Engineering Director, Specialty Travel
Navan
London, UK
We believe “It’s all about the user. All of them.” We’re passionate about providing a seamless one-stop experience for business travelers, no matter how they travel, where they stay, or where they’re going.
Navan is hiring a Director of Engineering to oversee our Specialty Travel and Events division. You will lead the teams building our core Events Platform and architecting new products for customers with complex, specialized requirements. As a pivotal technical leader, you will be responsible for setting the engineering roadmap, mentoring future leaders and hiring top talent, and ensuring our solutions remain reliable, scalable, and relentlessly user-focused.
What You’ll Do
- Technical Leadership: Guide the technical direction and roadmap for critical systems within the travel domain. Must have 10+ years of Software Development Experience with 5+ years of experience leading/managing cross-functional development teams and 3+ years of managing managers.
- Team Development: Hire, develop, and mentor a high-performing organization of engineers and engineering managers.
- Industry Partnership: Work closely with vendors and suppliers to implement modern, API-driven technical approaches and integrate new standards.
- System Architecture: Drive the scalability, reliability, and extensibility of backend systems that handle complex real-world constraints and high-volume transactions.
- AI Integration: Guide the implementation of AI-driven workflows, leveraging Navan’s proprietary travel data to provide context-rich outcomes that go beyond generic models.
- Cross-Functional Execution: Partner closely with Product, Design, and Operations to deliver ambitious, cross-team initiatives that redefine the traveler experience.
- Operational Excellence: Modernize long-standing technical assumptions into flexible models, ensuring rapid progress is balanced with the quality and trust required by enterprise customers.
What We’re Looking For
- Experience: Strong background in building and operating large-scale backend systems, with a proven track record of managing engineering teams and scaling team capabilities.
- Technical Depth: Deep expertise in complex distributed systems and the ability to engage deeply with engineers on architectural details.
- Execution Focus: A record of delivering complex, cross-functional outcomes in ambiguous environments where you help shape the direction. Successful leaders at Navan know when to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their teams.
- Domain Curiosity: While travel experience is a strong plus, you must have a relentless desire to go "under the hood" to understand how the industry actually works rather than treating it as a black box.
- Global Collaboration: Ability to communicate clearly and work effectively across diverse cultures and time zones (SF, London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and beyond).
- Partner Engagement: The ability to engage effectively with external industry partners and providers, building credibility through your technical depth.
- Strong Ownership: A "builder" mindset with the follow-through necessary to guide your teams through a rare industry transformation.
About Navan
Navan (Nasdaq: NAVN) is the leading all-in-one business travel, payments, and expense management platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. From finding flights and hotels to automating expense reconciliation, with 24/7 support along the way, Navan delivers an intuitive experience travelers love and finance teams rely on. See how Navan customers benefit and learn more at navan.com.
Culture of Excellence
Our team is our competitive edge — a high-performance group of smart, driven people committed to winning together. This dedication to excellence is why we’ve been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In (2023–2026), a G2 Best Global Software Company (2025-2026), a CNBC Disruptor 50 (2022-2025), and a Forbes Fintech 50 (2022-2025). At Navan, we provide an environment where top talent excels, offering the autonomy and fast-paced trajectory needed to build a defining career and do the best work of your life.
Our Benefits
Navan offers a comprehensive benefits program designed to support your well-being, financial security, and life outside of work. Our benefits, thoughtfully tailored by country to meet local needs, include healthcare coverage, insurance offerings, and wellness resources for you and your family.
We support long-term financial growth through retirement savings programs and opportunities to participate in our equity plans, so you can share in Navan’s success. To promote balance, we offer flexible time off, country-specific holidays, and paid parental leave for all new parents. Additional benefits include connectivity and commuting support*, mental health resources, and exclusive travel-related perks. Wherever you’re based, our benefits evolve with you.
Workplace Policy
Navan believes in the value of in-person connections, whether that’s 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. In-office perks such as company-provided lunches and happy hours create a strong team environment to help you do your best work. Our employees work from the office four days a week. 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".
*Applies to select locations.