Director, Travel Initiatives

Ross Stores, Inc.; Dublin (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Ross Stores, Inc. in Dublin, CA seeks a Director, Travel Initiatives to lead strategy, governance, and performance of the Travel, Corporate Credit Card, and Meetings & Events programs.

You will drive spend optimization, compliance, and cross-functional projects across the enterprise. This role partners with Executive Leadership, Finance, HR, Legal, and other stakeholders to deliver measurable value, implement best-in-class processes, and manage supplier relationships, reporting, and cost

Qualifications

• 10+ years in travel management, strategic sourcing, or related fields.
• 5+ years leading complex enterprise-wide projects and initiatives.
• Experience presenting to senior executives and C-suite leaders.

Responsibilities

• Directs development of travel, corporate credit card, and meetings & events programs.
• Oversees governance, policies, and performance standards across programs.
• Leads supplier management, contract negotiations, and KPI reporting.
• Collaborates with Executive Leadership and multiple functions to deliver value.
• Owns budgeting, spend forecasting, and opportunities for cost savings.

Skills

Executive presence

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Our values start with our people, join a team that values you!

Bring your talents to Ross, our leading off-price retail chain with over 2,200 stores, and a strong track record of success and growth. Our focus has always been bringing our customers a constant stream of high-quality brands and on-trend merchandise at extraordinary savings. All while providing a fun and exciting treasure hunt experience.

As part of our team, you will experience:

• Success. Our winning team pursues excellence while learning and evolving
• Career growth. We develop industry leading talent because Ross grows when our people grow<
• Teamwork. We work together to solve the hard problems and find the right solution
• Our commitment to Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, and our community. We celebrate the backgrounds, identities, and ideas of those who work and shop with us because our differences make us stronger. We strive to be a positive force in our community.

Our Corporate headquarters are in Dublin, CA, we have 3 buying offices in key markets in New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, and 8 distribution centers nationwide. With 2023 revenues of $20.4 billion, we are a Fortune 500 company who is committed to providing an inclusive work environment with continuous learning opportunities and development for our teams.

GENERAL PURPOSE

The Director, Travel Initiatives leads the strategy, governance, and performance of the Company’s Travel, Corporate Credit Card, and Meetings & Events programs. This role drives enterprise-wide initiatives to optimize spend, enhance employee experience, strengthen compliance, mitigate risk, and support business growth while overseeing travel operations, supplier management, policy governance, and cross-functional projects.

The position partners extensively with Executive Leadership, Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Human Resources, Legal, Loss Prevention, and business stakeholders to drive enterprise-wide initiatives, deliver measurable business value, and implement best-in-class processes and programs. The Director routinely completes projects and communicates recommendations, business cases, risks, opportunities, and performance results to senior leadership and executive audiences, including C-suite stakeholders.

Establishes technology roadmap for travel and expense systems and leads implementation, enhancement, integration, and user adoption efforts. Owns annual travel and related program expenditures, forecasts spend, identifies savings opportunities, and delivers annual financial performance targets through sourcing, compliance, supplier optimization, and demand management initiatives.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Strategic Leadership & Program Management

• Directs the development and executes the Company's long-term strategy for Travel, Corporate Credit Cards, and Meetings & Events programs, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and financial goals.
• Leads the development of governance, operating models, policies, procedures, and performance standards across all assigned programs.
• Provides strategic leadership and executes complex enterprise-wide initiatives impacting multiple business functions, locations, and stakeholder groups.
• Sets the strategic direction for project governance frameworks, success metrics, and reporting mechanisms to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with business objectives.
• Identifies emerging industry trends, technologies, and best practices and recommends strategic opportunities to improve travel and corporate credit card programs.

