Travel and Expense Operations Leader

Who We Are

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people-Kyndryls-that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.

The Role

Role Overview

The Travel & Expense Operations Leader is responsible for the day‑to‑day administration, execution, and delivery of Travel & Expense (T&E) processes in accordance with well‑defined global policies and procedures. This role ensures that travel and expense activities are processed accurately, on time, and in full compliance with approved standards.

This position ensures operational discipline, consistent application of policy, effective case resolution, and reliable service delivery across regions.

Key Responsibilities

Process Administration & Service Delivery

• 10+ years of experience. Execute and administer end‑to‑end Travel & Expense processes aligned to approved global policies and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing across core activities, including expense reimbursements, payments, audits, cash advances, manual expense claims, overpayments, and separation‑related expenses.
• Monitor daily operational queues and ensure service levels and turnaround times are consistently met.

• Collaborate with Procurement and Vendor Services on vendor performance across both systems and processes (Concur, card providers, TMCs)
• Accountable for controls, audit outcomes, and compliance posture
• Contribute towards policy and roadmap decisions to improve productivity and effectiveness as well as user experience

• Apply and enforce established Travel & Expense policies consistently across employee populations and regions.
• Handle policy‑based inquiries and exceptions within defined guidelines; escalate interpretation issues or gaps to the appropriate governance or policy owners.
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring documentation, approvals, and process evidence are complete and compliant.

• Own the Travel & Expense tool from a process and business perspective, ensuring it supports approved policies and operational requirements.
• Drive automation, simplification, and user experience improvements
• Partner with HR Technology and CIO teams to:
  • Submit, review, and support approved system change requests
  • Coordinate configuration updates and system administration activities
  • Ensure clear ownership between process decisions and technical execution
  • Administer operational aspects of the tool, including user access requests, reference data maintenance, and processing of approved setup or change requests.
  • Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by executing defined test cases and validating outcomes for approved changes.

• Administer the Corporate Card program in line with established guidelines, including card applications, limit changes, maintenance, and terminations.
• Coordinate with internal partners and vendors to resolve operational issues related to card usage and processing.

• Oversee resolution of employee inquiries and cases raised through designated case management tools.
• Ensure responses are timely, accurate, and aligned with documented policy and procedures.
• Identify recurring issues and operational pain points and raise recommendations for process improvements.

• Track and review operational metrics such as volumes, cycle times, SLA performance, and error rates.
• Identify process inefficiencies or recurring issues and provide input to governance or process owners to support continuous improvement.
• Support implementation of approved process updates and ensure operational readiness.
• Provide service level performance reporting and insights to senior leadership
• Vendor performance management and escalation management to achieved desired and contractual outcomes
• Accountable for service KPIs and experience metrics

• Coordinate daily activities across the Travel & Expense operations team to ensure workload balance and continuity of service.
• Act as the primary operational contact for Finance, HR Services, HR Technology, and vendors on T&E execution matters.
• Ensure clear handoffs and escalation paths for issues outside defined process or policy boundaries.

• Experience in Travel & Expense administration, shared services, or operational delivery roles.
• Working knowledge of Travel & Expense systems and tools (e.g., Concur or similar platforms).
• Strong understanding of compliance, audit, and financial control requirements related to expense processing.
• High attention to detail, strong process discipline, and ability to manage high transaction volumes.
• Clear, practical communication skills for employee and stakeholder support.

• Masters degree or relevant certifications.