Business Travel Support Associate

About us:

BVNK provides modern payment infrastructure for businesses. We unify banks and blockchains in a single platform. With BVNK, businesses can send and receive stablecoin payments, convert between currencies, and add stablecoin payments to their checkout. Using our flexible platform, and robust global licensing and compliance expertise, innovators can launch new payment products quickly and compliantly.

We are a diverse team spread across the UK, Europe, South Africa, the US, and APAC, with a shared belief that all payment flows will interact with crypto in the coming decade, and BVNK will be at the forefront of this transformation of the financial system. We have raised $50M in Series B funding from top investors including Haun Ventures, Tiger Global, and Coinbase Ventures, and we're looking for smart, ambitious people to help us build the next generation of payments. 

We're incredibly honored to have made Newsweek's list of The Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces 2 years running (2023 and 2024) and to have been recognized by LinkedIn as one of the Top 20 Startups in the UK in 2024

About this role in the team:

You’ll be providing support for BVNK executives, sales and commercial teams traveling for meetings, conferences, training or client-related activities . Ensuring business travel is organized, efficient, cost-effective and aligned with company policies . You will be reporting to the Senior Finance Manager at BVNK. This is a launchpad role which allows you to grow within the Finance team as the business scales.

Key Areas of Responsibilities:

• Travel Planning and Booking
• Travel Support and Assistance
• Expense Management
• Vendor Management
• Travel Policy Development and Implementation
• Technology and Tools utilisation and analysis (Travelperk and similar tools to consider)
• Assist wider finance team with finance requests

Detailed Key Areas of Responsibilities:

1. Travel Planning and Booking

• Arranging transportation: Booking flights, trains, and ground transportation (rental cars, airport transfers) based on traveler preferences and company policies.
• Accommodation reservations: Securing hotel rooms that meet the traveler's needs and budget, often negotiating corporate rates.
• Visa and documentation assistance: Guiding travelers through visa applications, passport renewals, and other necessary travel documents.
• Itinerary creation: Developing detailed travel itineraries that include flight details, hotel confirmations, meeting schedules, and other relevant information.

1. Travel Support and Assistance

• Problem-solving: Resolving travel-related problems such as flight cancellations, lost luggage, or medical emergencies.
• Travel policy guidance: Educating employees on company travel policies and ensuring compliance.

1. Expense Management

• Expense tracking: Assisting travelers with expense reporting and ensuring compliance with company policies (ensure timeous bookings, etc.).
• Reimbursement processing: Ensuring the timely reimbursement of travel expenses of the commercial team.
• Cost optimization: Identifying opportunities to reduce travel costs, such as negotiating discounts with vendors or suggesting alternative travel arrangements.

1. Vendor Management

• Relationship building: Maintaining strong relationships with airlines, hotels, and other travel providers.
• Negotiating contracts: Securing favorable rates and terms for corporate travel.
• Performance monitoring: Evaluating vendor performance to ensure quality service and cost-effectiveness.

1. Travel Policy Development and Implementation

• Policy creation development: Developing and updating company travel policies that align with business needs and industry best practices.
• Policy communication: Communicating travel policies to employees and providing training on compliance.
• Policy enforcement: Monitoring adherence to travel policies and addressing any violations.

1. Technology and Tools

• Travel technology: Utilizing travel management software and online booking tools to streamline travel processes. (Travelperk vs Bookings.com, etc.)
• Data analysis: Analyzing travel data to identify trends, optimize spending

1. Finance requests assistance:

• Daily balance verification 
• Financial email management (Basic requests: IT invoice distribution, banking information dissemination)
•  Pleo administration (spend policy enforcement, receipt collection, limit/change tracking)

What we need from you:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities
• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills  
• Knowledge of travel industry regulations and best practices (advantageous)
• Customer-centric approach and dedication to traveler satisfaction
• Customer service experience (advantageous)
• Negotiation skills

What you can expect from us:

• Fair and competitive salary at every stage of your growth
• Meaningful ownership in the business through our employee option scheme
• Flexible working hours, with hybrid working at its heart
• A culture built on passionate growth-minded people
• A flexible approach to holiday
• Opportunities to travel to our offices around the world, in locations such as London and Cape Town, to collaborate with your colleagues 
• An open and creative environment where you can help us define the future of BVNK, its culture, and its opportunity sets

At BVNK, we are focused on building a diverse and inclusive team. While you may not meet all of our requirements, we’d encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of our expectations. You may be a great fit for this role or another role in our team.