Job Details

Application Process

This position is only open to Network Employees. The successful candidate will select a designated home campus from CSUEB, SFSU, or SSU as part of the recruitment process (which may be their current home campus, but does not have to be).

This recruitment is being managed by San Francisco State. If you are interested in learning more about this leadership opportunity and submitting an application, please apply via the San Francisco State posting here: Director of Travel & Expense Job Posting. This position is open until filled. For position inquiry, please contact mmango@sfsu.edu.

Salary and Benefits

PLEASE NOTE: The starting salary placement depends on qualifications and experience and is anticipated to be in the range of $9,975.00 per month to $11,025.00 per month ($119,700 - $132,300 Annually).

Cal State East Bay offers a broad range of benefits that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick, 14 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit our benefits website. The CSU Total Compensation Calculator demonstrates the significance of our benefits package.

Classification

Administrator II

About the Position

Reporting to the Senior Director of Procurement and Accounts Payable, the Director of Travel and Expense manages the Travel and Expense team and provides operational oversight of the daily travel and expense operations across the SFBRN. This role oversees the end-to-end travel and expense process, including the review and approval of travel requests, expense reports, and procurement card transactions ensuring timely, accurate, and policy-compliant processing for CSUEB, SFSU, and SSU. The Director supervises specialists, establishes and implements best practices, drives process improvements, and partners with stakeholders to align travel and expense strategies with university and Network goals.

The primary purpose of this position is to manage all lifecycle activities relating to travel reimbursements, expense report processing, and compliance monitoring. The Director oversees the end-to-end travel and expense process, including the review and approval of travel requests, expense reports, employee reimbursements and card transactions. The Director is also responsible for hospitality reviews and compliance.

Responsibilities

Travel and Expense Operations and Compliance:

• Manages the daily operations of Travel and Expense.
• Manages hospitality compliance for the Network and Auxiliaries.
• Exercises authority to make operational decisions related to Travel and Expense, escalating complex or high-impact issues to the Senior Director of Procurement and Accounts Payable as needed.
• Oversees the full travel and expense process, including review and approval of travel requests, expense reports, and procurement card transactions, ensuring optimal service delivery and compliance with best practices.
• Ensures travel and expense activities are conducted accurately, timely, and in compliance with Network, university, state, and federal standards across all three campuses.
• Engages with the Network Support Center Team to address Travel and Expense-related inquiries, efficiently delegating tasks to the appropriate Network personnel as required.
• Maintains working knowledge of CSU Administrative Manual (ICSUAM) policies, state, and federal regulations related to Travel and Expense. Assists Network staff in ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Team Leadership and Supervision:

• Leads, manages, and supervises the Travel and Expense team, providing guidance, direction, and mentorship, fostering a positive work environment, and ensuring the alignment of team goals with the Network’s overall strategy and objectives.
• Manages the development of team members by helping them set and achieve goals for career growth.
• Fosters an inclusive environment that values differences and creates a sense of belonging and appreciation for team members.
• Leads by example, demonstrating ethics, high accountability, and actively drives the process of embedding Network values and behaviors. Contributes to a culture of trust and transparency. Drives best-in-class customer service through effective team member engagement.
• Manages direct reports in adherence to Human Resources and institutional policies and procedures. Handles personnel management tasks in coordination with HR, including selecting, training, guiding, and evaluating staff, ensuring staff effectively and equitably serve the needs of all Network universities.
• Takes corrective action as required, recommends salary actions, promotions, and terminations, and participates in recruitment and orientation of new employees.

Service Delivery, Innovation, and Continuous Improvement:

• Builds and maintains strong relationships with customers, partners, and stakeholders to ensure consistent, reliable service is delivered to all stakeholders.
• Monitors and enforces service level agreements (SLAs) for the Travel and Expense unit.
• Identifies opportunities to streamline workflows, eliminate redundancies, leverage automation, or improve user experience within Travel and Expense.
• Works collaboratively with the Network Financial Services teams and other functions to support the implementation of new technologies or process enhancements.
• Tracks and reports on relevant key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, and dashboards for Travel and Expense.
• Stays current with changes in laws, regulations, and technologies that may affect Travel and Expense and informs senior management and staff.

Communications and Training:

• Leads the development and maintenance of comprehensive documentation of university and Network Travel and Expense policies, processes, and systems, promoting consistency across Network campuses. Ensures that crucial technical knowledge is accessible and understood by relevant stakeholders.
• Cultivates a culture of mentorship and continuous skill development within the organization. Champions initiatives that encourage knowledge sharing, coaching, and on-the-job learning.
• Ensures end-user communications are timely, transparent, and helpful. Maintains consistent communication with direct reports and senior leaders to resolve escalations and provide updates.
• Communicates with Network universities and other Network leadership to safely support the Network’s Travel and Expense needs.

Other Responsibilities in Support of Organizational Priorities:

• Contributes to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion across the organization.
• Promotes the organization’s core values and consistently integrates innovation, employee fulfillment, teamwork, respect, excellence, integrity, service, and accountability into all aspects of work.
• Complies with Network, CSU, university, and unit policies and procedures regarding privacy of information, authorized use of Network resources, and the security of Network systems and data.
• Demonstrates safe work practices for oneself, others, and the office environment.
• Performs other related responsibilities as requested and when necessary. The Network reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field. In lieu of a degree, a minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsibly experience in travel and expense roles, including staff supervision, is required.
• Progressively responsible experience in travel, expense, accounts payable, or related roles.
• Demonstrated success supervising or mentoring travel and expense staff.
• Advanced knowledge of travel and expense principles, reimbursement processes, and policy compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to apply strategic thinking and practical problem-solving to travel and expense management issues.
• Strong understanding of relevant administrative laws, regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Effective oral and written communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, tasks, and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with process improvement, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Experience leading teams in a management or leadership role, particularly in a service-oriented environment.
• Experience working in higher education, multi-campus systems, or similarly complex public sector organizations.

Environmental/Physical/Special

• Position may require travel among the San Francisco Bay Region Network universities or for professional development opportunities, as needed, to support operational and collaborative needs.
• Position is a 24-hour on-call position in case of emergencies and critical Network needs.
• Position participates in various committees as directed.