Operations Manager, Strategic Meetings

Amex GBT is a place where colleagues find inspiration in travel as a force for good and – through their work – can make an impact on our industry. We’re here to help our colleagues achieve success and offer an inclusive and collaborative culture where your voice is valued.

As an Operations Manager with Meetings and Events, you will direct and coach assigned personnel to ensure that all services, administration, and profit objectives pertaining to the assigned accounts are achieved while maintaining high service levels. Provide comprehensive leadership to direct reports (team leaders) that manage the sourcing of client meetings. Responsible for providing client and team support and training and managing special projects. Manage approximately 5 to 20 exempt and/or non-exempt direct or indirect reports, which lead teams that support strategic sourcing, contracting, and budget development for dedicated accounts. Depending on account complexity, scope may include management of multiple accounts. May be onsite. Perform other duties as assigned.

What You'll Do:

• Reviews and updates the financial forecast with the financial data as required. Reviews and approves monthly client financial settlement summaries.
• Monitors direct reports to achieve the highest profitability on assigned accounts by tracking labor, invoicing on a timely basis, updating reporting systems, collecting commissions, and understanding profit points within their programs.
• When assisting with proposals, ensures cost sheet accuracy before initial presentation. Strategize, analyze, forecast, implement, and run financial and operational measures to track results and ensure operational profitability. Holds self and others accountable for business results.
• Provides meeting industry and product subject matter expertise from the pre-proposal stage to proposal qualification/development/delivery.
• Assists in growth opportunities within existing accounts to recommend and communicate additional sales opportunities to Account Managers and Business Development Executives.
• Reviews, analyzes, and takes appropriate action based on information received from surveys and departmental personnel. Maintains active and past operated travel program history and review the history with Account Managers, and Business Development to identify meeting trends and new travel opportunities for clients.
• Participates in client meetings, presentations, and quarterly/annual business reviews to explain operational processes, review contractual statistics and workload, and resolve challenges. Resolves customer inquiries which have been raised, and coach direct reports to research and resolve customer inquiries. Communicate customer inquiries to Director which have the potential to escalate. Calls out obstacles while presenting solutions to Director.
• Participates in management meetings to ensure standardization of processes across SMM and to discuss solutions and service levels. Acts as an extension of the sales team and as an Amex GBT representative during site inspections, program operations, and client meetings. Develops strategic partnerships with multiple contacts within client and supplier organizations. Maintains proactive, positive, open line of communication with client to ensure understanding of expectations and client satisfaction.
• Anticipates upcoming workload/activities and plans accordingly. Coordinates workload overflow with other Directors. Coordinates with other Amex GBT leadership to prepare short and long-range project and financial forecasts. Identifies, develops, and ensures implementation of SOP’s and standard practices and process improvements.
• If assigned a new account, ensures new account implementations and start-ups are successful based on client feedback and agreed upon measurements. Ensures that customer satisfaction via client survey and benchmark results are analyzed and communicated for the purpose of developing direct reports and ensuring and improving client satisfaction. Develops service recovery plans, ensures the plans are implemented, and improvement goals are achieved or exceeded. Outlines strategy and communication plan for assigned group. Evaluates impact of events and reassesses objectives and outcomes; plans for continuous improvement.
• Coaches and guides Team Leader(s) and indirect reports in leadership role. Creates and encourages a positive and open work environment to enhance quality of work life. Interviews and selects direct reports by following Amex GBT selection practices and policies. Ensures direct reports are trained on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), policies, performance reviews, client specifics, company strategies, values, and administration. Ensures direct reports are maintaining compliance through monitoring and measurement. Evaluates staffing models to ensure appropriate staffing levels are in place. Coaches and develops direct reports by providing feedback on performance expectations and assisting with development plans. Conducts one-on-one meetings on a regular basis and ensures the PMP process is improved. Encourage the sharing of industry trends, ideas, special educational opportunities, and best practices. Leads weekly team meetings with direct reports to discuss volume, productivity, customer deliverables, process, and service levels. Provides performance-based rewards and recognition to reinforce behavior as it occurs. Approves and presents salary recommendations. Coaches direct reports to improve performance and counsels with human resources when presenting written warnings. Follows company policies and procedures for all disciplinary actions. Recommends employee terminations after consulting with human resources to ensure policy and legal requirements are followed. Lead team members regarding daily inquiries. Serves as a Mentor in the areas of forecasting, costing, and budgeting, and reviews team members’ program budgets. On-boards new employees. Ensures people related paperwork is current for direct reports. Reviews, tracks and/or approves vacation time, expense reports, payroll, time, and other employee systems for direct reports. Act as SME to ensure consistency and training for all, using best practice approach, experience, and knowledge. Continually optimize current processes to improve efficiency and productivity through SOPs, Technology and AI solutions.

What We're Looking For:

• Minimum of five years’ experience in leadership of event or meeting management teams or equivalent. Proven people leadership skills and impact of large teams. Proven track record to promote change and efficiencies within an organization.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in project, event or meeting management/procurement required
• Sophisticated knowledge of sourcing, contracting, negotiating and ability to drive cost savings as required by account portfolio
• Knowledge of meeting technologies with a focus on AI. Program management system and meetings industry technology experience preferred
• Understanding of and ability to effect win/win solutions. Strong ability to interact with client contacts at a meeting level and key contact level, when needed. Sophisticated oral and written presentation skills required.
• Prior successful experience in developing and maintaining key client and supplier relationships. Proven aptitude for analytical skills required.
• Prior experience in effectively handle multiple projects/demands. Solid understanding of business financials, contracts, and service levels
• Proven track record to understand and suggest technology solutions for business partners and employee efficiencies.
• College degree required. CMP designation a plus.
• Ability to travel by airplane, boat, rail and/or car (25%).

Location

The US national base salary range for this position is from 

The national range provided includes the base salary that GBT expects to pay for the role.  Actual base salary will be based on factors including the scope and complexity of the role and the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and work location.

In addition to base salary, the anticipated range of which is posted above, this role is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus which rewards participants based on individual and/or company performance.

For information about our comprehensive US benefits programs and eligibility, please review our Benefits-at-a-Glance document.

Benefits at a glance

The #TeamGBT Experience

Work and life: Find your happy medium at Amex GBT.

• Flexible benefits are tailored to each country and start the day you do. These include health and welfare insurance plans, retirement programs, parental leave, adoption assistance, and wellbeing resources to support you and your immediate family.

• Travel perks: get a choice of deals each week from major travel providers on everything from flights to hotels to cruises and car rentals.

• Develop the skills you want when the time is right for you, with access to over 20,000 courses on our learning platform, leadership courses, and new job openings available to internal candidates first.

• We strive to champion Inclusion in every aspect of our business at Amex GBT. You can connect with colleagues through our global INclusion Groups, centered around common identities or initiatives, to discuss challenges, obstacles, achievements, and drive company awareness and action.

• And much more!

All applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, gender (and characteristics related to sex and gender), pregnancy (and related medical conditions), race, color, citizenship, religion, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by law.

Click Here for Additional Disclosures in Accordance with the LA County Fair Chance Ordinance.

Furthermore, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the hiring process. For details regarding how we protect your data, please consult the Amex GBT Recruitment Privacy Statement.

What if I don’t meet every requirement? If you’re passionate about our mission and believe you’d be a phenomenal addition to our team, don’t worry about “checking every box;" please apply anyway. You may be exactly the person we’re looking for!