1 Line JD: Build and lead a travel operations function that runs multiple domestic and international trips at once with consistent quality, strong margins, and minimal operational issues.

About the Organization

A community-led travel company offering curated group journeys. The experience brings people together through shared travel, with thoughtful planning and dependable on-ground delivery supporting each trip.

Role objective

Build and lead the entire travel operations function, ensuring multiple domestic and international trips can run simultaneously with consistent quality, strong margins, and minimal operational issues.

Must-have experience

• 5–10+ years of experience in travel operations.
• Strong preference for experience at travel companies, destination management companies (DMCs), tour operators, experiential or luxury travel companies, or group travel businesses.
• Experience managing multiple trips or departures simultaneously.
• Experience managing group trips of 20–50+ people is highly preferred.
• Experience managing both pre-trip planning and on-ground execution.
• Experience managing a team of operations executives, trip captains, or coordinators.

Key responsibilities

Travel operations

• Own trip operations end to end.
• Coordinate hotels, transport, activities, restaurants, guides, permits, transfers, and other trip requirements.
• Manage 10–15+ trips at different stages simultaneously.
• Lead strong pre-trip planning and on-ground execution.
• Manage crises and prepare contingency plans.

Vendor management

• Bring a strong understanding of, and network among, travel vendors.
• Negotiate with hotels and DMCs.
• Manage transporters and activity providers.
• Negotiate rates, payment terms, cancellation policies, and contracts.
• Evaluate vendor performance.
• Build preferred vendor networks by destination.
• Negotiate assertively while protecting the quality of the traveler experience.

Systems and process building

• Build operational systems and SOPs from scratch.
• Create standardized processes for every trip.
• Set up trip-level trackers and dashboards, vendor databases, and payment and advance tracking.
• Build pre-trip readiness checklists and post-trip closure and feedback systems.
• Identify recurring problems and create processes that prevent them.

Cost and margin management

• Manage trip-level budgets and cost control.
• Negotiate vendor costs and identify operational leakages.
• Improve trip margins without harming the customer experience.
• Track vendor payments and settlements.

Team leadership

• Build and manage the operations team.
• Set clear ownership and KPIs.
• Train and manage trip coordinators and captains.
• Create accountability and operational discipline.
• Scale the team as the business grows.

Your First 90 Days

First 30 days: map the operation

• Review trips in planning, in execution, and recently completed, including the main dependencies and recurring issues.
• Understand existing vendor relationships, terms, rates, payment flows, trip budgets, and margin drivers.
• Assess current planning checklists, trackers, SOPs, team responsibilities, and escalation practices.
• Spend time with the team to understand how traveler experience is delivered before, during, and after each trip.

Expected outcome: A clear view of operational risks, strengths, urgent fixes, and the first priorities for improving consistency.

Days 31–60: establish control and consistency

• Standardize the core trip-planning and readiness process, with clear owners and deadlines.
• Improve trip-level tracking for vendors, budgets, advances, payments, and open issues.
• Introduce a practical vendor review and negotiation rhythm, while protecting the quality of the traveler experience.
• Strengthen contingency planning, escalation paths, and post-trip feedback and closure.

Expected outcome: More predictable trip readiness, clearer operational ownership, and better visibility into costs and outstanding issues.

Days 61–90: optimize and prepare to scale

• Use trip outcomes, traveler feedback, vendor performance, and cost data to identify repeatable improvements.
• Address recurring operational issues through updated SOPs and team coaching.
• Refine preferred vendor coverage and negotiate improvements in rates and terms where appropriate.
• Present a forward-looking plan for capacity, team development, systems, and operational priorities.

Expected outcome: A more dependable operating system for multiple simultaneous trips, with a clear plan to improve quality, margins, and scale.

What Success Looks Like

• Trips are prepared and delivered consistently, with risks anticipated and issues handled calmly.
• The team has clear ownership, reliable follow-up, and practical operating checklists.
• Vendor performance, payments, trip costs, and margins are visible and actively managed.
• Post-trip feedback and recurring problems inform concrete process improvements.
• The operations function can support growth without losing service quality or operational control.

How We Work

This is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-moving travel environment. Success calls for strong ownership, clear communication, sound judgement under pressure, and a willingness to build systems while staying close to trip execution.

Personality and working style

• Extremely detail-oriented and highly organized.
• Hands-on, rather than focused only on strategy.
• Excellent at follow-ups and very strong at negotiation.
• Calm under pressure and fast at problem-solving.
• A strong communicator with high ownership who does not wait to be told what to do.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup.
• Willing to travel when required.