Global Travel & Expense Operations Manager in London

At Terumo, we advance lifesaving medical technologies to benefit society. Are you eager to make a difference with us? Here, you’ll grow your expertise while staying true to your personal aspirations. Guided by our Japanese heritage, we act with respect, take ownership, and pursue continuous improvement. If you see yourself in our values, keep reading; this might be the opportunity you’re looking for.

As Global Travel & Expense (T&E) Operations Manager, you are a strategic and operational leader responsible for overseeing Terumo’s Global Travel & Expense function. You ensure consistent, efficient, and compliant T&E operations worldwide, while driving policy governance, technology adoption, and continuous improvement. You will lead a global team of regional coordinators while harmonizing processes across regions, optimizing travel systems (primarily Concur), managing global supplier relationships, and enhancing the employee experience. You and your team will work closely with other GBS teams, Finance, IT, and regional stakeholders, and will play a key role in the ongoing GBS integration and transformation journey.

Terumo Global Business Services (GBS) serves as an enterprise-wide platform that drives operational excellence, process harmonization, and future business growth. By centrally managing end-to-end processes across regions, GBS delivers consistent service, increases efficiency, and supports continuous improvement and innovation. With a global workforce across Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia, GBS fosters international collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and a culture where top talent can contribute beyond traditional entity boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee global T&E operations, managing SAP Concur system configuration, user access, policy rules, and workflow automation while ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant processing across all regions.
• Manage and develop a global team, providing coaching, guidance, and feedback while fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
• Oversee relationships with travel suppliers and partners by collaborating with Indirect Sourcing to manage relationships and contracts with travel suppliers, agencies, airlines, hotels, and car rental partners to secure competitive rates, high-quality service, and consistent global standards.
• Drive the global T&E strategy and governance, ensuring alignment with business needs while adapting to regional variations and supporting harmonized, scalable processes.
• Lead T&E system implementation initiatives, including onboarding new entities, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, and managing change-management efforts to ensure smooth adoption.
• Promote process improvement and automation, identifying opportunities to enhance workflows, reporting, booking tools, and expense systems with the aim of improving efficiency, accuracy, and user experience.
• Collaborate closely with IT to optimize system performance, streamline integrations, resolve issues, and support the continuous enhancement of travel technologies.
• Monitor and analyze T&E data to identify spending patterns, compliance risks, operational challenges, and cost-saving opportunities, providing insights to leadership and key stakeholders.
• Oversee communication and training initiatives, ensuring employees understand travel tools, policies, and processes, and delivering clear, accessible resources through intranet content, training materials, and stakeholder engagement.

Your profile

• Seasoned travel and expense professional with 10 to 15 years of experience in global travel management or expense management operations, including at least 5 years leading a high-performing team.
• Expertise in travel and expense operations and governance, with a strong command of policy management, compliance, audit requirements, and the tax and regulatory considerations that shape global travel programs.
• Highly proficient in SAP Concur, comfortable managing system configuration, workflows, and integrations; experience with additional T&E technology platforms is an advantage.
• Inclusive leadership style, having successfully managed multi-regional teams and fostered collaboration, alignment, and accountability across time zones and diverse cultures.
• Experienced in matrixed organizations, able to navigate global structures, influence stakeholders, and build strong partnerships across Finance, IT, Procurement, and regional business teams.
• Skilled communicator and change ambassador, capable of driving system implementations, policy adoption, and transformation initiatives with clarity, empathy, and strong stakeholder engagement.
• Data-driven and analytical, able to interpret trends, identify risks and opportunities, and translate insights into practical improvements that enhance efficiency and user experience.
• Flexible and continuously improvement-oriented, thriving in a dynamic global setting where priorities evolve, and always seeking better, smarter, and more efficient ways of working.

What We Offer

• Shape the future of global operations: Lead a truly international function spanning multiple regions and cultures. Contribute to Terumo’s mission of improving patient care by ensuring our teams can travel safely, efficiently, and compliantly.
• Rewarding your contribution: Receive a comprehensive rewards package, including a competitive salary aligned with market benchmarks.
• A team that collaborates across borders: Join a diverse and driven community where respect, inclusion, and teamwork are fundamental.
• Opportunities to learn and grow: Benefit from continuous development through on-the-job learning, leadership exposure, global project experience, and access to training resources designed to support your professional growth.
• Flexibility and global connection: Enjoy the flexibility of a remote role while also engaging in meaningful face-to-face interactions across regions.
• A transparent recruitment experience: Throughout the process, you’ll have open and constructive conversations with the hiring manager and other Terumo leaders.