Travel Program Leadership

• Maintains overall responsibility for the Company's travel program, policies, supplier strategy, traveler experience, compliance programs, reporting, and operational effectiveness.
• Oversees and maintains travel policies, standards, and governance processes that balance employee experience, risk mitigation, and cost management.
• Provides strategic oversight of the Travel Management Company and all travel-related suppliers, including airlines, hotels, ground transportation providers, meeting and event vendors, and travel technology partners.
• Leads contract negotiations, supplier performance reviews, service-level management, and supplier relationship strategies to maximize value and business outcomes.
• Leads the development and execution of sourcing strategies for meetings, conferences, training events, leadership meetings, and other corporate events.
• Provides strategic oversight for key performance indicators and operational metrics to assess program effectiveness and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Owns and manages the Company's Corporate Credit Card Program, including program strategy, governance, policy development, compliance oversight, employee adoption, controls, reporting, and ongoing program enhancements.
• Directs development of reporting frameworks and performance dashboards to monitor spend, compliance, traveler behavior, supplier performance, and program effectiveness.
• Evaluates program performance and identifies opportunities to improve operational efficiency, user experience, reporting capabilities, and spend visibility.
• Serves as the executive escalation point for significant traveler, supplier, operational, or program-related issues.
• Performs other duties and special projects, as assigned.

Executive Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership regarding travel, operational, and strategic initiatives.
• Develops and delivers clear, concise, and data-driven presentations, recommendations, and business cases to various leadership teams.
• Communicates complex business issues, risks, and opportunities in a manner that supports executive decision-making.
• Influences and gains alignment across diverse stakeholder groups while effectively managing competing priorities and organizational change.
• Builds strong cross-functional partnerships to ensure successful execution of strategic initiatives and ongoing program effectiveness.
• Directs development of the team through performance and talent planning.

COMPETENCIES

• Building Effective Teams
• Developing Talent
• Collaboration
• Leading by Example
• Communicates Effectively
• Ensures Accountability & Execution
• Manages Conflict
• Business Acumen
• Plans, Aligns & Prioritizes
• Organizational Agility
• Strategic Thinking
• Executive Communication
• Executive Presence
• Planning & Organizing
• Relationship Management
• Problem Solving
• Decision Quality

QUALIFICATIONS & SPECIAL SKILLS REQUIRED

• 10+ years of progressive experience in travel management, strategic sourcing, procurement, finance, operations, corporate credit card programs, meetings & events, consulting, or other related disciplines.
• 5+ years leading complex enterprise-wide projects and strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience presenting recommendations and influencing decisions with senior executives and C-suite leaders.
• Strong project and program management experience with a proven record of leading large-scale cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience developing business cases, strategic plans, executive presentations, and change management strategies.
• Ability to communicate complex findings clearly and succinctly, both verbally and in writing, and lead presentations to senior-level Executives
• Strong negotiation, supplier management, and contract management experience.
• Advanced analytical, financial modeling, Excel, and PowerPoint capabilities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into concise executive-level recommendations.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments and manage multiple competing priorities.
• Demonstrated strategic mindset with the ability to connect operational initiatives to broader business objectives.

EDUCATION / CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• GTP, CTM, PMP, CMP certifications preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Job requires ability to work in an office environment, primarily on a computer
• Requires sitting, standing, walking, hearing, talking on the telephone, attending in-person meetings, typing, and working with paper/files, etc
• Consistent timeliness and regular attendance
• Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or electronically
• This role requires regular in-office presence, including to engage in in-person team interaction, meetings and collaboration, client support, mentoring, coaching, and/or feedback
• However, this role can perform duties effectively using a combination of in-office and remote work

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sr. Manager, Travel (Meetings & Events); Lead Travel

DISCLAIMER

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at management's discretion.

Ross is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. We believe that it is an essential part of the Company's overall commitment to attract, hire and develop a strong, talented and diverse workforce. Ross is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.

The base pay range for this role $119,800.00 to $225,250.00. The base pay range is dependent on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, qualifications, relevant education, certifications, seniority, and location. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards vary by position and location.