Bachelor's degree and 8 years of relevant experience, including 5 years in category management within meetings & events or travel industry.
Deep understanding of travel pricing, revenue management, and industry trends.
Strong skills in category management, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management.
Proven ability to influence spend decisions using data-driven insights.
Exceptional communication skills across diverse teams and suppliers.
Advanced Microsoft 365 skills for data analysis and forecasting.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
Experience with industry-standard tools like Concur, iValua, and Cvent.
Responsibilities
Develop and execute category plans for travel-related services and shared services agreements.
Lead RFP process for travel and meetings suppliers, ensuring compliance with federal regulations.
Coordinate with stakeholders to define requirements for RFP processes.
Partner with Legal and Security to navigate contract negotiations and compliance.
Conduct supplier rationalization and manage relationships, including performance monitoring.
Organize and participate in Travel Working Group meetings with stakeholders and suppliers.
Create and present quarterly briefings to senior leadership.
Benefits
Opportunity to influence strategic sourcing and operational excellence in a high-impact role.
Engagement with cross-functional teams and external suppliers.
Access to advanced tools and resources for data analysis and process improvement.
Professional development opportunities in a dynamic industry.
Potential for career growth within the organization.
Full Job Description
Job Description
This high-impact role supports the strategic sourcing, governance, and operational excellence of the company's US based travel program. The travel category manager balances strategy creation, Request for Proposal (RFP) execution, and contract negotiations with a critical focus on the end-user experience, continuous process improvement and digital transformation. The ideal candidate will have well balanced travel category management experience with a focus on meetings & events.
Key Responsibilities:
Develop and execute category plans for travel-related services (e.g. travel management company, airline, ground transportation, hotel, meetings & events, corporate card programs) and other shared services agreements as applicable.
Lead RFP process for all travel and meetings & events suppliers ensuring compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regualtion (FAR) and federal reimbursement structures (e.g., Government Services Administration (GSA) per diem rates).
Coordinate with internal stakeholders to develop requirements for RFP processes.
Partner with Legal, Security, and Insurable Risk to navigate contract language redlines, limitation of liability clauses, and "Duty of Care" requirements.
Conduct supplier rationalization exercises and manage supplier relationships, including quarterly business reviews, KPI creation, performance monitoring and digitization.
Source, contract, organize, plan the logistics for and participate in the Travel Working Group meetings with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
Create/present quarterly briefings to senior leadership.
Act as the primary travel supplier liaison, resolving specific travel and/or meetings/events disruptions for travelers/planners with suppliers.
Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to drive improvements in supplier performance and service quality.
Analyze travel data into actionable insights and report on travel program spend, cost savings and avoidance.
Required Skills and Education
Required Qualifications & Skills
Bachelor's degree and 8 years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years of category management within the meetings & events and/or travel industry
Deep understanding of meetings/events and travel pricing, revenue management, and current trends in travel and meetings industries.
Strong category management, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management skills.
Proven ability to drive program adoption and influence spend decisions using data-driven insights.
Exceptional communication skills across diverse, cross-functional teams and external suppliers
Advanced Microsoft 365 skills for data analysis and forecasting.
Project management and ability to manage multiple high visibility projects and deadlines.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
Experience or strong aptitude for utilizing automation tools to modernize business processes.
Ability to work with diverse, cross-functional, global teams.
Experience with airline, hotel and meetings/events consulting and planning, data analysis, pricing and revenue management.
Knowledge of current market trends, best practices, and contracting models
Preferred Skills and Education
Experience in the Aerospace & Defense industry.
This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company. It is among the world's largest defense contractors, with over 85,000 employees and operations in over 40 countries. BAE Systems is involved in the design, development, and manufacture of a wide range of products and services, including military aircraft, naval ships, and land vehicles. The company also provides a range of cybersecurity and intelligence services. BAE Systems has a long history, dating back to the 19th century, and has been involved in many major defense projects. Visit baesystems.com for more information.
