Travel Operations Lead

OpenAI

. Own the executive travel operating model, including support workflows, escalation paths, SLA management, policy ownership, supplier coordination, and program governance.

Posted 5/12/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $216,000 - $240,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the executive travel operating model, including support workflows, escalation paths, SLA management, policy ownership, supplier coordination, and program governance.
Lead high-touch executive travel support including complex commercial travel globally, balancing speed, confidentiality, safety, and experience.
Manage the procurement process for executive travel, including supplier engagement, service expectations, documentation, spend visibility, and compliance with procurement and finance requirements.
Own and continuously improve the executive travel policy, translating edge cases into clear standards, practical guardrails, and scalable approval paths.
Partner with Executive Business Partners to optimize support, improve satisfaction, clarify handoffs, and ensure executives and travelers can travel safely and effectively.
Oversee employee travel support related to TMC service delivery, on-the-road support, disruption management, traveler enablement, and recurring issue resolution.
Own travel agency management for Navan and related program operations, including SLAs, KPIs, escalations, roadmap input, operational reviews, and continuous improvement.
Manage the Guest T&E program for new hires, candidates, and other business guests, creating scalable rules, support workflows, payment paths, and exception handling.
Build reporting and data routines for executive travel, tax, compliance, supplier performance, traveler experience, support volume, and operational risk.
Use AI tools to improve travel support workflows, documentation, triage, analytics, policy interpretation, exception routing, and recurring issue detection.
Partner cross-functionally with HR, Finance, Accounting, Procurement Operations, Tax, Legal, Security, Executive Business Partners, Recruiting, and business stakeholders.
Build clear documentation, SOPs, program standards, and operating rhythms that make travel support easier, more consistent, and more transparent.

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years of experience in travel, executive operations, expense, corporate cards, sourcing, finance operations, or a related T&E role.
High AI fluency, with demonstrated ability to use AI tools to improve how work gets done, reduce manual effort, strengthen analysis, improve documentation, and create scalable operating leverage.
Strong understanding of how the in-trip experience is affected by disruptions, destination risk, traveler context, supplier performance, policy design, booking quality, and support responsiveness.
Ability to improve operational processes through better data, automation, workflow design, and exception-based ways of working.
Strong systems understanding, with the ability to understand how data flows across procurement, travel, finance, tax, card, and reporting platforms.
High attention to detail and a strong sense of ownership for data accuracy, completeness, confidentiality, and consistency.
Ability to identify patterns in operational issues and translate them into better processes, standards, controls, and system improvements.
Practical judgment around AI adoption, including where automation can accelerate work, where human review matters, and how to build trust with travelers and cross-functional partners.
Comfort working across HR, Finance, Accounting, Procurement Operations, Tax, Legal, Security, Executive Business Partners, and business stakeholders.
Clear communication skills and the ability to explain process requirements in a practical, enablement-focused way.
Sound judgment when handling confidential executive travel information, sensitive traveler data, guest information, and supplier performance concerns.
Ability to operate in ambiguity, bring structure to evolving processes, and raise the bar as volume and complexity increase.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
401(k) retirement plan with employer match
Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
Mental health and wellness support
Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
Relocation support for eligible employees
Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

procurementdata analysisworkflow designAI toolstravel policy managementsupplier performance managementdocumentationoperational risk managementexception handlingspend visibility

Soft Skills

attention to detailownershipclear communicationpractical judgmentability to operate in ambiguitypattern identificationcross-functional collaborationprocess improvementcustomer satisfaction focusconfidentiality