Federal Travel Program Manager

At Significance, we believe the best results come from investing in great people. As a woman-owned consulting firm supporting federal civilian and Department of Defense customers, we bring together talented professionals who are passionate about solving complex challenges and making a meaningful impact. We're proud of the culture we've built - one rooted in trust, collaboration, respect, and genuine relationships. Our people are empowered to share ideas, grow their careers, and deliver exceptional results while supporting missions that matter. It's a culture we're proud of, and one that has earned us recognition as a Washington Business Journal Best Place to Work for seven consecutive years. Significance, Inc. is seeking a Federal Travel Subject Matter Expert / Project Manager to lead delivery of travel support services to HHS ASPR to support an upcoming federal program (contingent upon award). This position will be primarily remote, with occasional travel to the DMV when needed. This is a dual-hatted role: the incumbent is the program’s senior authority on the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), HHS Travel Policy, and ASPR travel policy, and simultaneously carries project management accountability for staffing, deliverables, reporting, quality, and customer communication under the ASPR TSS Statement of Work. ASPR travel is mission-critical and frequently non-routine, spanning routine TDY, conferences, exercises, National Special Security Events, and emergency deployments for federally declared disasters. The role demands sound judgment under compressed timelines, discretion supporting senior and high-profile travelers, and a central part in ASPR’s transition from ETS2/Concur to GO.gov (ETSNext). Responsibilities: Project Management and Program Delivery • Own execution of the ASPR TSS task order: scope, schedule, staffing coverage, quality, and deliverable compliance, using an Integrated Master Schedule and issue/risk logs. • Deliver weekly status reports and meetings, and monthly reporting of work by support category (authorizations, vouchers, monitoring, traveler follow-up) with workload trends, turnaround times, and process improvement recommendations. • Serve as primary operational point of contact to the ASPR COR and Travel Services Branch leadership; lead recurring operational and service improvement check-ins. • Supervise and schedule travel coordination staff to sustain coverage 8:00 AM–10:00 PM, Sunday–Saturday; activate and oversee surge personnel for 24/7 emergency support across multiple events and locations. • Review staffing levels against SOW requirements and notify ASPR in writing when insufficient; execute phase-in and phase-out planning, quality control, and protection of GFI/GFP. Federal Travel Subject Matter Expertise and Operations • Serve as authoritative program resource on the FTR, GSA guidance, HHS Travel Policy, and ASPR policy; advise travelers and approving officials on entitlements, per diem, foreign and invitational travel, constructive travel, and actual expense authorizations. • Create, review, and maintain authorizations and vouchers in ETS2, managing the full document lifecycle including stalled-item monitoring, receipt collection, justifications, supplemental vouchers, and escalation. • Perform first-level compliance review of travel documents and facilitate payment of SES-level vouchers; enter annotations and justifications sufficient for a complete audit trail on complex trips and policy exceptions. • Coordinate air, lodging, and ground transportation through the HHS Travel Management Center, placing airline reservations against traveler Individually Billed Accounts; generate constructed travel cost comparisons and AEA forms. • Manage the ASPR travel support inbox as an operational queue; maintain traveler profiles, routing lists, and CAN data in ETS2; conduct traveler readiness reviews and proactive change monitoring to minimize fees. • Populate the Resource Management System (RMS) to standard and produce TDY status, authorization, voucher, and budgetary reports for ASPR offices on a defined schedule and ad hoc. • Refine the ASPR travel expense template based on actual travel patterns, voucher issues, and client feedback; coordinate with HHS Operating and Staff Divisions and PSC Travel Finance. Special Events, Emergency Response, GO.gov Transition, and Training • Lead travel and logistics coordination for special events including NSSEs, and deliver team and group travel support under regular, priority, and emergency conditions. • Support surge operations for federally declared disasters and public health emergencies; coordinate with field and HQ assets during multi-site response operations and maintain trained bench strength. • Serve as ASPR-side functional lead for the ETS2-to-GO.gov transition: workflow mapping, configuration and user-role support, test script development and execution, issue resolution, and user support before, during, and after implementation. • Deliver onboarding, training, job aids, FAQs, and virtual or desk-side support; explain travel regulation in clear, user-friendly language and maintain responsive, discreet customer service. Required Skills: Federal travel program depth. Hands-on expertise administering a federal travel program end to end — authorizations, reservations, vouchers, approval workflows, reimbursement, and reporting. • FTR mastery. Ability to interpret the FTR and agency supplements and apply them independently to non-routine travel situations. • Electronic travel systems. Proficiency in ETS2/ConcurGov or a comparable federal system, including document lifecycle management, profile and routing administration, and troubleshooting. • Voucher and authorization review. Proven ability to review expenses for accuracy, allowability, and compliance; validate accounting codes and funding lines; resolve reimbursement-delaying errors. • Project management and team leadership. Experience managing scope, schedule, deliverables, risk, and quality on a federal task order, and supervising coordination or help desk staff across extended hours. • Reporting and analysis. Ability to extract travel and financial system data and produce management, compliance, audit-support, and executive reports; identify trends and recommend improvements. • TMC and travel card knowledge. Experience coordinating travel through a Travel Management Center; working knowledge of city-pair fares, lodging per diem, and IBA/CBA usage. • Communication, judgment, and discretion. Excellent written and verbal communication; sound decisions under compressed timelines; demonstrated discretion supporting sensitive, high-profile, or VIP travel. • Availability. Willing to support after-hours and surge operations during emergency activations and participate in an on-call escalation rotation. • Location and eligibility. Resides in the DC/MD/VA area and can report on-site in Washington, DC as directed. U.S. citizenship required; must obtain and maintain a favorably adjudicated federal background investigation (minimum NACI) with fingerprinting and PIV credentialing. Skills Preferred • HHS and ASPR experience. Prior travel support to HHS or an Operating/Staff Division (ASPR, CDC, NIH, FDA, CMS, IHS, PSC), including emergency preparedness or deployment travel. • GO.gov and ConcurGov. Direct experience with GO.gov (ETSNext) implementation, configuration, testing, or operations; service as a Federal Agency Travel Administrator or ETS2 system administrator. • Special events and group travel. Coordination of NSSEs, large conferences, exercises, or group travel of 100 or more travelers. • Foreign, relocation, and executive travel. OCONUS travel, Notification of Foreign Travel processes, invitational travel, PCS/relocation support, or SES and principal-staff travel support. • Financial systems and travel cards. Familiarity with UFMS, HIGLAS, NBS, or comparable systems, and with travel card program administration and delinquency monitoring. • Certifications and clearance. PMP, CAPM, ITIL, CGTP, or GBTP; existing background investigation eligible for reciprocity or active Public Trust or higher. • Tooling. Advanced Excel, Power BI or comparable reporting tools, SharePoint, and case management platforms. At Significance, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package and is determined within a range. Our pay ranges are based on the local cost of labor benchmarks for each specific role, level, and geographic location. We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to experience; job-related skill sets; relevant education or training; and other business and organizational needs. The salary range listed is for the level at which this job has been scoped. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for a comprehensive and generous benefits package. We are an E-Verify Employer