U.S. Travel Association

Summary 

The Senior Vice President, Operations is a transformational leader responsible for modernizing U.S. Travel’s internal operations, strengthening organizational culture and building the operational foundation to support the association’s next phase of growth. Collaborating with the entire leadership team, the SVP oversees Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Legal to ensure systems, processes and teams are integrated, strategic and designed for scale.

This is not a steady-state operator role. The SVP is a change agent who identifies inefficiencies, surfaces risks and uses data to inform decisions. This leader brings the organization along through change, aligns people with vision and builds the infrastructure needed for a healthier, more efficient and more collaborative U.S. Travel.

The SVP exemplifies U.S. Travel’s core values by serving as a strategic, curious, ambitious, high-performing and collaborative leader who elevates teams and drives organizational progress.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership and Culture:

• Champion an inclusive, collaborative culture that fosters trust, transparency and accountability.
• Optimize change management through improved communication, alignment and engagement across the organization.
• Lead enterprise-wide initiatives that enhance agility, cross-team collaboration and operational effectiveness.
• Strengthen internal communication channels and ensure decisions are made with visibility and coordination.

Human Resources and People Operations:

• Oversee HR strategy, talent development, performance management, benefits and employee relations.
• Ensure HR has both strong foundational processes and a strategic orientation that supports organizational goals.
• Take a strategic approach to managing employees, including understanding their value as assets whose knowledge, skills and abilities can be developed to achieve organizational goals.
• Modernize HR systems and practices that support engagement, development and retention.
• Coach managers and elevate leadership capabilities across the organization.
• Ensure HR is a proactive partner in organizational planning and change.

Finance and Strategic Resource Planning:

• Integrate Finance more deeply into organizational decision making, planning and forward-looking strategy.
• Lead strategic financial planning, forecasting and multi-year modeling that supports sustainable growth.
• Ensure Finance is visible, collaborative and aligned with organizational priorities
• Use financial and operational data to identify trends, risks and opportunities that guide leadership decisions.
• Strengthen internal controls, reporting clarity and financial processes with a focus on usability for non-financial leaders.

Technology, Systems and Operational Excellence:

• Lead the modernization of internal systems, infrastructure and digital workflows.
• Ensure technology decisions are integrated across departments and aligned with organizational needs.
• Strengthen data governance, cybersecurity, workflow automation and system adoption.
• Improve processes and tools that support collaboration, communication and decision making.

Legal:

• Manage U.S. Travel’s relationship with outside legal counsel to ensure effective guidance and alignment with organizational needs.
• Evaluate current legal practices, policies and processes to identify areas for greater efficiency, effectiveness and risk mitigation.
• Ensure legal considerations and risk awareness are incorporated into cross-functional operations and strategic planning.
• Strengthen organizational understanding of legal responsibilities, risk exposure and compliance needs.

Cross-Functional Strategy and Organizational Effectiveness:

• Ensure Finance, HR, IT and Legal operate as unified strategic partners with the entire organization.
• Identify operational gaps, inefficiencies and communication breakdowns and design practical solutions.
• Build strong working relationships with leadership colleagues and leverage their openness to modernization.
• Lead operational reviews and redesigns that support growth, performance and organizational clarity.
• Drives association business continuity, owns proactive planning and cross-functional readiness.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Strategic, systems-oriented thinker who recognizes patterns and root causes.
• Change-oriented leader energized by modernization, growth and building scalable structure.
• Empathetic, credible and trusted advisor during periods of transition.
• Strong communicator who can influence across diverse teams and levels.
• Balanced operator who blends culture, systems, process and strategy.
• Actively seeks feedback and operates in a state of constant self-improvement.

Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Fifteen or more years of senior-level operational leadership across Finance, HR, IT and Operations.
• Experience modernizing systems and processes during organizational growth.
• Strong background in strategic financial planning, forecasting and resource management.
• Experience in mission-driven, association, nonprofit or complex environments strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to lead through change, build trust and elevate organizational performance.

Other:

• This position is based in Washington, DC.
• U.S. Travel staff work in the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.
• Salary: 275-300K plus bonus potential. 

Benefits:

• Comprehensive healthcare package with fertility coverage
• Generous paid leave including family leave
• Routine staff functions and opportunities for social connection
• Transportation and cell phone benefits
• Robust wellness initiatives and Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• Education and professional development assistance