T&E Global Category Director

TP; Portugal; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

TP is seeking a Director of Travel & Expenses to lead the transformation of our T&E strategy and governance. You will own the Global Travel Policy, shape the vendor landscape, and establish a Control Tower to provide the executive with a unified view of travel activity across regions.

You will drive compliance through centralized booking and secure improved terms with airlines, hotels, car rentals, and rail providers.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive procurement leadership experience.
• Proven track record in travel spend categories and savings.
• Strong capability to influence senior stakeholders, including the C-suite and Board.

Responsibilities

• Lead global T&E strategy aligned with TP’s financial and operational objectives.
• Own revised global Travel Policy and sign-off by regions.
• Define and deploy car policy, supplier frameworks, and savings opportunities.
• Drive centralized booking tool rollout across regions and monitor adoption.
• Analyze T&E spend, negotiate terms with airlines/hotels/cars, and drive cost savings.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Vendor management

Communication with C-suite

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

Shape the Future with TP

Welcome to TP, a global leader in AI-powered digital business services where technology meets human empathy. Generating over €10 billion in annual revenue and backed by a global team of nearly 500,000 passionate experts, we partner with the world’s most iconic brands across nearly 100 countries in over 300 languages. By combining advanced artificial intelligence, proprietary technology, and high-touch human care, we redefine digital customer experience, process automation, and enterprise solutions.

Shape the Future with TP

Welcome to TP, a global leader in AI-powered digital business services where technology meets human empathy. Generating over €10 billion in annual revenue and backed by a global team of nearly 500,000 passionate experts, we partner with the world’s most iconic brands across nearly 100 countries in over 300 languages. By combining advanced artificial intelligence, proprietary technology, and high-touch human care, we redefine digital customer experience, process automation, and enterprise solutions.

As a certified Great Place to Work® across almost 100 countries, our foundation is built on an inclusive culture and a genuine sense of belonging. Whether you are driving digital transformation, elevating client success, or building cutting-edge solutions, your talent is the key to unlocking what’s next.

Why This Role Matters

TP is seeking a Director of Travel & Expenses to lead the charge in transforming our T&E strategy by ensuring ownership of and adherence to the existing Global Travel Policy, creating a best-in-in class travel vendor landscape and leverage the newly established T&E Control Tower. Travel is one of the critical spend categories of TP and the T&E Director will receive C suite level visibility from Day 1.

In this role, the T&E Director will drive compliance through a centralized booking tool, secure improved commercial terms with strategic travel vendors such as airlines, hotels, car rentals and rail providers.

The T&E control tower will be leveraged and continuously communicated to the C suite to provide a unified view of travel activity across regions and Bus, driving efficiency, cost savings, and strategic supplier consolidations and collaboration.

How You Will Make An Impact

• Develop and execute a global T&E strategy aligned with TP’s Corporate financial and operational objectives.
• Lead T&E optimization initiatives through T&E control Tower, monitoring actuals VS forecasts, and address largest deviations
• Own the revised global Travel policy, ensuring alignment across regions and sign off by local entities to secure accountability
• Define and deploy car policy, including rules, vehicle categories, supplier frameworks, and savings opportunities.
• Accelerate rollout of the centralized booking tool across regions including monitoring of it.
• Direct T&E supplier strategy, maintaining and refreshing preferred airline, hotel, car and rail programs, and ensure negotiated rate application (via the tool)
• Analyze T&E spend and market evolutions patterns to drive cost savings, supplier consolidation and operational efficiency
• Establish and enforce supplier performance KPIs, SLAs, hotel rate caps, cabin-class and advance-purchase rules, and governance of it.
• Ensure compliance with security, data privacy and regulatory requirement across all travel supplier relationship
• Champion the enforcement of T&E governance with diplomacy, proactively secure the executive sponsorship for effective deployment and continuous improvement
• Drive tool adoptions with clear and shared guidelines and continuous communication.

Your Roadmap to Success

• Complete a baseline T&E spend and leakage diagnostic across regions, including booking channels, out of policy spend, supplier usage, car policy adherence…
• Build and maintain a supplier renewal and negotiation calendar across key suppliers, to ensure efficient negotiation and costs savings
• Finalize and deploy revised global Travel Policy
• Accelerate rollout of the centralized booking tool across regions including monitoring of it.
• Identify prioritized T&E savings pipeline with confirmed initiatives, owners, implementation milestones and value tracking
• Strengthen the T&E control tower with clear policies, process and KPIs to track performance
• Ensure implementation of negotiated rates in tool via KPIs communicated and monitored

What You Bring To The Team

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field is preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive procurement leadership experience, including significant regional or multi-country scope.
• Proven track record of managing high-value spend categories, focusing on travel categories
• Strong experience building and delivering savings pipelines, from opportunity identification and business-case development through implementation tracking.
• Strategic thinker with operational discipline, capable of operating effectively within a matrixed global organization.
• Demonstrated capability in creating strong cross-functional relationships and effectively influencing senior stakeholders; exceptional communication skills with C-suite and Board level.
• Deep expertise in third-party vendor management, complex contract negotiation, supplier rationalization, Total Cost of Ownership optimization, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Industry experience in professional services, technology services, or a similar complex multi-region environment is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale transformation initiatives and modernize legacy procurement functions.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quantify value, track cost savings, and optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
• Comprehensive knowledge of global procurement best practices, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics.
• Ability to build and mentor high-performing regional teams, cultivating a culture of accountability and innovation.
• High integrity with an unwavering commitment to compliance, transparency, and ethical sourcing.

Pre-Employment Screenings

By TP policy, employment in this position will be contingent on your successful completion of and passage of a comprehensive background check, including global sanctions and watchlist screening.

Important | Policy on Unsolicited Third-Party Candidate Submissions

TP does not accept candidate submissions from unsolicited third parties, including recruiters or headhunters. Applications will not be considered, and no contractual association will be established through such submissions.

Culture & Belonging

At TP, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and lifestyles and do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, pregnancy status, veteran status, or other differences.