Senior Manager, Travel & Expense Management - Travel Planning

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!,

SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Golf Now and Golf Pass.

We are seeking a Senior Manager, Global Travel & Expense Management - Travel Planning to lead the operational delivery of Versant's corporate and production travel program. This role owns the day-to-day relationship with Versant's Travel Management Company (TMC), sets a high standard for traveler service and policy compliance, and drives program performance across air, hotel, and ground transportation. The Senior Manager partners across the organization to strengthen the travel experience, manage supplier and operational risk, and deliver measurable value through data, technology, and continuous improvement.

This role is designed for a leader who can manage travel operational and industry complexity, partner directly with key stakeholders, hold 3rd party travel service providers accountable to service commitments, and help guide the organization through continued centralization, system transformation, and ongoing scalability.

• Lead the travel service-delivery model and serve as the senior escalation point for complex travel needs, policy guidance, traveler support, and preferred supplier utilization.
• Oversee the operating relationship with Versant's TMC, including service delivery, issue resolution, service-level performance, governance, and continuous improvement.
• Establish standards for traveler profile onboarding and maintenance, ensuring accurate traveler data, travel preferences, and compliance requirements are configured within the booking platform.
• Lead planning and execution for high-priority travel requirements, including executive leadership, production-related events, and other critical business needs.
• Partner with Human Resources, Finance, Procurement, Security, Technology, and business leaders to align travel services with evolving business requirements and operational priorities.
• Manage the development of traveler-facing resources, including travel policies, SOPs, FAQs, communications, and training materials.
• Partner with Communications to enhance and expand travel-related content on Versant's internal portal, “The Verse.”
• Lead traveler safety and duty-of-care processes, coordinating internal and external partners during travel disruptions, emergencies, and risk events.
• Lead the hotel RFP process, including spend and demand analysis, supplier strategy, negotiations, rate loading, and performance monitoring.

• Manage the governance framework for compliance with company travel policies, negotiated supplier programs, and approval requirements.
• Oversee audits of negotiated supplier rates in the online booking tool to ensure rate availability, accuracy, and compliance with contracted agreements.
• Review out-of-policy booking trends, set corrective actions, and manage exception escalation with business leaders and key stakeholders.
• Establish controls for unused ticket inventories and travel credits, ensuring timely utilization, accountability, and reporting of savings opportunities.
• Partner with the TMC and internal stakeholders to maintain data integrity across booking systems, traveler profiles, and reporting platforms.
• Lead…