Travel Manager
ADES Global · Saudi Arabia
Job Purpose
Travel Manager is responsible for leading and managing the travel program across all operating countries, ensuring safe, efficient, cost-effective, and compliant travel services that support corporate business travel, offshore crew mobilization, and operational requirements. The role develops travel strategies, governs travel policies, manages strategic relationships with Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and travel suppliers, and drives standardization, digitalization, and continuous improvement across ADES travel operations. Working closely with the Global Sourcing Manager, the position ensures travel services deliver operational excellence while optimizing costs and enhancing the traveler experience.
Responsibilities & Duties
Safety & Compliance Duties
- Maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, ensuring that all activities are carried out ethically and in compliance with the Company’s QHSSE policies, Management System, relevant laws, regulations, standards, and industry practices, and complies with ADES WAY, rules.
- Will be a champion of Safety, providing exemplary leadership and commitment to all safety initiatives within the business.
- Places Safety as a true north, and never placing employees, ADES processes, customers, or the communities in which we live and work at risk.
- Promote safety culture across all operational levels including field staff, contractors, and supervisors to ensure that safety protocols are always adhered to.
Responsibilities
Travel Strategy & Governance:
- Develops and implements ADES travel strategy aligned with business objectives, operational requirements, and sourcing strategies.
- Establishes and maintains standardized travel policies, procedures, and service standards across all operating countries.
- Ensures compliance with corporate governance, travel policies, internal controls, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Drives continuous improvement initiatives to enhance traveller experience, operational efficiency, and cost optimization.
- Benchmarks travel programs against industry best practices and recommend improvements to enhance service delivery.
Travel Operations:
- Leads the end-to-end management of corporate business travel, offshore crew rotations, executive travel, and international and domestic travel services.
- Oversees airline bookings, hotel accommodation, ground transportation, airport transfers, visa coordination through approved providers, emergency travel arrangements, and charter flight requirements.
- Ensures uninterrupted travel support across all operating countries while maintaining agreed service levels and operational continuity.
- Manages travel disruptions, emergency response activities, and traveller support during operational or geopolitical events.
- Coordinates large-scale travel arrangements for corporate initiatives, projects, and operational campaigns.
Crew Travel and Logistics Management:
- Partners with Operations, Rig Management, Human Resources, and Country Management to ensure timely crew mobilization and demobilization.
- Optimizes travel routing to minimize travel time and operational costs while ensuring compliance with client schedules and crew rotation plans.
- Supports rapid travel changes resulting from operational requirements, crew replacements, or emergency situations.
- Monitors crew travel performance and implement improvements to enhance operational efficiency and traveller satisfaction.
- Supports rapid travel changes resulting from operational requirements, crew replacements, or emergency situations.
- Monitors crew travel performance and implement improvements to enhance operational efficiency and traveller satisfaction.
Suppliers and Contracts Management:
Develops Sourcing Strategies for travel-related services in collaboration with the Global Sourcing Manager.
- Leads supplier sourcing, tendering, technical evaluations, and selection of Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and travel service providers.
- Manages contracts and strategic relationships with airlines, hotel chains, travel agencies, ground transportation providers, and other travel suppliers.
- Monitors supplier performance against agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), KPIs, and contractual obligations.
- Conducts regular supplier performance reviews and Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to drive service improvements and cost optimization.
- Identifies opportunities for supplier consolidation, strategic partnerships, and sourcing initiatives.
Financial and Budget Management:
- Develops, monitors, and controls the annual travel budget.
- Analyzes travel expenditure across business units, countries, and operational activities to identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Monitors travel spending trends, budget utilization, and financial performance against approved budgets.
- Prepares periodic travel expenditure reports, forecasts, and management dashboards.
- Supports annual budgeting, forecasting, and strategic financial planning activities.
Travel Risk, Compliance and Business Continuity:
- Ensures compliance with immigration requirements, travel regulations, visa requirements, and company travel policies.
- Monitors geopolitical developments, travel advisories, and emerging risks that may impact business travel.
- Coordinates travel risk mitigation measures and emergency travel support during crises or business disruptions.
- Partners with Security, HSE, and Risk Management teams to safeguard employee travel and support business continuity planning.
- Promotes traveller safety and duty of care across all travel activities.
Performance Management & Reporting:
- Develops and maintains travel performance dashboards and KPIs to measure operational efficiency, supplier performance, traveller satisfaction, policy compliance, and cost optimization.
- Monitors travel metrics, including travel spend, crew rotation costs, advance booking compliance, supplier utilization, service response times, and budget performance.
- Prepares executive reports and presents travel performance, trends, risks, and improvement initiatives to senior leadership.
- Identifies opportunities to improve travel performance through data analysis and operational insights.
Digitalization and Process Improvement:
- Leads initiatives to automate travel processes and improve digital travel management capabilities.
- Enhances travel booking platforms, traveller self-service tools, and reporting systems.
- Supports integration between travel systems, ERP platforms, HR systems, and procurement solutions.
- Standardizes travel workflows to improve operational efficiency and service consistency.
- Promotes innovation and leverage analytics to optimize travel planning and decision-making.
Stakeholder and Relationship Management:
- Partners closely with Operations, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Finance, HSE, Security, Executive Management, Country Management, and Rig Operations to ensure travel services support operational requirements.
- Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal stakeholders, travel suppliers, and strategic partners.
- Provides expert travel guidance and support to business leaders and country management teams.
- Coordinates travel logistics for leadership meetings, recruitment campaigns, training programs, client visits, conferences, and corporate events.
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Hospitality Management, Supply Chain Management, Aviation Management, or a related discipline.
- Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in corporate or travel management.
- Demonstrated experience managing travel programs across multiple countries, managing large scale travel budgets, and cost optimization initiatives.
- Experience within the Oil & Gas, Drilling, Offshore, Marine, Aviation, or multinational industrial sectors is highly preferred.