Global Program Director (all Genders)

City: Cologne

Job Function: Sales

Job Area: Sales

Seniority Level: Director

Date: May 7, 2026

HRS AS A COMPANY

HRS, the pioneer in business travel, aims to elevate every stay through innovative technology. With over 50 years of experience we reinvent how companies and travelers Stay, Work, and Pay.

The lodging and meeting management market is sizable and growing rapidly - yet it’s still underserved by technology players. That’s where HRS comes in. We challenge legacy structures and cut through complexity.
Our Copilot and Connect platform applications seamlessly plug into any of our customer’s tech stacks. They are powered by our AI-enabled platform, which turns fragmented data from the entire ecosystem into enriched level 3 data. Built on proprietary large and small language models, our technology delivers real-time actionable insights and automation that works. The result: A competitive edge customers won’t want to miss – cost savings, higher traveller satisfaction and increase in compliance.
Our business model is equally compelling. Strong customer lock-in, clear expansion plans into adjacent use-cases and in-destination experiences, and a SaaS model with recurring revenues and high margins drive a long-term growth pathway and high profitability.
At HRS, we make business life better by reinventing how companies work and stay.
That’s why HRS's exponential growth since 1972 serves over 35% of the global Fortune 500 and leading hotel chains.

BUSINESS UNIT

At HRS, we are redefining the way we work within our Business Unit Enterprise Soultions by organizing our business around industry-specific verticals. This structure enables us to deliver deeper value to our clients, foster closer relationships, and drive scalable, innovative solutions globally - from acquisition through to delivery.

By aligning teams around key industries such as Automotive, Manufacturing, Energy, or Financial Services, we combine deep sector expertise with functional excellence. This approach empowers our people to make smarter decisions, learn faster, and collaborate more effectively — all while staying laser-focused on delivering outcomes tailored to our customers’ unique needs.

MISSION & IMPACT

As a Global Program Director at HRS, you act as ultimate accountable leader and commercial owner for our most strategic global enterprise accounts. You autonomously steer complex customer ecosystems end-to-end, ensuring HRS solutions are deeply embedded across travel, meetings, and payment landscapes while delivering measurable business and commercial outcomes.

In this role, you operate as a virtual global leader, orchestrating a distributed setup of regional Program Managers (Central Europe, US, China, rest of APAC), as well as dedicated Customer Experience Managers and Program Consultants. You ensure seamless execution across regions while maintaining full ownership of strategy, delivery, and commercial success.

Your objectives are:

Program Success & Retention: Ensure strategic programs deliver measurable value and remain aligned with client objectives.

Strategic Expansion: Identify and lead growth opportunities within the client program, expanding the impact of HRS solutions.

You will report directly to the global SVP Customer Succes Management.

Impact

You shape and lead some of the most critical global customer relationships at HRS. By embedding HRS technology into complex enterprise ecosystems, you enable cost optimization, traveler satisfaction, and compliance. You act as the single point of accountability globally for both delivery excellence and commercial success.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Global Strategic Program Leadership

Own and steer the overall strategic program for key global accounts, ensuring alignment with the customer’s business priorities.
Orchestrate multiple parallel initiatives and projects across regions, stakeholders, and internal teams.
Translate customer strategy into clear program roadmaps, priorities, and success metrics.
Act as the central coordination point between customer executives and internal HRS experts.

Trusted Advisor to Enterprise Clients

Build and maintain senior executive relationships and position HRS as a strategic partner.
Advise clients on best practices, industry trends, and optimization opportunities across travel, meetings and payments.
Conduct Business Reviews to evaluate progress, identify opportunities, and align on future priorities.
Proactively identify risks or performance gaps and drive corrective actions.

Commercial Ownership & Strategic Growth

Own the commercial success of the customer program, including retention and strategic expansion.
Identify and develop high-impact expansion opportunities.
Lead end-to-end commercial engagements, including business case development, executive presentations, and contract negotiations.
Apply structured qualification frameworks (e.g., MEDDPICC) to ensure deal quality and success.

Global Team Leadership & Orchestration

Lead a virtual global organization of regional Program Managers, Customer Experience Managers, and Program Consultants.
Ensure alignment, performance, and accountability across all regions fostering a high-performance culture across distributed teams.

REQUIREMENTS

Proven track record in a Global Program Director, Strategic Account Leadership or Consulting role managing large-scale, complex enterprise accounts end-to-end. Experience in the travel industry is a plus.
Demonstrated experience in owning and growing global accounts commercially (including multi-million revenue responsibility).

Strong experience as a virtual leader, managing distributed, cross-regional teams and complex stakeholder environments.

Proven ability to operate at executive level and build trusted advisor relationships.
Strong commercial acumen combined with strategic thinking and execution excellence.
Excellent communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and executive presentation skills.

Familiarity with sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC).

Fluent in English and German; other languages are a plus

PERSPECTIVE

Access to a global network of a globally united and mutually responsible “Tribe of Intrapreneurs” that is passionately dedicated to renew the travel industry and while doing so reinvent the ways how businesses stay, work and pay.

Our entrepreneurial driven environment of full ownership and execution focus offers you the playground to contribute to a greater mission, while growing personally and professionally throughout this unique journey. You will continuously learn from a radical culture of retrospectives and continuous improvement and actively contribute to making business life better, smarter and more sustainable.

LOCATION, MOBILITY, INCENTIVE

The role is based in Germany with preference to Cologne or Berlin with regular on-site presence and offers a highly competitive total compensation package aligned with market benchmarks. In addition to a fixed base salary, the package includes an attractive, performance-driven commission plan with significant upside, as well as full mobility and all necessary work equipment.

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Req ID: 18744