Manager, Business Operations, Specialty Travel & Events

Navan is seeking a Manager, Business Operations, Specialty Travel & Events to solve critical business, product, and operational challenges. The role drives strategic initiatives, analyzes business data, designs scalable processes, manages cross-functional execution, and supports organizational change.

Responsibilities

Drive Strategic Initiatives: Execute on high-impact, 0-to-1 operational initiatives end-to-end. Investigate complex, ambiguous problems, develop rigorous work plans, and drive day-to-day execution

Solve Complex Systems Problems: Identify operational bottlenecks and help design scalable processes that allow cross-functional teams (Sales, Operations, Data Analytics, Finance, etc.) to work together seamlessly

Synthesize Data into Strategy: Dig into raw business data (using Excel, SQL, or other systems) to reveal patterns and truths behind operational challenges. Translate these findings into clear, actionable recommendations for leadership and cross-functional partners

Balance Trade-offs: Anticipate roadblocks and partner with leadership to find the right balance between strategic business goals and technical or financial constraints

Manage Change and Execution: Clearly communicate progress, manage stakeholder alignment, and guide cross-functional teams through process changes without losing momentum

Unblock and Accelerate: Anticipate technical bottlenecks, call out trade-offs between business desires and constraints, and keep project teams aligned and moving forward

Preferred

Prior experience in business operations or strategic program management in a high-growth tech environment

Experience driving organizational change management alongside system or process rollouts

Strategic Program Management

High-Growth Technology Experience

Organizational Change Management

Systems Rollouts

Process Rollouts

Company

Corporate travel and expense management platform

Palo Alto, California, USA

https://navan.com/

Founded in 2015

1001-5000 employees

Qualifications

4–6 years of experience in business operations, strategy, or a highly strategic cross-functional operations role in a fast-paced environment

Proven track record of managing cross-functional relationships, building alignment, and driving results across diverse teams without direct management authority

Strong comfort with data

You should be highly proficient in Excel/Google Sheets and comfortable using SQL (or eager to leverage it) to query databases, join tables, and extract your own insights

BA or BS degree (or equivalent practical experience)

You intuitively see how different parts of an organization, workflow, and technology stack interconnect

You don't build temporary "band-aid" fixes; you design systems that hold complex, interdependent relationships in balance

You approach problems with a "beginner's mind."

You have the self-critical awareness to challenge your own initial assumptions, ask deeply thoughtful questions before forming a plan, and actively seek out diverse perspectives to find the best solution

You don't make decisions based on gut feel alone

You are energized by messy, fragmented data, and you know how to ask the right questions, connect the dots, and find the narrative within a raw dataset

You move quickly and decisively

While you are thorough, you do not get caught in analysis paralysis or allow yourself to be dragged sideways by organizational noise

You know how to maintain focus and keep projects moving forward

You love being in rooms with brilliant people who challenge you

Instead of feeling intimidated, you use those environments as fuel to grow, learn, and elevate your own capabilities

Prior experience in business operations or strategic program management in a high-growth tech environment

Experience driving organizational change management alongside system or process rollouts

4–6 years of experience in business operations, strategy, or a highly strategic cross-functional operations role in a fast-paced environment.

Required skills

Business Operations, Strategic Program Management, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, SQL, Change Management, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Management

Preferred skills

Glassdoor, 3.9, Corporate travel and expense management platform., Palo Alto, California, USA, https://navan.com, H1B Sponsorship, Data Powered by, Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship, Represents job field similar to this job, Management and Executive, Engineering and Development, Product Management, Accounting and Finance, Sales, Legal and Compliance, Human Resources, Customer Service and Support, Trends of Total Sponsorships, *2026, (29), 2025, (45), 2024, (22), 2023, (38), Public Company, Total Funding, $2.25B, Key Investors

Experience

4-6 years