Business Operations & Automation Manager at Expedia in Chicago, IL

Business Operations & Automation Manager Location: USA - Illinois - Chicago Expedia Group brands power global travel for everyone, everywhere. We design cutting-edge tech to make travel smoother and more memorable, and we create groundbreaking solutions for our partners. Our diverse, vibrant, and welcoming community is essential in driving our success. Why Join Us? To shape the future of travel, people must come first. Guided by our Values and Leadership Agreements, we foster an open culture where everyone belongs, differences are celebrated and know that when one of us wins, we all win. We provide a full benefits package, including exciting travel perks, generous time-off, parental leave, a flexible work model (with some pretty cool offices), and career development resources, all to fuel our employees' passion for travel and ensure a rewarding career journey. We’re building a more open world. Join us. Introduction to the Team: Strategic Partnerships and Affiliates (SPA) is a flourishing business, with bold growth ambitions, within the Expedia Group consumer business. We are uniquely positioned at the intersection of B2B and B2C marketing, with a growing portfolio of products that support thousands of affiliate partners, businesses, and people, to become successful travel entrepreneurs. Our business’ purpose is ‘to profitably extend the reach of Expedia Group’s (EG) brands and engage with travellers where they choose to discover and book travel, by enabling businesses and people to monetize their audiences through branded travel products’. Make An Impact! As a Business Operations & Automation Manager, you will lead initiatives that unlock operational efficiency through automation, AI, and intelligent workflows. You’ll work cross-functionally to identify friction points, scale smart solutions, and build future-ready operations that support growth and innovation. This is a high-impact role at the intersection of data, technology, and execution. In This Role You Will: Analyze operational data and workflows to surface inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas with high automation potential. Rapidly document and evaluate existing processes across global tech and business teams, identifying opportunities for AI enablement and simplification. Gather and document clear requirements for automation. Develop clear, metrics-driven business cases for AI, automation, and process improvement initiatives. Lead end-to-end improvement projects—from design and proof of concept to full deployment and impact measurement. Collaborate with Product and Technical teams to build and integrate AI-powered tools and automations into core operations. Continuously monitor performance of AI-enabled workflows, iterate based on feedback and data, and scale what works. Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, exploring emerging technologies to stay ahead of the curve. Share best practices, playbooks, and frameworks to upskill teams in automation thinking and operational excellence. Act as a change agent, fostering stakeholder buy-in and helping teams embrace tech-enabled ways of working. Navigate and align across global stakeholders—ensuring seamless execution across functions, cultures, and time zones. Experience and Qualifications: 4+ years of experience in operations, business analysis, or process improvement, preferably in tech or fast-paced environments. Track record of delivering measurable efficiency gains in commercial organizations. Demonstrated experience leading operational improvement projects enabled by technology (preferably with automation or AI tools) Strong analytical skills and comfortable working with data. Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills in cross-functional settings. Fluent in English; international work or study experience is a plus. Adaptable, curious, and comfortable with ambiguity. A structured thinker who can simplify complexity and drive action. The total cash range for this position in Chicago is $81,000.00 to $113,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $129,500.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role. Starting pay for this role will vary based on multiple factors, including location, available budget, and an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience. Pay ranges may be modified in the future. Expedia Group is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to support employees and their families, including medical/dental/vision, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program. To fuel each employee’s passion for travel, we offer a wellness & travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and an International Airlines Travel Agent (IATAN) membership. View our full list of benefits. Accommodation requests If you need assistance with any part of the application or recruiting process due to a disability, or other physical or mental health conditions, please reach out to our Recruiting Accommodations Team through the Accommodation Request. We are proud to be named as a Best Place to Work on Glassdoor in 2024 and be recognized for award-winning culture by organizations like Forbes, TIME, Disability:IN, and others. Expedia Group's family of brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™. © 2024 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50 Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group’s Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never provide sensitive, personal information to someone unless you’re confident who the recipient is. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or any other messaging tools to individuals with whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is @expediagroup.com. The official website to find and apply for job openings at Expedia Group is careers.expediagroup.com/jobs. Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I-9 to confirm work authorization.