Operations Team Leader

American Express Global Business Travel; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 67,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

Amex Global Business Travel seeks a Team Leader to run the program team, own the plan and budget for each program, and be the client’s daily delivery contact.

You will own delivery from kickoff through onsite execution, manage timelines in Smartsheet, and oversee registration, housing, and attendee communications in Cvent.

This role requires 8+ years delivering large corporate meetings, 3+ years leading a team, and advanced Cvent proficiency; US base salary range is provided.

Qualifications

• Eight+ years delivering large corporate meetings and events.
• At least 3 years leading a team of meeting professionals.
• Experience on a dedicated account team under a client SOW.
• Ownership of multimillion-dollar program budgets with forecasts and reconciliations.
• Advanced Cvent proficiency and comfort with client-owned instances.

Responsibilities

• Lead the dedicated account program team across the calendar and budgets.
• Own delivery from kickoff through onsite execution, including flagship conference.
• Serve as the client’s primary delivery contact with status reporting.
• Own program budgets from initial estimate to final reconciliation.
• Maintain master timelines in Smartsheet and ensure on-time delivery.
• Oversee registration, housing, and attendee communications in Cvent.
• Lead supplier and venue management from sourcing to contract compliance.
• Oversee onsite delivery including staffing, run-of-show, and issue escalation.
• Maintain program documentation and debriefs for renewal.
• Partner with Head of Event Operations on planning, scope, and resourcing.

Skills

Event leadership

Cvent proficiency

Smartsheet proficiency

Executive presence

People leadership

Education

CMP or CMM certification

Tools

Cvent

Smartsheet

Job description

United States

Full time

J-84854

Amex GBT is a place where colleagues find inspiration in travel as a force for good and – through their work – can make an impact on our industry. We’re here to help our colleagues achieve success and offer an inclusive and collaborative culture where your voice is valued.

The Team Leader runs the program team, owns the plan and the budget for every assigned program, and is the client's daily contact for delivery. The Account Director owns the account relationship, commercial scope, and strategy. The Team Leader makes the programs happen and builds the team that delivers them.

What You'll Do

• Lead the dedicated account program team, including Sr Meeting Managers, Meeting Managers, Meeting Coordinators, and functional leads for registration, content, and food and beverage, with direct responsibility for assignments, performance, development, and coverage across the program calendar.

• Own delivery for every assigned program from planning kickoff through onsite execution and close, including the flagship annual conference.

• Serve as the client's primary delivery contact day to day, running planning cadences, status reporting, and decision requests so the client always knows where each program stands and what it needs from them.

• Own program budgets from initial estimate through final reconciliation, including forecasts, change control, supplier commitments, and the financial reporting the client relies on.

• Own the master timeline and milestone tracking for every program in Smartsheet, and hold the team, suppliers, and client stakeholders to their dates.

• Oversee registration, housing, and attendee communications built in the client's Cvent instance, and own the data integrity, reporting, and privacy discipline that come with it.

• Lead supplier and venue management across the portfolio, from sourcing handoff through contract compliance and onsite performance, across hotels, destination and technology partners, and production resources.

• Lead onsite delivery for major programs, including staffing plans, precon meetings, run of show ownership, daily leadership huddles, and issue escalation, with the travel and extended program weeks that come with it.

• Own program documentation standards: planning files, decision logs, supplier records, and post program debriefs that let any team member pick up a program and let the account demonstrate its value at renewal.

• Partner with the Head of Event Operations on account planning, scope management, staffing forecasts, and change requests, and raise scope creep, risk, and resourcing gaps early with a recommendation attached.

What We're Looking For

• Eight or more years delivering large corporate meetings and events, with at least three years leading a team of meeting professionals through full program cycles.

• Experience on a dedicated account team operating under a client statement of work, ideally as its lead.

• Ownership of multimillion dollar program budgets, with a track record of accurate forecasts, clean reconciliations, and change control the client accepts.

• Delivery of large conferences with thousands of attendees inside a multiprogram annual calendar, with the judgment to run concurrent programs at different stages.

• Advanced Cvent proficiency, including event builds, registration paths, reporting, and integrations, and comfort administering programs inside a client owned instance.

• Working command of Smartsheet or an equivalent project tracking tool, and the habit of keeping the plan current enough that the client can read status without asking.

• Executive client presence: able to run a client planning meeting, deliver a hard update, and hold a recommendation under pressure.

• People leadership that sets clear expectations, develops meeting managers and coordinators, and handles performance conversations directly.

• Precise written communication: status reports, decision logs, and client updates that hold up when read back months later.

• Preferred: CMP or CMM; experience leading programs through consolidation, redesign, or a change of venue or format; time at a hotel, destination management company, or production partner that provides the supplier's view of the agency.

Location

United States

The US national base salary range for this position is from

$66,500.00 - $123,500.00

The national range provided includes the base salary that Amex GBT expects to pay for the role. Actual base salary will be based on factors including the scope and complexity of the role and the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and work location.

For information about our comprehensive US benefits programs and eligibility, please review our Benefits-at-a-Glance document.

Benefits at a glance (https://experience100.ehr.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=CjACTXO3wMk%3d&portalid=66)

The #TeamGBT Experience

Work and life: Find your happy medium at Amex GBT.

• Flexible benefits are tailored to each country and start the day you do. These include health and welfare insurance plans, retirement programs, parental leave, adoption assistance, and wellbeing resources to support you and your immediate family.

• Travel perks: get a choice of deals each week from major travel providers on everything from flights to hotels to cruises and car rentals.

• Develop the skills you want when the time is right for you, with access to over 20,000 courses on our learning platform, leadership courses, and new job openings available to internal candidates first.

• We strive to champion Inclusion in every aspect of our business at Amex GBT. You can connect with colleagues through our global INclusion Groups, centered around common identities or initiatives, to discuss challenges, obstacles, achievements, and drive company awareness and action.

• And much more!

All applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, gender (and characteristics related to sex and gender), pregnancy (and related medical conditions), race, color, citizenship, religion, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by law.

Furthermore, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the hiring process. For details regarding how we protect your data, please consult the Amex GBT Recruitment Privacy Statement (https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/gbt-recruitment-privacy-statement/) .

What if I don’t meet every requirement?

If you’re passionate about our mission and believe you’d be a phenomenal addition to our team, don’t worry about “checking every box;