilities outlined above. Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs. Success Profile The successful candidate will be/have: Highly credible, confident, and outcomes-oriented leader. Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in complex environments. Direct, pragmatic, and disciplined—while remaining collaborative and empathetic. Financial rigor and commercial judgment Executive-level communication and credibility Structured problem solving Pragmatic change leadership Strong ethics and compliance mindset Minimum Qualifications To perform the essential responsibilities, individuals must have the following level of education and experience, or equivalent combination. Additionally, the following certifications, knowledge, skills, or physical requirements are necessary for the position. 10+ years of experience in indirect procurement, with deep exposure to travel and or meetings and events Proven track record delivering double-digit savings in complex, multi-stakeholder environments Hands-on experience configuring, optimizing, or governing SAP Concur Travel and Expense in a complex corporate environment. Strong sourcing, negotiation, and contract management expertise Advanced analytical capability, including spend analysis and baseline construction Experience partnering with Finance on savings validation Ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority Preferred Experience Experience leveraging SAP Concur Audit, approval workflows, and reporting to drive compliance and behavioral savings. Prior experience embedding advanced rules-based or AI-driven controls within SAP Concur or adjacent platforms. Global or multi-regional spend management Experience with TMCs, expense platforms, booking tools, and travel analytics Exposure to AI-driven or rules-based approval and control engines Policy redesign and governance transformation experience Experience operating in matrix organizations. Experience in a fast-paced project-based business #LI-AB1 TAIT is an equal opportunity employer fully committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran or any other protected characteristic as outlined by international, national, state, or local laws.
Job Title
Director, Travel Services