Travel & Entertainment Contracts Analyst

University of California - Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara (CA); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Full benefits

Job summary

University of California - Santa Barbara (UCSB) seeks a Travel, Entertainment, and Compliance Contract Specialist to manage end-to-end travel/entertainment agreements with strict labor compliance. The role partners with ELR, Procurement and Risk Management to mitigate financial and legal risks, audits invoices, and maintains systems like AgileOne and ServiceNow.

The position emphasizes policy-driven contracting, training material development, and cross-department collaboration to ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related area or equivalent experience.
• 4–6 years in higher education or government operations.
• Experience drafting, analyzing, and negotiating travel, entertainment, lodging, and facility-use agreements.
• Strong knowledge of labor compliance and contracting-out policies.
• Experience reviewing financial terms and auditing invoices for wage parity.
• Proficient with ServiceNow and AgileOne in compliance tracking.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with risk-management liaison.

Responsibilities

• 55% Contract Negotiation and Review - negotiate, review, analyze, and execute travel and entertainment related agreements.
• 30% Compliance for Covered Services - ensure compliance with UC policies and wage/benefit parity reporting.
• 10% Customer Service and Special Projects - manage contract intake, respond to requests, and support ELR/Procurement initiatives.
• 5% Duties as Assigned - other duties as needed.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Labor compliance

Policy interpretation

Financial analysis

Vendor management

Stakeholder collaboration

ServiceNow

AgileOne

Communication skills

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

ServiceNow

AgileOne

Job description

Position Number: 41260381
Payroll Title: CONTRACT ADM 3 (007380)
Job Code: 007380
Job Open Date: 8/14/2026
Application Review Begins: 8/31/2026
Department Code (Name): CTLR (CONTROLLER) - Business & Financial Services
Percentage of Time: 100
Union Code (Name): 99
Employee Class (Appointment Type): Staff: Contract
FLSA Status: Exempt
Classified Indicator Description (Personnel Program): PSS
Salary Grade: Grade 22
Pay Rate/Range: The budgeted salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $81,600 to $98,150/year. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience; the budget for the position; and the application of fair, equitable, and consistent pay practices at the University. The full salary range for this position is $81,600 to $147,800/year.
Work Location: Student Affairs & Admin Svs - 3203
Working Days and Hours: M-F 8am - 5pm
Benefits Eligibility: Full Benefits
Type of Remote or Hybrid Work Arrangement, if applicable: Hybrid (Both UC & Non-UC locations) BFS supports a hybrid agreement for this position and will continue to do so as long as it makes sense for the position and meets the campus policies.

Department Marketing Statement:

In support of the UCSB Mission and UC Statement of Ethical Values, Business & Financial Services is an integral campus and community partner, providing sustainable value-added services and solutions to ensure responsible compliance and stewardship.

Benefits of Belonging

Working at UC means being part of this vibrant institution that shines a light on what is possible. People make UC great, and UC recognizes your contributions by making this a great place to work. Excellent retirement and health are just one of the rewards. Learn more about the benefits of working at UC

Brief Summary of Job Duties:

The Travel, Entertainment, and Compliance Contract Specialist serves as the primary subject matter expert responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of travel, entertainment, and event-related agreements across the University. This role blends expert contract negotiation with strict labor and policy compliance, ensuring all university-sponsored events, catering, lodging, and facility agreements align with institutional standards and legal frameworks. A key focus of this position is managing compliance for UC Contracting Out for Covered Services (Regents Policy 5402 / AFSCME Article 5). The incumbent will proactively partner with Employee & Labor Relations (ELR), Procurement, and external vendors to mitigate financial and legal risks, audit vendor invoices for wage parity, and manage tracking systems like AgileOne. Acting as a trusted strategic partner, this role provides dynamic customer service, develops training materials, manages a digital helpdesk intake system (ServiceNow), and guides campus departments through complex policy landscapes. Pursuant to the delegation of authority authorized by the campus Materiel Manager; negotiates, processes, executes, and issues agreements in compliance with Federal Regulations, State Law, and University policy.

Required Qualifications:

• Required Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training Bachelor's Degree
• 4-6 years At least 5 years of experience working within higher education or government operations is required.
• 4-6 years Proven expertise in drafting, analyzing, and negotiating complex travel, entertainment, lodging, and facility use agreements to minimize institutional liability.
• 4-6 years Strong working knowledge of labor compliance, collective bargaining agreements, and policies regarding contracting out for covered services (such as UC Regents Policy 5402 or similar state/institutional mandates).
• 4-6 years Demonstrated ability to review financial terms, audit vendor invoices for wage and benefit parity, and manage advanced spreadsheets for compliance reporting.
• 4-6 years Proficiency in managing digital contract intake queues (such as ServiceNow) and centralized compliance tracking databases (such as AgileOne).

