Director, Travel Services

The Navan Global Operations & Service (GO&S) team is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Director of Travel Services to lead our North America Travel Services organization. In this role, you will be responsible for delivering exceptional customer experiences, driving operational excellence, and building scalable, high-performing teams that support Navan's continued growth. We're looking for a leader who combines strong operational expertise, a passion for the travel industry, and a technology-first mindset, with the ability to leverage AI, automation, and data-driven insights to transform how we support our customers. What You'll Do: • Lead and scale Travel Services operations across North America, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality customer support while balancing customer satisfaction, operational performance, and cost efficiency. • Own and continuously evolve the Global Operations & Service operating model, developing scalable support strategies across Core, Designated, Dedicated, and other specialized service offerings. • Build and execute operational strategies that support business growth, improve efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences across customer segments. • Lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, engagement, and professional growth. • Own operational performance and key service metrics, including SLA, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, efficiency, and cost-to-serve, translating insights into measurable improvements. • Champion the adoption of AI, automation, and emerging technologies to transform service delivery, improve agent productivity, enhance customer experience, and optimize operational costs. • Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Analytics, and other stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and implement technology-driven improvements, including AI-powered agent assistance, automated quality assurance, knowledge management, and workflow automation. • Leverage data and analytics to identify operational trends, anticipate customer needs, improve workforce efficiency, and drive strategic decision-making. • Lead operational transformation initiatives, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and scale service delivery without compromising quality. • Partner with Workforce Management, Learning & Development, Talent Acquisition, and other regional leaders to ensure effective capacity planning, hiring, training, and talent development. • Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure alignment between service delivery, customer expectations, business priorities, and financial objectives. • Develop and execute strategies to continuously improve the traveler experience, particularly for enterprise and high-value customers with complex travel requirements. • Drive operational readiness and effective crisis management during travel disruptions, irregular operations (IROPs), and other high-impact events. • Manage relevant technology and vendor partnerships, including evaluating solutions, driving implementation, and ensuring measurable business outcomes. • Challenge the status quo, bring forward innovative ideas, and lead initiatives that position Navan as an industry leader in travel services. What We're Looking For: Leadership & Operational Experience • 10+ years of experience in Operations, Customer Support, or Service Delivery, ideally within a large-scale, global or multinational organization. • 5+ years of senior leadership experience, managing large, complex teams in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. • Proven track record of building, scaling, and transforming high-performing customer service or contact center operations. • Strong un