Travel Payments Consultant
We are seeking a high-impact Travel Payments Consultant to serve as the lead advisor for our clients. This is a customer-facing strategic role designed for someone who can walk into a boardroom and explain how a payment architecture could have an impact on month end reconciliation but also solve for global tax fragmentation.
You won't just be recommending payment solutions; you will be designing the "Financial Blueprint" for global companies. Your goal is to help clients navigate the friction between a frictionless checkout and the "hard walls" of international tax compliance and e-invoicing mandates.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Advisory: Lead discovery workshops with client CFOs and CTOs to audit their current payment stacks and identify opportunities for efficiencies and optimization.
- Solution Architecture: Design end-to-end flows that integrate payment gateways with e-invoicing to ensure legal compliance without ruining the user experience.
- Tax & Compliance Roadmap: Educate clients on the impact of Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC) and help them transition from manual invoicing to automated, real-time fiscal reporting.
- Vendor Selection & Orchestration: Act as a neutral advisor to help clients select the right mix of PSPs (Payment Service Providers), Tax Engines, and Middleware to support their specific geographic footprint.
- Implementation Oversight: Bridge the gap between the client’s business requirements and the technical delivery teams to ensure the final solution meets local fiscal "truth."
Experience
- 5+ years processing and reconciling travel-related payments including airline tickets, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and ancillary travel services.
- 5+ years managing multiple payment methods such as virtual cards, lodge cards, corporate credit cards, and direct billing arrangements.
- 5+ years reviewing and validating supplier invoices for accuracy, contractual compliance, and correct authorization prior to payment.
- Investigate and resolve payment discrepancies, chargebacks, and vendor billing issues efficiently.
- Partner with travel management companies (TMCs), suppliers, and internal stakeholders to support seamless payment operations.
- Maintain accurate financial records and support month-end close, reconciliations, and reporting activities.
- Monitor transactions for duplicate charges, fraud risks, and policy exceptions.
- Assist with the implementation and optimization of travel payment and expense management systems.
- Provide guidance to travelers and internal teams regarding payment processes and policies.
- Ensure adherence to company policies, financial controls, and regulatory requirements.
- Nice to have: 5+ years exposure to VAT and other indirect taxes related to travel services, including basic validation of tax treatment on supplier invoices and support for tax reporting or recovery processes.