Director, Travel Services

The Navan Global Operations & Service (GO&S) team is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Director of Travel Services to lead our North America Travel Services organization.

In this role, you will be responsible for delivering exceptional customer experiences, driving operational excellence, and building scalable, high-performing teams that support Navan's continued growth.

We're looking for a leader who combines strong operational expertise, a passion for the travel industry, and a technology-first mindset, with the ability to leverage AI, automation, and data-driven insights to transform how we support our customers.

What You'll Do

• Lead and scale Travel Services operations across North America, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality customer support while balancing customer satisfaction, operational performance, and cost efficiency.
• Own and continuously evolve the Global Operations & Service operating model, developing scalable support strategies across Core, Designated, Dedicated, and other specialized service offerings.
• Build and execute operational strategies that support business growth, improve efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences across customer segments.
• Lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, engagement, and professional growth.
• Own operational performance and key service metrics, including SLA, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, efficiency, and cost-to-serve, translating insights into measurable improvements.
• Champion the adoption of AI, automation, and emerging technologies to transform service delivery, improve agent productivity, enhance customer experience, and optimize operational costs.
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Analytics, and other stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and implement technology-driven improvements, including AI-powered agent assistance, automated quality assurance, knowledge management, and workflow automation.
• Leverage data and analytics to identify operational trends, anticipate customer needs, improve workforce efficiency, and drive strategic decision-making.
• Lead operational transformation initiatives, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and scale service delivery without compromising quality.
• Partner with Workforce Management, Learning & Development, Talent Acquisition, and other regional leaders to ensure effective capacity planning, hiring, training, and talent development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure alignment between service delivery, customer expectations, business priorities, and financial objectives.
• Develop and execute strategies to continuously improve the traveler experience, particularly for enterprise and high-value customers with complex travel requirements.
• Drive operational readiness and effective crisis management during travel disruptions, irregular operations (IROPs), and other high-impact events.
• Manage relevant technology and vendor partnerships, including evaluating solutions, driving implementation, and ensuring measurable business outcomes.
• Challenge the status quo, bring forward innovative ideas, and lead initiatives that position Navan as an industry leader in travel services.

What We're Looking For

Leadership & Operational Experience

• 10+ years of experience in Operations, Customer Support, or Service Delivery, ideally within a large-scale, global or multinational organization.
• 5+ years of senior leadership experience, managing large, complex teams in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Proven track record of building, scaling, and transforming high-performing customer service or contact center operations.
• Strong understanding of contact center operations, including workforce management, capacity planning, service-level management, quality assurance, and operational efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business objectives into operational strategies, measurable KPIs, and tangible business outcomes.
• Strong financial and business acumen, with experience managing budgets, optimizing cost-to-serve, and making data-driven investment decisions.
• Proven ability to lead change, drive accountability, and build engaged, high-performing teams.
• Experience managing complex projects and cross-functional initiatives, delivering results against ambitious timelines.

AI, Technology & Innovation

• Demonstrated experience leveraging AI, automation, and digital technologies to improve customer support operations, employee productivity, and customer experience.
• Hands-on exposure to AI-powered customer service solutions, such as agent copilots, conversational AI, chatbots, automated quality assurance, intelligent knowledge management, or workflow automation.
• Ability to identify and prioritize AI and automation opportunities, translate them into practical use cases, and measure their impact on operational performance, customer experience, and cost efficiency.
• Strong understanding of modern contact center technology, including CRM platforms, omnichannel solutions, workforce management tools, and performance analytics.
• A technology-first mindset, with curiosity about emerging AI capabilities and the ability to drive adoption and change across large teams.
• Experience partnering with Product and Engineering teams to improve internal tools, automate processes, and enhance the agent and customer experience.

Travel Industry Expertise — Strongly Preferred

• Previous experience in the travel industry is strongly preferred, particularly within corporate travel, Travel Management Companies (TMCs), airlines, or travel technology organizations.
• Solid understanding of corporate travel operations, including reservations, ticketing, exchanges, refunds, travel policies, and complex itinerary management.
• Knowledge of Global Distribution Systems (GDS), particularly Sabre or Amadeus, and their role in travel servicing operations.
• Familiarity with travel industry challenges, including irregular operations (IROPs), airline disruptions, schedule changes, and time-sensitive traveler support.
• Experience supporting enterprise or high-value travel customers, with an understanding of the expectations associated with premium and dedicated service models.
• Understanding of travel industry trends, emerging technologies, and opportunities to improve travel servicing through automation and AI.

Leadership & Collaboration

• An inspiring, hands-on leader who is passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences and developing talent.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to make sound decisions in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• A collaborative mindset and proven ability to build strong partnerships across global teams and functions.
• Comfortable challenging existing ways of working, introducing new ideas, and driving meaningful organizational change.
• A strong sense of ownership, urgency, and accountability, with a consistent track record of delivering measurable results.

Originally posted on Himalayas