Travel & Expenses Manager

An exciting new role! Join us as Travel & Expenses Manager to lead strategy, optimise systems and champion sustainability.

The role involves leading and managing the firm's travel operations, ensuring cost-effective, sustainable, and policy-compliant arrangements for staff and partners. You will oversee supplier relationships, support bookings, and align travel with our Net Zero strategy and client experience commitments. Reporting to the Head of Procurement & Finance Operations, you will work closely with Facilities and Sustainability teams. Hybrid working is available.

Essential

• Proven experience in travel management within a corporate or professional services environment.
• Strong knowledge of booking systems and supplier management.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Ability to apply policy frameworks and commitment to sustainability.

The activities

• Travel programme management
  • Design and implement a comprehensive corporate travel strategy aligned with our 2030 sustainable business goals and employee needs.
  • Manage relationships with travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and ground transportation providers to negotiate savings, preferred rates and favourable service agreements to create more value for money and manage costs down.
  • Oversee travel booking processes, ensuring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, appropriate savings, sustainability and adherence to policy.
  • Monitor travel activity and trends to identify opportunities for savings, reduced emissions and improved traveller experience.
  • Ensure duty of care protocols are in place, including traveller safety, emergency support, risk mitigation and financial wellbeing.
• Expense management & oversight
  • Administer and oversee the company's expense reporting and approval system, ensuring ease of use, accuracy, and timely processing.
  • Review and audit submitted expense reports for compliance with company policy, proper documentation, and fraud prevention.
  • Collaborate with finance and accounting teams to ensure accurate expense coding, reconciliation, and reporting.
  • Identify and address recurring issues in expense submissions, providing corrective guidance and training.
• Policy development & compliance
  • Ensure all travel arrangements comply with the Travel & Expenses Policy.
  • Develop, update, and enforce travel and expense policies in line with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
  • Communicate policy reminders and changes clearly to employees and stakeholders through training sessions, documentation, and effective internal communications.
  • Conduct regular audits to ensure policy compliance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Serve as the point of contact for escalations related to travel or expense disputes.
• Reporting & strategic analysis
  • Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual reports on travel and expense activity, highlighting trends, anomalies, and cost-saving opportunities.
  • Analyse spend data to identify inefficiencies, forecast future travel budgets, and support strategic decision-making.
  • Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership to inform budgeting and operational planning.
• Systems & process optimisation
  • Manage and optimise travel and expense platforms (e.g., AMEX GBT, SAP Concur), including configuration, user access, and integrations.
  • Collaborate with IT and vendors to resolve system issues and implement enhancements.
  • Continuously evaluate and improve workflows to streamline processes and enhance user experience, ensuring the right tasks are done by the right people.
• Training & support
  • Provide onboarding and ongoing training for employees on travel booking and expense reporting procedures.
  • Develop user guides, FAQs, and support materials to promote policy understanding and system proficiency.
  • Act as a resource for employees and managers, resolving queries and offering guidance on best practices.

Benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

Pre-employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three-year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People.

Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase! Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day:

• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work.
• We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right.
• We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet.
• We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done - together.

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm.