Navan · 2 days ago
Director, Strategy & Operations
Palo Alto, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$165K/yr - $308K/yr
8+ years expNavan is seeking a Director of Strategy, Payments & Expense to lead the strategic direction of their Payments and Expense business. The role involves end-to-end strategic analysis, executive-level storytelling, and data-driven recommendations to inform decisions by the CEO and senior leadership team.
Business TravelFinancial ServicesPaymentsSoftware
Responsibilities
Own the strategy for the Payments and Expense business, including growth priorities, investment tradeoffs, and long-term value creation
Act as a trusted thought partner to the executive leadership by framing strategic questions, analyzing options, and making clear, actionable recommendations
Prepare and deliver high-impact presentations for executive reviews, board materials, and senior leadership forums
Develop a deep understanding of the business’s financials, including revenue drivers, costs, margins, unit economics, and key performance indicators
Partner closely with Finance, FP&A, and Rev Ops to analyze performance, forecast outcomes, and evaluate strategic initiatives
Build and maintain analytical models to assess scenarios, investments, pricing changes, and new opportunities
Translate complex data into clear narratives that highlight insights, implications, and recommended actions
Determine the most effective way to present information to senior leadership, balancing detail with clarity and executive-level focus
Ensure leadership has a consistent, accurate, and forward-looking view of the Payments and Expense business
Work cross-functionally with Product, Operations, Sales, and Customer teams to understand constraints, opportunities, and execution realities
Align stakeholders around strategic priorities and ensure recommendations are grounded in both data and operational feasibility
Drive clarity and alignment across teams on strategic direction and success metrics
Qualification
Required
8-10 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, or a similar highly analytical, executive-facing role
Experience working with senior executives and presenting directly to CEOs, CFOs, or Boards
Strong understanding of financial statements, business drivers, and performance metrics; fintech, payments, or expense management experience is a plus but not required
Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize large amounts of data into clear insights
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, especially in executive presentations and strategic narratives
Strong business judgment and comfort making recommendations in ambiguous or high-stakes situations
Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously
Highly structured thinker with a strong bias toward clarity and impact
Comfortable operating at both the 30,000-foot strategic level and in the details when needed
Trusted, discreet, and confident partner to senior leadership
Company
Navan
Navan provides travel, expense, and corporate card management to automate manual processes and drive spend visibility.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Navan has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (45)
2024 (22)
2023 (38)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$2.25BKey Investors
Goldman Sachs Bank USACoatueGreenoaks
2025-10-30IPO
2025-04-07Convertible Note
2022-12-08Debt Financing· $400M
Leadership Team
Ariel Cohen
CEO and Co-Founder
Carlos Avelar
Account Executive
Recent News
GlobeNewswire
2026-01-22
2026-01-21
2026-01-20
Company data provided by crunchbase