American Express Global Business Travel Looking for Working Team Leader – Meetings & Events Sourcing at Full Time

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.

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Functions as the primary client liaison and lead for assigned meetings and events. Negotiates critical program components based on knowledge of client requirements from initial request through contract completion and turnover; this includes recommending supplier and destination options and solutions. Proactively negotiates prices and contracts and creates reasonable preliminary budgets. Communicates with Procurement Team and suppliers on a timely basis, information relative to program operations. Ensures that standard operating procedures for all team sourcing activity are followed. Negotiates and contracts programs worldwide. Performs other duties as required.

This position also requires leadership of direct reports. Role must develop and coach the activities of assigned personnel to ensure all customer service levels and deliverables pertaining to accounts assigned are achieved. Provides comprehensive leadership to AMEX GBT and to clients, overseeing sourcing and contracting of programs, providing client and team support and training, and managing special projects. Manages employees who support any of the following: registration, sourcing, contracting, planning, hosting and budget development for dedicated accounts. May be onsite for events. Performs other duties as assigned.

Roles & Responsibilities:

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT:

• Creates and encourages a positive and open work environment to improve quality of work life.

• 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.

• 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 performance process is improved.

• Encourage the sharing of industry trends, ideas, special educational opportunities and standard methodologies.

• 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.

• Coaches direct reports to improve performance and counsels with human resources when presenting written warnings. Follows company policies and procedures for all disciplinary actions.

• 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 subject matter expert (SME) to ensure consistency and training for all, using standard methodology approach, experience and knowledge.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT:

• Resolves customer inquiries which have been raised, and coaches direct reports to research and resolve customer inquiries.

• Communicates customer inquiries to Operations Manager which have the potential to intensify.

• Resolves problems and removes obstacles through interaction with other functional departments.

• Raises obstacles while presenting solutions to Operations Manager.

• 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.

PROCESS MANAGEMENT:

• Identifies, develops, and ensures implementation of SOP’s and standard practices and process improvements. Ensures that Standard Operating Procedures are followed by all team members to ensure consistency and accuracy.

• 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.

• Reviews meeting request and conducts meeting qualification call with client.

• Develops and implements program and profit/negotiation strategy to achieve best price and/or enhancement consideration with suppliers, supporting the specific needs of the client.

• Utilizes knowledge of domestic and international destinations to recommend appropriate sites. Maintains knowledge of new destination options, value-priced destination options and promotional offerings.

• Gathers all the information vital to properly source and place an event on behalf of a client, including standard availability grids from designated technology tool.

• Qualifies proposals to determine if appropriate and competitive.

• Negotiates and confirms critical program components with supplier(s) and team, applying basic terms and conditions, and/or using pre-existing master policies to meet individual client requirements.

• Reviews all team supplier contracts prior to finalization, ensuring both program specific and generic terms and conditions are accurate and legally protective of both American Express M&E and the client, including attrition dates, cancellation policies, etc.

• Conducts final negotiations with selected suppliers for best possible pricing and concessions to meet savings and spend expectations.

• Create meeting records in the designated meeting management system and completes all internal documentation for the program prior to turnover.

• Conducts additional negotiations with supplier(s), such as DMC companies, and all other third-party suppliers, pre- and post-sale, to improve costs, profitability and/or terms of targeted program components.

• May participate in program re-negotiations or cancellation negotiations, as required.

FINANCIAL AND REPORTING RESPONSIBILITY:

• Advises Meeting Management Team and customer of initial deposit requirement and secures payment.

• Responsible for accurate program forecasting and updating business management systems with accurate financial and estimated budget and cost savings information as needed.

• Maintains accurate and up-to-date tracking information of all tentative, sold, and canceled programs in business program management systems.

• Maintains accurate records, system input, and complete file management as outlined in American Express M&E and client policies and procedures.

• Strategize with manager to analyze, forecast, implement and manage financial and operational measures to track results and ensure operational profitability. Holds self and others accountable for business results.

• Audit files of other employees’ events.

• Oversees documentation of negotiated savings by client.

MICELLANEOUS RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Works on special projects as assigned by the Operations Manager.

• May require travel to destinations worldwide, in support of client site inspections or program operations.

• Keep abreast of industry standards and trends related to responsibilities.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of five years of experience in leadership of event or meeting management teams or equivalent

• Proven people leadership skills

• Experience in hotel buying required.

• Proven negotiation skills.

• Knowledge of domestic hotels and destinations required international a plus.

• Program management system experience preferred, especially with an online sourcing tool.

• Understanding of and ability to effect win/win solutions.

• Operations experience in hospitality industry or equivalent a plus.

• Prior successful experience in developing and maintaining key client and supplier relationships.

• Proven skills for technology and/or software solutions and analytical skills required.

• CMP designation a plus.

• Intermediate Level Microsoft Excel required.

• Intermediate Power Point required.

• Must be extremely detail focused. Accuracy is a must.

• Strong ability to interact with client contacts at a meeting level and key contact level, when needed.

• Prior experience in effectively handle multiple projects/demands.

• Solid understanding of business financials, contracts, and service levels

• College degree preferred.

• Ability to travel by airplane, boat, rail and/or car.

Location

United States – Virtual Location

The US national annual base salary range for this position is from $50,000 to $100,000. 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, this role is eligible for an annual Performance Based Incentive, which rewards participants based on company performance. For information about our comprehensive US benefits programs and eligibility, please review our Benefits-at-a-Glance document.

Benefits at a glance (https://explorer.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/rs/346-POJ-129/images/GBT_2023BenefitsAtAGlance_Without_Rates_Final.pdf)

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 more.

• 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 global tuition assistance, 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 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in every aspect of our business at 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.

• Wellbeing resources to support mental and emotional health for you and your immediate family.

• And much more!

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to age, gender identity (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status, citizenship or marital status. It is our policy to maintain an equal-opportunity environment free from intimidation, harassment or bias for our candidates, colleagues, clients and suppliers.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. Please, let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the hiring process. For more details, please consult GBT Recruitment Privacy Statement (https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/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!

Click Here to Learn More (https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/careers/)