Director, Travel & Expense Management

The Director of Global Travel & Expense will lead the strategic and operational management of Versant’s end-to-end global Travel & Expense Management, as well as Commercial Card programs. This role is responsible for overseeing global provision of company-wide employee travel operations for Versant businesses, including the re-design of in-source, co-source and out-source operational models to ensure cost effective, efficient operations. The Director will drive policy compliance, ensuring accurate and timely expense processing, maintaining internal controls, and support employees globally through a consistent and efficient travel and expense experience. Reporting to the SVP of Accounting Operations, the Director will manage cross-functional teams and multi-national vendor relationships (e.g., BCD Travel, Concur, CitiBank, BPO) and will play a critical role in ensuring operational readiness for Day 1 and beyond as Versant launches as a newly independent company. The key purpose of this role is to provide essential travel, commercial card, and compliance operational and strategic leadership serving the needs of Versant’s traveling employees on a global basis. Key Responsibilities Service Delivery Lead the design and execution of global T&E processes including card issuance, expense reporting, auditing, exception handling, and reimbursement. Ensure seamless integration between Concur, CitiBank, and SAP, while coordinating with BPO provider and internal teams for operations and support. Oversee recurring and one-time T&E workflows, ensuring timely audits, approvals, and payments across domestic and international entities.[R(1] [J(2] [CC3] Provide strategic direction to and ongoing management of commercial and charted airlines, hotels, and transportation vendor contracts. Manage and track spending against the T&E budget to ensure efficient reporting, resource allocation, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with company policies. Manage the transition and continuity of T&E service delivery during TSA periods and oversee eventual hand-off or in-house migration. Actively nurture business executive and employee relationships and demonstrate excellence in client service. Manage global CitiBank card relationship to monitor performance, ensure SLA and contract compliance and resolve operational issues as they arise. Responsible for global business travel contract negotiation and relationship management for all lines of travel. Responsible for overall Concur business relationship including contract management and oversight of the internal audit process. Standards and Controls Own and enforce global T&E policies and compliance including receipt thresholds, audit protocols, and exception workflows (e.g., personal expenses on corporate cards). Ensure 100% audit coverage via Concur AI and manual reviews, and implement continuous control monitoring for policy breaches. Partner with Legal, Internal Audit, and Compliance to maintain alignment with regulatory requirements, tax implications, and risk management practices. Coordinate with Payroll and Accounting for cross-charging, reimbursements, and exception journal entries. Performance Define and track key T&E performance metrics (e.g., compliance rates, turnaround times, exception volumes, policy violations). Identify cost-saving opportunities and process automation improvements leveraging AI-driven auditing and exception workflows. Drive consistent year on year cost reduction initiatives. Own vendor performance and relationship management (e.g., banking partner for cards, Concur for systems, BPO partner), including contract oversight and vendor negotiation to secure favorable corporate terms. Drive periodic reviews and continuous improvements based on employee feedback, data insights, and benchmarks. People Build and lead a global T&E team across regions (e.g., US, Amsterdam, Manila) aligned with the Versant shared services and controllership model. Serve as a point of escalation and expertise for T&E-related queries and exceptions from business units. Drive training, awareness, and user adoption for new systems and policies across SpinCo's employee base. Ensure smooth onboarding of T&E responsibilities post-separation and manage change effectively across teams. Develop and actively oversee employee professional and career development efforts.