Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Travel Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Travel Analyst serves as a cornerstone of the corporate travel program, blending data-driven insights with a deep understanding of the travel industry to optimize costs, enhance traveler experience, and ensure policy compliance. This role is fundamentally analytical, responsible for transforming raw travel and expense (T&E) data into actionable business intelligence. The individual in this position acts as a central hub for managing relationships with travel suppliers (TMCs, airlines, hotels), administering booking and expense platforms, and supporting travelers. Ultimately, the Travel Analyst ensures the company's travel program is efficient, cost-effective, and aligned with both business objectives and the well-being of our traveling employees.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Travel Coordinator or Agent
Junior Data Analyst or Financial Analyst
Procurement or Sourcing Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Travel Analyst
Corporate Travel Manager or Global Travel Manager
Procurement or Sourcing Manager

Lateral Moves:

Data Analyst (in Finance, Marketing, or Operations)
Vendor Manager
Expense Manager or Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Analyze and interpret large datasets related to travel and expenses (T&E) to identify spending patterns, key trends, and opportunities for cost optimization.
Develop, maintain, and distribute comprehensive weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports and dashboards for senior leadership, highlighting key performance indicators (KPIs) such as travel spend, policy compliance, and supplier performance.
Monitor traveler booking behavior to ensure adherence to the corporate travel policy and drive compliance through targeted communication and system configurations.
Manage and administer the company's Online Booking Tool (OBT), such as SAP Concur, including profile management, policy configuration, and troubleshooting user issues.
Serve as a primary point of contact for the Travel Management Company (TMC), monitoring service level agreements (SLAs), resolving operational issues, and participating in regular business reviews.
Support the sourcing and negotiation process for travel-related services, including airlines, hotels, and ground transportation, by preparing data for RFPs and analyzing supplier proposals.
Conduct regular audits of expense reports to identify non-compliant spending and work with employees and managers to address and rectify discrepancies.
Benchmark the company's travel program performance and policies against industry best practices and peer companies to identify areas for improvement and innovation.
Collaborate with finance and accounting teams to ensure accurate cost allocation, budget tracking, and forecasting for all travel-related expenditures.
Manage the preferred hotel program, including rate negotiation, loading rates into booking systems, and analyzing hotel attachment rates to maximize program value.
Provide analytical support for duty of care initiatives, including generating reports on traveler locations and assisting the risk management team during emergencies or travel disruptions.
Develop and deliver training materials and communications to educate employees on the corporate travel policy, booking procedures, and expense submission guidelines.
Act as a subject matter expert on travel data, responding to ad-hoc reporting requests and providing insights to various business units and stakeholders.
Evaluate and implement new travel technologies and tools that can enhance the traveler experience, improve efficiency, and provide better data insights.
Manage relationships with key airline partners, tracking performance against contracts, and identifying opportunities for increased savings through corporate agreements.
Analyze unused ticket data to ensure maximum value is recovered and re-utilized, implementing processes to track and apply credits effectively.
Support the corporate card program by analyzing spend data, monitoring compliance, and assisting with reconciliation and payment processes.
Gather feedback from travelers through surveys and focus groups to measure satisfaction and identify pain points in the travel process, recommending solutions to improve the traveler experience.
Assist in the development and refinement of the global travel policy to ensure it remains relevant, competitive, and aligned with the company's financial and cultural objectives.
Reconcile and process payments for centrally billed travel accounts, such as hotel virtual payments or meeting cards, ensuring accuracy and timely settlement.
Track and report on the environmental impact of business travel, analyzing carbon emissions data and supporting sustainability initiatives within the travel program.
Partner with the Meetings & Events team to provide data analysis and logistical support for group travel, ensuring cost-effectiveness and policy alignment.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis from various business departments.
Contribute to the organization's broader data governance strategy and roadmap for T&E information.
Collaborate with IT and business units to translate data needs into engineering and system requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies if the role is situated within a data or technology team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Data Analysis: Demonstrated mastery of Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, complex formulas, Power Query, and data modeling for in-depth analysis.
Business Intelligence Tools: Proficiency in creating dashboards and reports using data visualization software like Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, or Qlik.
Travel Technology Administration: Hands-on experience managing and configuring Online Booking Tools (OBTs) such as SAP Concur Travel, Cytric, or Egencia.
Expense System Management: Strong working knowledge of enterprise-level expense management platforms, particularly SAP Concur Expense.
Database Querying: Ability to write and execute SQL queries to extract, manipulate, and combine data from multiple sources.
Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the corporate travel ecosystem, including GDS (Sabre, Amadeus), TMC operations, and supplier contracting.
Vendor & RFP Management: Experience participating in the RFP process and managing vendor performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Soft Skills

Analytical & Critical Thinking: A natural ability to dissect complex problems, see the big picture in data, and make logical, evidence-based recommendations.
Communication & Presentation: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear, concise insights for stakeholders at all levels.
Stakeholder Management: The capacity to build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with internal partners (Finance, HR, IT) and external suppliers.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous and precise in all aspects of work, from data validation and reporting to policy interpretation and expense auditing.
Negotiation & Influence: The ability to influence traveler behavior and negotiate effectively with suppliers to achieve program goals.
Customer-Centric Mindset: A strong commitment to providing excellent support and continuously improving the experience for business travelers.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in a quantitative or business-focused discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Finance or Accounting
Hospitality & Tourism Management
Data Analytics or Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-5 years of direct experience in a corporate travel, data analysis, or procurement role.

Preferred:

Experience working within a global corporate travel department or for a major Travel Management Company (TMC) is highly advantageous. A proven track record of identifying and delivering cost savings in a corporate setting is strongly preferred.