T&E Events Lead

OpenAI

. You'll own the global T&E event strategy and operations, acting as a strategic leader and hands-on executor supporting Events teams across the organization.

Posted 5/20/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $216,000 - $240,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

ERPOracle

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

You'll own the global T&E event strategy and operations, acting as a strategic leader and hands-on executor supporting Events teams across the organization.
Expect to align with event owners around the company and set the process roadmap for the company's Procurement & T&E processes, lead platform deployment and lifecycle management, manage key partners and stakeholders, and personally drive process standardization & cost optimization.
You will also be a key contributor to the overall T&E process design and governance, ensuring tight controls and scalability across Travel, Expense, Events, and Card programs.
Strategy & Policy: Lead the global company-wide T&E & Procurement event strategy and associated policies (room blocks, venues, group meals, payments, reconciliation, etc.).
Stakeholder Partnership: Partner with Events teams, Executive Business Partners (EBPs), department leaders, and cross-functional teams (Compliance, Legal, Privacy, PTP, Cards, Security) to align event programs with business needs and compliance requirements.
Supplier & Spend Management: Optimize supplier strategy and ongoing event operations.
Controls & Standardization: Create and standardize event policy + controls across all organizations and managers.
Scalability & Standardization: Drive global standardization and operational scalability. Act as the primary DRI for process optimization and enforcement of compliance guardrails.
Compliance & Audit: Ensure SOX-compliant T&E & Procurement policies across all events.
Process Design & Governance: Lead and enhance the full T&E event process design and governance. Lead SOP documentation, controls alignment, and audit readiness.
Integration: Integrate T&E policy, budgeting/forecasting, travel, and card programs into a cohesive workflow for holistic event programs management.
Data & Systems: Ensure high data accuracy and reliable integrations across ERP, analytics, travel, tax, payroll, and related downstream systems.
Category Management/Sourcing (Events): Own the global events category strategy and supplier base. Lead sourcing, RFPs/RFQs, negotiations, contracting support, and vendor selection, partnering with internal sourcing teams.
Process Improvement (Events): Map current-state event operations, redesign workflows, controls, tooling, and handoffs across the events program. Define KPIs/reporting and drive adoption of better operating standards globally. Manage continuous process improvement through the deployment of new policies and platforms, ensuring a great experience and reduction of cycle time across hotel room blocks, venues, and group meals and other T&E related event purchases.
Event Technology/Product: Own internal event-related products/tools/platforms. Define roadmap and requirements for event tech or event operations systems. Lead the integration of emerging AI throughout the workflow.

Requirements

What you’ll need

We're looking for a strategic leader with deep experience in corporate events and T&E operations who can scale systems and processes without losing sight of the details.
Proven experience in Strategic Meeting Management Programs (SMMP), corporate travel and expense management, travel sourcing, and/or travel consulting.
Hands-on expertise in designing, standardizing, and automating processes across T&E, including policy management, systems integration, and controls alignment.
Experience leading global T&E events strategy, including policy development, venue/room block sourcing, and platform management (e.g., Planned, Cvent).
A strong controls mindset aligned to SOX, with experience driving audit readiness and partnering cross-functionally across Compliance, Legal, Privacy, Procurement, Accounting, and Finance.
Bring 8+ years of experience in M&E, SMMP, corporate T&E, Procurement, or Finance Operations.
Offer deep technical proficiency in T&E policy, global events management, card programs, and regulatory compliance (SOX, tax implications, etc.).
Have designed and automated T&E/Events workflows, leveraging ERP/AP automation, OCR, approval routing, and AI.
Maintain a strong controls mindset and can confidently partner with Accounting, Procurement, FP&A, and Legal/Compliance.
Have hands-on experience with tools like Oracle Fusion, Planned, Navan, VNDLY, Jira, or similar enterprise platforms, especially in integrated environments.

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

Strategic Meeting Management Programs (SMMP)corporate travel managementexpense managementpolicy managementsystems integrationcontrols alignmentprocess automationdata accuracycategory managementprocess improvement

Soft Skills

strategic leadershipstakeholder partnershipcross-functional collaborationattention to detailcontrols mindsetaudit readinessprocess optimizationcommunicationnegotiationproblem-solving

Certifications

SOX compliance certification