Category Manager, Travel

CoreTrust Purchasing Group; United States; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free snacks and beverages on-site

Education stipend: $1500–$500 annual

Brand new tech-enabled workspace in aV

Job summary

CoreTrust Purchasing Group is seeking a Travel Category Manager to shape CoreTrust's travel solutions portfolio for member organizations. You will work with suppliers, sales, marketing, finance, and member-facing teams to grow offerings that deliver exceptional value.

Responsibilities include developing category strategies, managing key supplier partnerships, and leading negotiations to drive revenue growth and value.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business travel, travel management, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier partnerships, procurement, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of the travel ecosystem including TMCs, meetings & events, lodging, and ground transportation.
• Experience managing supplier relationships, contracts, negotiations, or partnerships.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and work cross-functionally across sales, marketing, finance, operations, and customer-facing teams.
• Strong analytical and business acumen with the ability to translate data into recommendations and actions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies across travel-related solutions.
• Build and manage strategic supplier relationships as the primary owner for key partnerships.
• Lead supplier negotiations, renewals, and sourcing initiatives that create value for members and CoreTrust.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to launch new offerings and drive adoption.
• Monitor category performance, analyze trends, and identify opportunities for revenue growth and value.

Skills

Category management

Supplier partnerships

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel industry knowledge

Analytical skills

Job description

CoreTrust helps organizations activate value faster—and get more out of every dollar they spend. Through enterprise-scale purchasing power, a curated supplier network, deep category expertise , and data-driven insights, we enable organizations to make more informed and strategic procurement decisions, accelerate savings, and drive stronger business performance. Today, more than 4,000 organizations rely on CoreTrust to simplify sourcing, reduce complexity, and unlock measurable value across critical spend categories.

As part of our Portfolio team, the Travel Category Manager will shape the future of CoreTrust's travel solutions portfolio, helping thousands of member organizations access best-in-class travel, meetings, rideshare, and mobility programs.

This is a highly visible role that combines industry expertise, supplier partnership management, category strategy, and go-to-market execution. You'll work closely with suppliers, sales, marketing, finance, and member-facing teams to grow market-leading travel solutions while delivering exceptional value to members.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute category strategies across travel-related solutions, including travel management, travel marketplace, rideshare, rental car, and meetings & events

Build and manage strategic supplier relationships, serving as the primary business owner for key partnerships

Lead supplier negotiations, contract renewals, and sourcing initiatives that create value for members and CoreTrust

Partner with Sales and Marketing to launch new offerings and drive adoption through effective go-to-market strategies

Monitor category performance, analyze trends, and identify opportunities for revenue growth, member value, and operational improvements

Serve as a travel-industry subject matter expert, supporting internal teams and engaging directly with members when needed

Stay informed on industry trends, supplier innovations, and emerging opportunities that can strengthen the CoreTrust portfolio.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business travel, travel management, strategic sourcing, category management, supplier partnerships, procurement, or a related field
• Strong understanding of the travel ecosystem, including travel management companies (TMCs), meetings & events, lodging, ground transportation, or related services
• Experience managing supplier relationships, contracts, negotiations, or strategic partnerships
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and work cross-functionally across sales, marketing, finance, operations, and customer-facing teams
• Strong analytical and business acumen with the ability to translate data into recommendations and action
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills

Experience in corporate travel programs, travel procurement, supplier partnership management, or category management preferred

Experience leading RFPs, sourcing initiatives, or complex commercial negotiations preferred

Knowledge of the Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) model preferred

Experience in meetings & events, travel technology, mobility, or adjacent travel categories preferred

• Must be willing to travel approximately 15 % of the time , as required
• Competitive compensation package
• Free individual employee medical coverage
• Company subsidized dental and vision coverage
• Dollar for dollar 401(k) match up to 6% of your salary with immediate vesting
• Company-paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability coverage
• Employee Assistance Program to support your wellbeing and mental health
• $1500 annual stipend for undergraduate/graduate college courses; $500 annual stipend for continuing education courses/certifications
• Free snacks and beverages on-site
• Brand new, state-of-the-art, tech-enabled work environment in downtown Nashville

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in CoreTrust Purchasing Group’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.