• 4-6 years Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a track record of partnering effectively with Risk Management, Legal Counsel, and Labor Relations departments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 4-6 years Direct, hands-on experience navigating University of California (UC) systemwide business policies, procurement protocols, and record retention requirements.
• 4-6 years Experience designing, editing, and delivering training materials and compliance workshops for diverse campus departments and external vendors.
• 4-6 years Familiarity with processing and managing formal public records requests for executed contracts and related documentation.
• 4-6 years Experience creating and maintaining informational websites or internal resource portals to provide guidance on submission and contract instructions.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employee sponsorship.
• Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests Filer
• Satisfactory criminal history background check
• UCSB is a Tobacco-Free environment

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement:

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Job Functions and Percentages of Time:

• 55% Contract Negotiation and Review - Responsible for negotiating, reviewing, analyzing, and executing all travel and entertainment related agreements, including but not limited to hotel room blocks, event coordination, facility use agreements, hotel rates, catering and restaurants, banquet event (BEOs), travel agencies, and film permits. -Develops new and improves existing agreement templates. -Serves as a trusted strategic partner with University business and academic units to provide practical advice on agreements. -Analyzes agreements in an objective manner, derives logical conclusions to provide a sound basis for establishment of terms, and resolves conflicts to make timely and high-quality decisions. -Ensures agreements meet applicable standards and comply with relevant laws and UC policies, particularly with regard to travel and entertainment policies and rates. -Reviews all agreements for financial terms, usage restrictions, cancellation rights, liability, and indemnification requirements. -Identifies potential adverse implications in agreements, and recommends ways to reduce exposure to the University. -Consults with Risk Management, Policy Office, Procurement, or other UC campuses as needed. -Identifies problematic contract provisions, evaluates risk benefit, and formulates alternatives to effect resolution. -Interprets the varying objectives and needs of the University, University personnel, and outside parties to provide dynamic customer service. -Works with suppliers, customers, colleagues, and representatives of industry or government on the negotiation of agreements for mutual resolution. -Keeps accurate record keeping and tracks all contracts signed in compliance with UC quality protocols and record retention requirements to ensure transactions and decisions are documented from origination through completion. -Provides functional advice, training, and/or guidance to campus departments. -Creates and maintains a website for information related to Travel & Entertainment contracts, Covered Services, and submission/request instructions. -Demonstrates sound decision making and judgement in execution of duties. -Negotiates, processes, executes, and issues agreements as authorized by the Materiel Manager's delegation of authority. Performs and maintains all required documentation for contract-based procurement transactions in a manner that reflects a thorough knowledge of established policies and procedures. Ensures compliance with Federal regulations, State law, and University policy. Maintains functional responsibility to the Materiel Manager for the purposes of the delegation. Attends meetings and training as required by the Materiel Manager.
• 30% Compliance for Covered Services - Manages travel and entertainment processes related to compliance with Regents Policy 5402, Article 5 of the collective bargaining agreements between the University and AFSCME (and any subsequent iterations thereof), policies pursuant to California Senate Bills 820 and 27 (and any subsequent bills related), and other related systemwide policies and requirements regarding limitations on contracting out for covered services ("Contracting for Covered Services"). -Proactively works with partners in Employee & Labor Relations (ELR) and Procurement to ensure campus compliance, issue reporting to UCOP, and provide responsive documents for RFI's. -Leads, prepares and edits training materials for regular campus trainings on Travel & Entertainment contracts and Contracting Out for catering. -Regularly communicates with campus customers, reducing risk to the University by ensuring departmental compliance with the UC Contracting Out for Covered Services policy. -Reviews all catering invoices for compliance with Wage and Benefit parity rates and ensures timely submission of supplier employee hours in AgileOne, UC's Covered Services tracking system. -Keeps informed on changing legislation and arbitration developments affecting related operations of the University. -Recommends changes to affected procedures and assists with implementation. -Liaises on behalf of the University as a Subject Matter Expert for Contracting Out for Covered Services. -Works with catering vendors to ensure compliance and remediate wage payment discrepancies. -Ensures efficient business process and workflow tools. -Develops and maintains advanced spreadsheets to support analysis. -Ensures that the appropriate internal controls are addressed, maintained, and strengthened to protect University resources.
• 10% Customer Service and Special Projects - Manages a contract and helpdesk intake system such as ServiceNow, answers incoming tickets and self-manages assignments. -Responds to public records requests for signed contracts. -Completes work as assigned in support of ELR, Procurement, and Budget & Planning initiatives. Participates in departmental and campus-wide committees, task forces, and work-groups. -Performs reporting for Business & Financial Services and ELR as needed. -Participates in professional development and training. -May train staff as appropriate, and helps to create an effective team environment.
• 5% Duties as Assigned - As time permits, may perform other duties as assigned.

UC Vaccination Programs Policy:

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccinations Programs.
As a condition of Physical Presence at a Location or in a University Program, all Covered Individuals* must participate in any applicable Vaccination Program by providing proof that they are Up-to-Date with any required Vaccines or submitting a request for Exception in a Mandate Program or properly declining vaccination in an Opt-Out Program no later than the Compliance Date (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.). Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

For more information, please visit University of California Policy on Vaccinations - https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy

*Covered Individuals: A Covered Individual includes anyone designated as Personnel or Students under this Policy who physically access a University Facility or Program in connection with their employment, appointment, or education/training. A person accessing a Healthcare Location as a patient, or an art, athletics, entertainment, or other publicly accessible venue at a Location as a member of the public, is not a Covered Individual.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Reasonable Accommodations:

The University of California endeavors to make https://jobs.ucsb.edu accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Katherine Abad in Human Resources at 805-893-4664 or email [e-mail]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.