Director, Travel & Events

The Foundation We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally. The Team Facilities, Events, Travel & Security (FETS) is a business services and risk management organization serving and supporting the foundation’s mission around the world. The FETS organization is responsible for all aspects of real estate/office support, support to all foundation hosted convenings and events, the global travel support associated with programmatic and operational support, as well as all facets of physical security and cybersecurity risk management globally. The FETS team report to the Director, FETS & Chief Security Officer (CSO), and are responsible to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the foundation’s Business Operations Division. Facilities, Events, Travel & Security (FETS) is a business services and risk management organization serving and supporting the foundation’s mission around the world. The FETS organization is responsible for all aspects of real estate/office support, support to all foundation hosted convenings and events, the global travel support associated with programmatic and operational support, as well as all facets of physical security and cybersecurity risk management globally. The FETS team report to the Director, FETS & Chief Security Officer (CSO), and are responsible to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the foundation’s Business Operations Division. Your Role Sets strategic direction, operational and design standards for the combined Travel and Events team; oversees the budget and service delivery of the Travel and Events team; provides support to staff, convening participants and groups, consultants, relocation, and grantee travelers get to their destination efficiently, safely, cost effectively and ready to work. Enables Programmatic impact through the delivery of effective, efficient, and risk managed travel and events services globally. What You’ll Do Develops and drives the strategic and operational process of complex travel and events operations globally; provides direction to Events & Travel team to resolve critical operational issues as they occur. Communicates with and advises foundation leadership on Events & Travel growth, trends, and needs in order to enable foundation programmatic impact. Provides strategic and operational leadership to the foundation Facilities, Events, Travel and Security (FETS) team, including partnership with the outsourced strategic facilities service providers, department leadership team members and customers. Sets and drives team and individual goals and objectives; leads multi-year planning cycles and process improvements. Identifies and leads the team to operational efficiencies for staff travel, hosted participant travel, and coordination of events with other FETS teammates. Partners with Finance and Accounting for process improvements and strategic planning for the Travel & Expense Policy. Provides direction and oversight for major contract administration, vendor, and budget management to ensure maximized value from key partners. Prepares and implements business plans and develop/manage operational and vendor budgets. Develops workplace metrics to monitor service level agreements and progress toward goals. Leads business continuity planning for the travel and events team. This role manages people and is responsible for hiring the talent needed to achieve our goals, ensuring successful employee onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, integrating project and change management, giving, and seeking feedback, providing coaching, measuring progress and holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievement and lessons learned. Interacts with all foundation leadership, grantees, and partners in the field and assesses service delivery for impact opportunities. Your Experience Experience in a complex organization in a leadership role requiring impeccable judgment, exceptional critical thinking and negotiation skills. Exceptional oral and written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills that span across a broad and diverse audience and ability to exercise diplomacy with a wide variety of partners. Ability to problem solve and generate workable solutions to complex issues. Extensive knowledge of some or all the following: global event logistics, travel management, vendor management, and business planning and interpretation of business data. Excellent written and oral communication skills and strong interpersonal skills that span across a broad and diverse audience and ability to exercise diplomacy with a wide variety of partners. Demonstrated success in roles requiring managing and planning multiple tasks while responding to multiple priorities in a highly dynamic environment Bachelor’s degree with 15 years of experience, or equivalent experience. *Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship. The typical salary range for this role is $206,000.00 to $383,200.00 USD. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors such as the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications, and experience relative to the requirements of the role. Hiring Requirements As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Candidate Accommodations If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here. Inclusion Statement We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices. All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity. Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

Salary : $206,000 - $383,200