SSC-Travel Operations Lead

The Head – Travel Desk will be responsible for leading and managing end-to-end travel operations for the GMR Group, covering both domestic and international travel. The role encompasses airline ticketing, visa processing, travel insurance, hotel accommodations, and surface transport arrangements. The incumbent will drive operational efficiency, cost optimization, and compliance with travel policies while facilitating seamless travel experiences for employees and business stakeholders.

Head- Travel Desk

SSC- Business Head

1. Travel Coordinators

Responsibilities

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Customer Service and Satisfaction

• Lead coordination with airlines, hotels, and third-party service providers to deliver timely and quality service for GMR employees and internal customers.
• Address all travel-related escalations across departments and drive timely closure of employee issues, including urgent ticketing needs and training support.

• Customer satisfaction score
• Escalation log closures
• Speed and quality of issue resolution

Vendor and Partner Contract Management

• Drive identification, negotiation, and finalization of group-level contracts in consultation with Group Head – FMS, covering airlines, hotel chains, surface travel providers, and TMCs.
• Lead selection and onboarding of Travel Management Companies (TMCs) with defined SLAs and commercial terms.

• Total contract value
• SLA adherence rate
• Timeliness of contract execution

Cost Optimization and Policy Compliance

• Drive cost-effective travel solutions from vendors while aligning with the Group Travel Policy and minimizing non-compliance incidents.
• Monitor and reduce missed savings across ticketing and accommodation by enhancing booking practices and vendor negotiations.

• Number of compliance deviations
• % reduction in missed savings period-on-period

MIS and Reporting

• Provide accurate, timely, and comprehensive travel MIS reports for management review, including insights to trigger control actions.
• Track closure of travel-related issues and action items identified in management reviews.

• Timeliness and accuracy of MIS submissions
• % closure of identified management actions

Cross-Functional Liaison

• Act as the single point of contact for cross-functional coordination related to travel issues, driving swift resolution in collaboration with departments such as Finance, Admin, and HR.
• Support Finance in resolution of travel vendor invoice processing issues and reconciliation activities.

• Speed of resolution of cross-departmental issues
• % of travel vendor invoice issues resolved

Employee Service Support

• Manage travel desk responsiveness for all employee queries, urgent bookings, training requests, and escalations to provide seamless travel support.

• Satisfaction ratings from internal customers
• Number and resolution time of escalations

Process Improvements

• Lead ongoing enhancements in travel desk operations through structured process improvement initiatives.
• Act as Subject Matter Expert (SME) in implementation and refinement of travel and expense management solutions.

• Number of process improvements implemented
• % improvement in operational efficiency

Responsibilities

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Innovation and Program Support

• Assess new travel technologies and service providers, including card-based solutions, networked aggregators, and loyalty programs, to propose innovations that enhance service levels and reduce cost.

• Number of innovation programs proposed
• % adoption of identified innovations

Supplier Performance Assessment

• Institutionalize a real-time supplier feedback mechanism and periodic 360-degree performance reviews to assess responsiveness and service quality.

• Number of supplier feedback channels implemented
• Frequency of performance reviews and % improvement in supplier KPIs

Accounting and Tax Compliance Support

• Drive vendor reconciliation and coordinate with Finance to facilitate GL accuracy and account hygiene by obtaining accurate inputs from suppliers.

• Vendor open balances
• Outstanding dues and resolution rate

• 3rd Party Travel Ticketing Vendor
• Airlines/ Hotels
• 3rd party Aggregators

• F&A Teams
• Employees
• Management
• Internal and Statutory audit

• Approx travel spend (Rs.) and average tickets per month for Domestic and international sector

• Ticket issuances of 110- 120 tickets in a day and an avg. of 6000 tickets/quarter, in addition to the user related issues/escalations that are handled and resolved daily

• Graduate degree in any discipline
• MBA preferable
• Knowledge of travel & ticketing software
• Global mobility and visa/ insurance requirements knowledge

• 10-12 Years’ experience in in leading 3rd party Travel Ticketing and complete Travel operations partner
• Exposure to Automated Travel expense management systems and booking systems
• 3-4 years of experience in Customer service management in Hospitality, Airline operations or F&B Services sector
• Experience and basic working knowledge of SAP FICO
• 2-4 years of experience in working in Large Conglomerate as inhouse travel desk
• People management experience in managing team of 2-3 members and multiple service partners
• Call Centre and Services delivery expertise
• Experience in supporting corporate procurement team in technical evaluation and formulation of RFP for service provisions