Databricks Logo

Databricks

Director, Travel & Expense

Reposted 13 Days Ago
In-Office or Remote
Hiring Remotely in United States
210K-288K Annually
Expert/Leader
In-Office or Remote
Hiring Remotely in United States
210K-288K Annually
Expert/Leader
Lead transformation of global travel, expense, and corporate spend programs into a digital-first, automated model. Build scalable T&E strategy, oversee travel operations, manage suppliers and corporate card programs, implement AI-enabled expense automation and controls, ensure compliance and audit readiness, partner with cross-functional teams, and build a high-performing global team.
The summary above was generated by AI

GAQ327R263

While candidates in the listed location(s) are encouraged for this role, candidates in other locations will be considered.

We are seeking a strategic, operationally strong Director, Travel & Expense to lead and modernize our global travel, expense, and corporate spend ecosystem. This leader will drive a digital-first, highly scalable program that improves the employee experience while strengthening governance, compliance, and financial discipline across a fast-growing global organization.

This role is ideal for a builder who can define future-state strategy while also leading hands-on execution, operational rigor, and measurable outcomes. The successful candidate will partner closely across Finance, Procurement, IT, HR, Security, and Operations to create a seamless and future-ready T&E model.

The impact you will have:

  • Lead the transformation of the T&E program into a modern, automated, digital-first experience, including AI-enabled workflows, touchless expense processing, automated audit controls, and intelligent policy enforcement.
  • Create a frictionless employee experience across booking, expense submission, approvals, reimbursements, and support while simplifying processes and reducing manual work.
  • Build a scalable global T&E roadmap that balances agility, governance, employee experience, and operational efficiency, with clear KPIs, dashboards, and change management to support adoption.
  • Oversee global business travel operations across air, hotel, ground transportation, meetings, and traveler support, while shaping regional travel strategies for a distributed workforce.
  • Manage travel partners and supplier relationships to improve service levels, optimize spend, and support evolving business needs.
  • Partner with Security and HR to strengthen traveler safety, duty of care, and crisis response capabilities.
  • Lead enterprise expense reimbursement and corporate card programs with a focus on automation, compliance, scalability, and employee experience.
  • Implement intelligent expense capabilities such as auto-generated reports, AI auditing, receipt automation, and policy-driven workflows, while simplifying approvals and accelerating reimbursement cycles.
  • Partner closely with AP, Payroll, and Finance Operations to streamline end-to-end financial processes.
  • Own the T&E technology ecosystem, including platforms such as Emburse, Egencia, Ramp, Brex, AppZen, and corporate card integrations; partner with IT and Finance Systems on integrations, APIs, and analytics.
  • Ensure strong policy governance, financial controls, audit readiness, and compliance with global tax, regulatory, data privacy, and regional travel requirements.
  • Build and lead a high-performing global team, develop leadership bench strength, and influence cross-functional stakeholders in a complex, fast-moving environment.

What we look for:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Supply Chain, Hospitality, Information Systems, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Travel, Expense, Procurement, Finance Operations, Shared Services, or related functions.
  • Proven success leading T&E transformation, automation, or digital modernization initiatives in high-growth or fast-paced organizations.
  • Experience leading global or multinational T&E programs and managing regional operations and cross-border transformation efforts.
  • Strong operational leadership with the ability to translate strategy into scalable execution.
  • Deep expertise in T&E platforms, workflow automation, corporate card programs, and expense technologies.
  • Strong understanding of AI-enabled operations, process redesign, and scalable service delivery models.
  • Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and change leadership skills, with the ability to lead through ambiguity and evolving business priorities.
  • Experience leading global or multinational T&E programs.
  • MBA, CPA, CTP, or related certification preferred.
  • Lean Six Sigma, automation, or digital transformation experience strongly preferred.

 


Pay Range Transparency

Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected base salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles.  Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipated utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.


Zone 1 Pay Range
$209,500$288,100 USD
Zone 2 Pay Range
$188,600$259,250 USD
Zone 3 Pay Range
$178,100$244,850 USD
Zone 4 Pay Range
$167,600$230,450 USD

About Databricks

Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
Benefits
At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.

Compliance

If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.

Similar Jobs

43 Minutes Ago
Remote or Hybrid
97K-165K Annually
Mid level
97K-165K Annually
Mid level
Aerospace • Hardware • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity • Defense
Design, develop, and maintain Tableau and Power BI dashboards and data solutions for Supply Chain. Implement AI/ML models with Enterprise AI team, build ETL pipelines, perform ad-hoc analysis and automation, own KPIs, ensure data governance, provide training/support, and participate in QA and UAT to deliver actionable insights for operations.
Top Skills: AlteryxDataikuETLGoogle Ai StudioKnimeMicrosoft Azure AiPower BIPythonSQLStack AiTableau
48 Minutes Ago
Remote or Hybrid
United States
Senior level
Senior level
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
Serve as a quota-carrying technical trusted advisor owning discovery, architecture, demos, PoCs, onboarding, and adoption. Drive commercial outcomes, expansion, and executive-level technical reviews. Leverage AI-augmented workflows to automate routine tasks and focus on high-value architecture, integration troubleshooting, and customer telemetry to ensure time-to-value.
Top Skills: Ai GatewayApi ConnectorsCloud InfrastructureCloudflare Developer PlatformCloudflare Workers AiDdos MitigationDnsEdge ComputingJavaScriptLlmPythonRagRoutingVectorize
49 Minutes Ago
In-Office or Remote
265K-331K Annually
Senior level
265K-331K Annually
Senior level
Consumer Web • Healthtech • Professional Services • Social Impact • Software
Own architecture and technical direction for Headway's Journey communications platform: design the decision engine, experimentation layer, channel orchestration, unified message ledger, and productionize LLM-powered personalization across multi-vendor delivery systems to improve patient and provider engagement.
Top Skills: SparkAws EcsAws FargateDatadogFastapiGitIterableKafkaKnockLaceworkLlmMailgunNext.JsPagerdutyPostgresPython 3ReactRedisRemixS3SemgrepSentrySnykSqlalchemyTwilioTypescript

What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene

With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.

Key Facts About Chicago Tech

  • Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
  • Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
  • Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
  • Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
  • Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
  • Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account