Travel Program Lead

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

The Travel Program Lead is responsible to execute on the strategy of and day-to-day management of the company’s corporate travel & expense program. This role maintains flow between travel and expense processes, ensures travel policies are consistently applied, travel spend is optimized, and employee safety, compliance, and traveler experience are balanced effectively. 
 
The Travel Program Lead will manage supplier relationships across air, lodging, ground transportation and catering service providers, oversee the Travel Management Company (TMC), and deliver analytics-driven insights to support cost control, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency. 
 

Key Responsibilities 

• Develop, maintain, and enforce corporate travel policies. 

• Ensure compliance with travel standards across all business units. 

• Monitor proper expense policy compliance and process. 

• Develop regular T&E reporting for presentation to management on compliance and spend.

• Partner with Legal, HR, Security and Risk on duty-of-care initiatives. 

• Establish and manage supplier relationships with airlines, hotels, car rental, ground transportation, and catering service providers. 

• Lead sourcing events, negotiations, and contract management activities. 

• Manage and oversee the Travel Management Company (TMC). 

• Monitor travel spend and identify cost-savings opportunities. 

• Develop preferred supplier programs to maximize value and compliance. 

• Track contract performance, rebates, and savings. 

• Support travel budgeting and forecasting activities. 

• Collaborate with internal security teams on traveler safety and emergency response. 

• Ensure suppliers meet safety and insurance requirements. 

• Develop reporting dashboards for spend, compliance, and supplier performance. 

• Serve as the primary escalation point for travel-related issues. 

• Deliver training and communication on travel policies and tools. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Busi