Air & Ground Transportation Strategist – Indirect Procurement (Corporate Travel)

HP•Spring, TX

1d•$116,150 - $182,400•Hybrid

About The Position

The Air & Ground Transportation Strategist – Indirect Procurement (Corporate Travel) is responsible for defining, sourcing, optimizing, and governing the global air and ground transportation program as a core category within Indirect Procurement. This role serves as both the commercial category owner and strategic program lead for airline, rail, car rental, ride-share, chauffeured services, and other mobility solutions. This role will also lead or participate in sourcing travel & entertainment (T&E) payment and travel management/technology solutions. Operating at the intersection of Procurement and Corporate Travel, the Strategist ensures that transportation strategy delivers measurable financial value while maintaining strong traveler experience, policy compliance, duty of care standards, sustainability alignment, and operational efficiency. The role partners closely with Corporate Travel Operations, Finance, Global Security, HR, Legal, IT, and regional business leaders to enable a best-in-class global mobility program that supports workforce productivity and enterprise objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Aviation, Travel Management, or related field.
8–12+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, corporate airline program management, or global transportation procurement.
Deep expertise in airline contracting, alliance economics, fare structures, incentive programs, and ground transportation sourcing models.
Demonstrated success delivering measurable cost savings and supplier performance improvements.
Strong analytical and financial modeling capability.
Experience working within a matrixed organization where Corporate Travel operates as part of Indirect Procurement.

Nice To Haves

Experience within a global Fortune 500 or multinational enterprise.
MBA or advanced degree in Supply Chain, Business, or Aviation Management.
Procurement certifications (CPSM, CIPS) or industry credentials (e.g., GBTA, aviation certifications).
Familiarity with travel technology platforms, NDC distribution models, and mobility analytics tools.
Experience integrating sustainability and ESG priorities into transportation category strategy.

Responsibilities

Develop and own the global air and ground transportation category strategy within Indirect Procurement, aligned to enterprise financial targets and corporate travel program objectives.
Design airline portfolio strategy, including preferred carrier selection, alliance optimization, route concentration, and market share management.
Establish ground transportation strategy across car rental, rail, ride-share, and chauffeured services, balancing global agreements with regional optimization.
Define traveler segmentation strategies (e.g., executive travel, high-frequency travelers, project-based mobility) to inform commercial and policy design.
Continuously assess airline industry trends, capacity shifts, pricing volatility, distribution changes (including NDC), and regulatory developments to inform proactive sourcing decisions.
Lead global and regional sourcing initiatives for airlines and ground transportation providers in partnership with Corporate Travel Operations and key stakeholders.
Negotiate corporate airline agreements, including discount structures, incentive programs, market share commitments, and performance-based rebates.
Structure commercial models for car rental, rail, and mobility providers to optimize total cost of transportation, not just transactional price.
Develop total cost of ownership (TCO) frameworks incorporating fare performance, compliance levels, booking behavior, disruption impact, and demand forecasts.
Deliver year-over-year cost savings, cost avoidance, and measurable value realization across air and ground categories.
Establish governance frameworks including KPIs, SLAs, scorecards, and quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with airline and ground partners.
Monitor supplier performance related to pricing competitiveness, operational reliability, service quality, traveler satisfaction, and data transparency.
Partner with Legal and Risk to ensure contract compliance, regulatory adherence, liability protections, and data privacy standards.
Serve as escalation point for strategic supplier issues impacting traveler experience or commercial performance.
Collaborate with Corporate Travel Operations to ensure seamless integration of negotiated air and ground agreements into booking platforms and traveler workflows.
Align sourcing strategy with travel policy requirements, booking channel compliance standards, and demand management initiatives.
Support traveler communications and change management efforts related to preferred carriers and ground providers.
Provide subject matter expertise for policy updates concerning air class of service, ancillary fees, ground utilization, and mobility compliance standards.
Analyze global air and ground spend, airline market share, fare benchmarking, route performance, ground utilization trends, and booking channel adoption.
Forecast travel demand in partnership with Finance and FP&A to support budgeting and strategic planning.
Develop executive-ready dashboards highlighting savings delivery, supplier performance, compliance metrics, and industry insights.
Identify consolidation, demand management, and portfolio optimization opportunities to improve overall mobility ROI.
Integrate duty of care requirements into airline and ground sourcing criteria, including safety standards, disruption management capabilities, and crisis response coordination.
Partner with Global Security to ensure alignment between mobility suppliers and enterprise risk frameworks.
Incorporate sustainability objectives into airline and ground strategy, including carbon reporting, SAF initiatives, and environmentally responsible fleet partnerships.
Support enterprise ESG reporting related to air and ground transportation emissions and supplier sustainability performance.
Evaluate emerging airline distribution models (e.g., NDC), direct connect strategies, dynamic pricing frameworks, and multimodal mobility platforms.
Champion traveler experience enhancements including loyalty alignment, premium access strategy, disruption mitigation tools, and digital self-service capabilities.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on traveler feedback, supplier innovation, and performance analytics.
Identify automation opportunities to enhance sourcing efficiency, reporting accuracy, and policy compliance monitoring.