Senior Manager- Travel & Visa Operations

Tätigkeitsbereich:Personal

Fachabteilung:People BP (IT&CF) & Supplier Business Partnering

Gesellschaft:Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited

Standort:Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited, Bangalore

Startdatum:sofort

Veröffentlichungsdatum:23.07.2026

Stellennummer:MER000412I

Arbeitszeit:Vollzeit

Aufgaben

Objective of the Job

The Team Lead will own day-to-day operations and strategic optimization of corporate travel, hotel accommodation, and visa services for MBRDI employees. The role combines strong operational expertise with digital fluency, analytics capability, and an automation mindset to improve service delivery, policy compliance, and cost effectiveness.

Primary Purpose

Deliver compliant, timely, and cost-effective travel, hotel, and visa services.

Drive digitization and self-service adoption across travel and visa workflows.

Use analytics to improve spend visibility, policy adherence, and vendor performance.

Strengthen operational discipline, stakeholder experience, and continuous improvement.

Key Result AreasTravel Operations Management

Manage end-to-end domestic and international travel bookings including flights, trains, ground transport, and related logistics.

Ensure policy adherence, cost optimization, and traveler experience across all bookings.

Handle travel exceptions, escalations, and coordination with Travel Management Company (TMC) and preferred vendors.

Manage pre-travel and post-travel activities including insurance, SIM support, emergency contacts, reimbursement reconciliation, and traveler feedback.

Hotel & Accommodation Management

Oversee hotel booking strategy through TMC and alternate accommodation models.

Manage hotel contracts, rate negotiations, and long-stay accommodation options such as serviced apartments.

Track hotel-related KPIs such as ADR, cancellations, occupancy, and guest satisfaction.

Support cost-effective and policy-compliant accommodation models for business travelers.

Visa Operations

Lead end-to-end visa, and work permit processes.

Coordinate with visa agents, consulates, embassies, legal counsel, HR, Finance, and global teams.

Ensure complete and audit-ready documentation, timely renewals, and compliance with country-specific requirements.

Forecast visa demand, identify process bottlenecks, and recommend process or vendor improvements.

Cost Optimization & Strategic Analytics

Own travel reporting and spend analytics by category, department, destination, and traveler segment.

Track KPIs such as advance purchase compliance, preferred vendor utilization, and missed savings.

Build scenario-based insights to forecast spend and identify optimization opportunities.

Support policy refinement, alternate travel models, and vendor negotiations through data-backed recommendations.

Digital Transformation & AI Adoption

Serve as a power user and change champion for platforms such as Concur, Cytric, and related online booking tools.

Evaluate AI-enabled solutions for pricing, disruption handling, compliance monitoring, traveler support, and workflow automation.

Work with IT and SAP teams to integrate travel, visa, expense, and HR data into a single source of truth.

Stakeholder & Vendor Relationship Management

Act as the primary contact for business heads, project managers, senior travelers, HR, Finance, Procurement, and global stakeholders.

Manage relationships with TMCs, visa agents, hotels, airlines, apartment providers, and logistics partners.

Conduct vendor performance reviews covering SLA adherence, cost, quality, and innovation.

Prepare executive-ready monthly and quarterly reviews with dashboards, cost insights, and risks.

Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement

Lead and develop the travel operations team through clear direction, coaching, and capability building.

Drive continuous improvement using structured problem-solving and process discipline.

Lead digitization and automation projects from requirement definition through implementation and adoption.

Maintain SOPs, runbooks, guides, and FAQ repositories to improve standardization and reduce dependency on individuals.

Qualifikationen

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Travel & Tourism, Hospitality Management, Operations, HR, or a related field.

Postgraduate qualification / MBA in Operations, HR, Analytics, or related discipline preferred.

Relevant experience in corporate travel, hotel operations, immigration, and visa management.

Prior team handling / people management experience preferred.

Skills & CompetenciesFunctional Competencies

Strong corporate travel and hotel operations knowledge.

Strong understanding of visa and work permit processes.

Knowledge of policy governance, compliance, and documentation controls.

Vendor and SLA management capability.

Digital & Analytics Competencies

Experience with Concur / Cytric / booking platforms.

Strong Excel and reporting capability.

Knowledge of Tableau / Power BI / dashboarding.

Exposure to automation tools, AI use cases, and workflow digitization.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

Strong communication and stakeholder management.

Ability to convert data into clear business recommendations.

Confidence in handling escalations and difficult conversations.

Cross-functional collaboration in matrix environments.

High attention to detail and compliance orientation.

Power of Authority

Approve or deny travel requests within policy or escalate exceptions.

Approve hotel bookings and accommodations within policy limits.

Process visa applications and coordinate submissions.

Recommend policy changes, automation initiatives, and vendor improvements for leadership approval.

Escalate complex cases, regulatory risks, and high-cost exceptions to E4/Management.

Key InterfacesInternal

Business Heads

Project Managers

HR

Finance

Procurement

IT / SAP teams

External

Travel Management Company (TMC)

Visa agents

Hotels and serviced apartment providers

Airlines and logistics partners

Consulates, embassies, and immigration counsel

Compliance Statement

This role is expected to ensure adherence to all applicable Group and local rules, compliance requirements, data protection expectations, work safety standards, and relevant operating guidelines within the area of responsibility.

Benefits

Mitarbeiterrabatte möglich

Gesundheitsmaßnahmen

Mitarbeiterhandy möglich

Essenszulagen

Betriebliche Altersversorgung

Hybrides Arbeiten möglich

Mobilitätsangebote

Mitarbeiter Events

Coaching

Flexible Arbeitszeit möglich

Kinderbetreuung

Parkplatz

Kantine, Café

Gute Anbindung

Barrierefreiheit

Betriebsarzt

KontaktMercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited

Plot No. 5-P, EPIP 1st Phase560066 BangaloreDetails zum Standort

MBRDI Recruitment E-Mail: mbrdi_recruitment@mercedes-benz.com