Manager - Business Operations, Flights

Location:Lisbon, PT

Department:Global Operations and Service (GOS)

As a Manager - Business Operations, Flights, you will play a critical role in optimizing flight operation workflows, driving automation, and enhancing process efficiency across travel operations. This role requires strong analytical skills, process expertise, and collaboration with stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Service Delivery, and external vendors to ensure smooth and scalable operations.
Your focus will be on identifying automation opportunities, troubleshooting operational challenges, implementing process improvements, and maintaining high standards for service delivery. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, data-driven, solution focussed and passionate about streamlining operational processes in a fast-paced environment.

What You’ll Do:
  • Identify automation opportunities within flight operations functions and define detailed requirements for system improvements.
  • Work directly with the Product & Engineering team and Third-Party Vendors to implement and maintain automation solutions.
  • Monitor the effectiveness of automation tools and collaborate with stakeholders to optimize workflows and reduce manual intervention.
  • Evaluate new initiatives for their impact on mid-office processes and make necessary changes to support operational scalability.
  • Proactively identify and analyze inefficiencies in current processes, leveraging data to make informed recommendations.
  • Troubleshoot escalated issues within mid-office operations, identifying root causes and implementing solutions.
  • Continuously assess workflows to eliminate bottlenecks and drive operational excellence.
  • Act as a partner to Service Delivery, Product, Engineering, and external teams to drive process improvements.
  • Act on and incorporate insights from frontline agents into automation and process refinement initiatives.
  • Define and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for relevant mid-office functions.
  • Develop training materials and process documentation to ensure seamless knowledge transfer across teams.
What We’re Looking for:
  • 5+ years of experience in travel operations, flight operation functions preferably within a TMC, OTA, or airline environment.
  • Strong understanding of GDS systems (Sabre, Amadeus preferred) and travel industry workflows, including booking, fulfillment, and reconciliation processes.
  • Experience working with automation tools, workflow management platforms, or AI-driven solutions is a plus.
  • Ability to analyze complex workflows, identify inefficiencies, and develop practical solutions.
  • Strong attention to detail with a proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills to work effectively with internal and external partners.
  • Strong stakeholder management abilities, with a proven track record of cross-functional collaboration.
  • Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage competing projects in a dynamic environment

Navan About Us

Navan is the all-in-one super app that makes travel and expense easy so you can focus on being there, not getting there. Say goodbye to spending hours on the phone trying to change your flight or saving stacks of receipts to manually input expenses. From EAs and finance teams to travel managers and employees, Navan empowers people to focus on the things that matter most to them — all while providing companies with real-time visibility, savings, and control.

Navan’s investors include visionaries like Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Ventures, Greenoaks, Zeev Ventures, and entrepreneurs Lee Fixel, Adam Bain, and Elad Gil. Valued at $9.2B, Navan is well-positioned for continued growth as it continues its takeover of the travel and expense market.

In April 2023, Navan expanded in the Indian market with the acquisition of Tripeur, a modern, people-centric corporate travel and expense management company. The group’s fifth acquisition in under two years, Tripeur joined the Navan Group alongside Spanish meetings and events specialists, Atlanta Events & Corporate Travel Consultants; Berlin-based modern travel management company, Comtravo; leading Scandinavian travel agency Resia AB; and London-based high-touch TMC, Reed & Mackay — the latter of which remains a standalone brand.

At Navan, we’re never satisfied with the status quo, and we know breakthrough ideas come from diverse perspectives. We are committed to cultivating a workplace that reflects the diversity of the customers we serve while fostering leadership and innovation. All voices are valued here and you’ll have the resources, tools, and training you’ll need to do the best work of your life.

Our Benefits

Navan provides a comprehensive benefits package tailored to support your well-being and financial security. Our offerings include generous medical plans, dental, and vision benefits with premiums covered by Navan, as well as various insurance options designed to cover each family's needs. We also prioritize your holistic wellness with perks like paid parental and bereavement leave, subsidized commuter benefits, mental health support, connectivity stipends, and even pet insurance.

Workplace Policy

Navan believes in the value of in-person connections, whether that is sitting down to have lunch with one another, taking a walking 1:1, or collaborating in a room together. The connections forged through face-to-face interactions improve company culture and drive business results. Navan invests in global office spaces — in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, among others — that feel welcoming. Perks such as lunches and happy hours create a strong team environment to help you do your best work. We prioritize in-person connections and operate on a four-day-in-office work model. Please expect this policy for all roles that are tied to an office.

Equal Opportunity

Navan is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based solely on merit. We provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We prohibit any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring.

Accommodations

Navan complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local law. Navan will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability in connection with applications for employment as required by law.

If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, you are welcome to email us at talent-accommodations@navan.com.

Candidate Privacy Notice

Please review Navan's Candidate Privacy Notice here.

Job Search Best Practices

We have been made aware of recruitment scams involving fraudulent attempts to lure job seekers into sending money or personal information in return for fake job offers or coerce them into purchasing equipment by electronic funds transfer (Zelle, Venmo, etc.) Legitimate Navan recruiters will never ask for money in any recruitment or onboarding activities. All available job openings at Navan will be posted on Navan’s website and all Navan recruiters will be reachable through an email address ending in “@navan.com” or “@navan.tech” or "@talent.navan.com".