OpenAI· Finance· San Francisco
Travel Operations Lead
Comp$216K – $240K
Classified Tasks (24)
Automate 0%Augment 67%Human-Only 33%
Augment (16)
AI assists, human decides
Manage travel agency and supplier performance
operational
Develop, maintain, and enforce the executive travel policy
operational
Manage core employee travel operations and Travel Management Company (TMC) support
operational
Produce executive travel reporting for tax and compliance purposes
analytical
Manage guest travel and expense (T&E) programs
operational
Design and implement data systems and integrations to support travel operations
technical
Design and deploy AI-enabled workflows and automations across the travel support ecosystem
technical
Identify opportunities to apply AI to reduce manual work and define appropriate human-review boundaries
analytical
Improve operational processes through data, automation, workflow design, and exception-based handling
operational
Map, manage, and validate data flows across procurement, travel, finance, tax, card, and reporting platforms
technical
Analyze operational issues, identify patterns, and translate them into process, standards, controls, and system improvements
analytical
Establish and maintain controls and operational practices to ensure travel safety, efficiency, and quality
operational
Monitor supplier performance metrics and escalate vendor issues to appropriate stakeholders
operational
Ensure travel-related data accuracy, completeness, confidentiality, and consistency across systems and reports
analytical
Create and maintain documentation, standards, and runbooks for travel processes and escalation procedures
administrative
Implement exception-based ways of working and define escalation criteria for travel edge cases
operational
Human-Only (8)
Requires human judgment
Own and scale the company's global Events strategy, operations, and compliance
leadership
Own and mature the operating model for executive and employee travel programs
leadership
Provide and oversee high-touch executive travel support, including arranging complex global commercial travel
operational
Partner with Executive Business Partners to ensure travelers receive timely, high-quality support
communication
Coordinate on-the-road escalation management and traveler incident response
operational
Build and maintain supplier relationships and contractual arrangements
communication
Safeguard confidential executive travel information, sensitive traveler data, and guest information
operational
Coordinate travel operations with HR, Finance, Accounting, Procurement Operations, Tax, Legal, Security, and business stakeholders
communication
Job description
Travel Operations Lead | OpenAI Careers ## Travel Operations Lead Finance - San Francisco Apply now(opens in a new window) **About the Team** The Procurement organization enables our mission by ensuring every dollar is spent responsibly, compliantly, and efficiently. As a key part of this function, this role reports to the Head of Travel & Expense (T&E) and partners closely with Procurement Operations, Accounting, Finance, and business stakeholders to own and scale the company's global Events strategy, operations, and compliance. **About the Role** We are looking for a Travel Operations Lead to own and mature the operating model behind OpenAI's executive and employee travel programs. This role will be hands-on in executive travel support while also building the policies, supplier relationships, data, systems, and AI-enabled workflows that allow the program to scale with speed, confidentiality, safety, and control. This person will oversee high-touch executive travel support, including complex commercial travel globally; manage travel agency and supplier performance; own the executive travel policy; and partner with Executive Business Partners to ensure travelers receive timely, high-quality support. The role will also own core employee travel operations, TMC support, on-the-road escalation management, executive travel reporting for tax and compliance purposes, and guest T&E programs. **What we're looking for:** We are looking for someone who understands the nuance of the travel industry and can operate at scale while continuously improving the system. This person will be hands-on in executive travel support and will own the policy, operation, supplier relationships, and support model that enable safe, efficient, and high-quality travel. The right person will bring strong operational judgment, high attention to detail, and the ability to adjust policies, programs, and tools as OpenAI scales. They will also bring a practical vision for AI and agentic enablement across the travel support ecosystem, knowing where AI can reduce manual work, where human review matters, and how to build trust in new ways of working. **You bring:** * 7+ years of experience in travel, executive operations, expense, corporate cards, sourcing, finance operations, or a related T&E role. * High AI fluency, with demonstrated ability to use AI tools to improve how work gets done, reduce manual effort, strengthen analysis, improve documentation, and create scalable operating leverage. * Strong understanding of how the in-trip experience is affected by disruptions, destination risk, traveler context, supplier performance, policy design, booking quality, and support responsiveness. * Ability to improve operational processes through better data, automation, workflow design, and exception-based ways of working. * Strong systems understanding, with the ability to understand how data flows across procurement, travel, finance, tax, card, and reporting platforms. * High attention to detail and a strong sense of ownership for data accuracy, completeness, confidentiality, and consistency. * Ability to identify patterns in operational issues and translate them into better processes, standards, controls, and system improvements. * Practical judgment around AI adoption, including where automation can accelerate work, where human review matters, and how to build trust with travelers and cross-functional partners. * Comfort working across HR, Finance, Accounting, Procurement Operations, Tax, Legal, Security, Executive Business Partners, and business stakeholders. * Clear communication skills and the ability to explain process requirements in a practical, enablement-focused way. * Sound judgment when handling confidential executive travel information, sensitive traveler data, guest information, and supplier performance concerns. * Ability to operate in ambiguity, bring structure to evolving processes, and raise the bar as