Travel Desk Specialist

Venwind Refex Power Limited; Chennai; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Venwind Refex Power Limited seeks a seasoned Travel Planning & Bookings leader to oversee domestic and international travel, cost controls, policy compliance, and vendor relationships across the organization.

The ideal candidate will have 8-12 years in corporate travel management, 2-3 years in supervision, strong Excel skills, and experience with travel management systems to drive efficiency, savings, and high service levels. This role supports executives and spans global travel operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a relevant field.
• 8–12 years of corporate travel management experience, with 2–3 years in a supervisory role.
• Proficiency in MS Excel, reporting, expense tracking, and corporate travel booking platforms/systems.

Responsibilities

• Travel Planning & Bookings: arrange domestic and international travel, tickets, hotels, transfers, and itineraries.
• Travel Desk Operations: manage daily requests, confirmations, cancellations, and visa support.
• Vendor Management: negotiate with agencies, airlines, hotels, cab operators; manage relationships and terms.
• Cost & Budget Management: monitor spend, optimize costs, track budgets, identify savings without sacrificing quality.
• Policy & Compliance: ensure adherence to travel policies and guidelines.
• Expense & MIS Reporting: verify invoices, coordinate payments, maintain records, prepare MIS reports.
• Employee & Management Support: handle escalations, last‑minute changes, and executive travel needs.
• Process Improvement: document SOPs, improve turnaround, leverage online booking tools.

Skills

Vendor management

Budgeting

Team leadership

MS Excel

Reporting

Communication

Problem-solving

Negotiation

Travel policy adherence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality, Travel & Tourism, or related field

Tools

MS Excel

Travel Management Systems

Booking platforms

Job description

Role & responsibilities

• Travel Planning & Bookings: Manage domestic and international travel arrangements, including air/train tickets, hotel accommodations, airport transfers, cab bookings, and itinerary preparation.
• Travel Desk Operations: Oversee daily travel requests, booking confirmations, cancellations, rescheduling, refunds, visa support, passport documentation coordination, and travel-related queries.
• Vendor Management: Develop and maintain relationships with travel agencies, airlines, hotels, cab operators, and other service providers; negotiate corporate rates, service agreements, and favourable payment terms.
• Cost & Budget Management: Monitor travel expenditure, optimize booking costs, track budgets, ensure cost-effective travel options, and identify opportunities for savings without compromising service quality.
• Policy & Compliance: Ensure adherence to company travel policies, approval workflows, expense guidelines, and applicable travel documentation requirements.
• Expense & MIS Reporting: Verify travel invoices, coordinate with Finance for payments and reconciliations, maintain booking and expense records, and prepare periodic MIS reports on travel spend, savings, vendor performance, and booking trends.
• Employee & Management Support: Act as the primary point of contact for travel-related escalations, last‑minute changes, emergencies, and executive travel requirements;
• Process Improvement: Establish standard operating procedures, improve booking turnaround time, maintain accurate travel databases, and leverage online booking platforms and technology to improve operational efficiency.

Desired candidate profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality, Travel & Tourism, or a related field.
• 8-12 years of experience in corporate travel management, with at least 2-3 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Experience handling domestic and international travel, senior management travel, and corporate travel vendors.
• Proficiency in MS Excel, reporting, expense tracking, and corporate travel booking platforms or travel management systems.
• Strong negotiation, vendor management, budgeting, team leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.