Regional Operations Manager

G Adventures, Inc.; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

G Adventures, Inc. is seeking a Regional Operations Manager to lead and optimize the Oceania tour programme. You will manage a remote regional team, coordinate with Product and Strategic Operations, and drive cost efficiencies while upholding safety and brand standards.

You will oversee supplier relationships, develop staffing strategies, and ensure tours deliver high-quality, profitable experiences across the region. This role welcomes applicants from AU/NZ, with Brisbane preference.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in travel, with extensive regional travel within Oceania.
• Minimum 2 years in an operations leadership role.
• Experience in new product development and supplier negotiation is desirable.
• Experience developing and implementing systems and procedures to improve operational efficiency.
• Proficient in office administration, problem solving and organizational management.
• Proficient across a diverse suite of platforms; ability to manage crises and safety.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and leadership abilities.
• Right to work in Australia or New Zealand.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and regional operations to ensure profitable tours across Oceania.
• Oversee supplier relationships, onboarding, training, and performance.
• Manage regional staffing strategy and cross-functional collaboration with Product & Strategic Operations.
• Forecast regional overhead budgets and track spend against plans.
• Ensure tours meet budget, safety, and quality standards across regions.
• Drive continuous improvement, risk management, and compliance with laws and regulations.

Skills

Travel industry experience

Operations leadership

Supplier negotiation

Product development

Systems & processes

Office administration

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Communication

Team leadership & training

Right to work (AU/NZ)

Job description

The Regional Operations Manager role is a pivotal leadership position that is primarily responsible for the successful delivery of G Adventures' comprehensive tour programme across Oceania. This is a dynamic and multi-faceted role that leads a diverse team to ensure sustainable business growth, operational excellence, profitability and quality. This role oversees supplier relationships, team development, and compliance, ensuring efficient, innovative, and customer-focused tour operations.

It also manages risk, fosters cross-functional collaboration and champions continuous improvement to uphold brand standards and safety. This role builds on a highly successful platform but with significant opportunity to drive continued growth and evolution of the Oceania region in the coming years.

We welcome applications from candidates from Australia or New Zealand, with a preference for Brisbane based (Australia) or Christchurch/Auckland (NZ) applicants, but please still apply if you are outside of these locations and meet all other criteria for the role.

What you'll be doing

Strategic Leadership and Regional Planning

Lead ongoing enhancements of operational and administrative processes, ensuring systematic and efficient workflow across regional operations, key suppliers and shared services functions.

Coordinate with Product and Strategic Operations divisions to manage product lines and inventory efficiently and profitably.

Ensure accurate regional overhead budget forecasting, spend and tracking

Contribute to strategic destination management functions, including product mix, inventory strategy, quality management and supplier mix.

Contribute to development and implementation of a regional staffing strategy across Regional Operations, Tour Staff, and Shared Services functions.

Ensure trips run to budget, and identify opportunities for cost reductions in collaboration with the Buying team.

Supplier and Stakeholder Management

Collaborate with the Buying team on supplier selection, vetting, and training.

Build and manage effective relationships with suppliers and DMC partners, ensuring consistent service delivery and clear communication at all levels.

Travel within the region to inspect hotels, transportation and suppliers; provide support, attend industry events and stay informed on new industry trends.

Develop the company’s presence within local tourism boards, associations and committees, promoting brand awareness and industry engagement in the region.

Ensure all operational areas uphold brand standards and properly represent third-party wholesaler brands as required.

Maintain strong communication and positive working relationships between regional operations, shared services functions and other internal stakeholders. Consistently review and manage workflow and processes.

Team Leadership and Development

Lead and manage a remote team of office employees and tour staff across the Oceania region, fostering a culture of trust, respect and accountability both internally and externally.

Oversee ongoing training programs for office employees, tour staff, and local operators to build leadership capacity and regional infrastructure that supports rapid growth.

Foster and promote company culture among office employees, suppliers and tour staff, enhancing engagement and alignment with company values and community tourism.

Support travel style training initiatives within the region to ensure consistent customer experience.

Operational Excellence and Quality Control

Regularly review traveller evaluations to identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement and develop initiatives that add value to tours.

Champion the adoption of new systems, initiatives and programs in a fast-paced, constantly evolving global business.

Analyze international competitors and regional operators, consistently seeking value innovations and applying improvements across tours.

Lead the tour staff leadership team and suppliers in upholding and improving safety and quality standards across tours, vehicles, and accommodations.

Compliance, Risk, and Incident Management

Take an active role in managing critical incidents and emergencies in the field, coordinating communication and ensuring all relevant parties are kept informed.

Support the Operations team in developing and implementing contingency plans in the event of on-tour disruptions and adjustments.

Ensure effective, consistent and timely incident reporting from tour staff and suppliers.

Ensure safe, compliant tour operations across office and tour staff and supply chain, through adherence to all relevant laws and regulations.

Ensure adherence to G Adventures welfare policies and community tourism standards.

Ownership of the emergency phone roster, ensuring equitable distribution of out of hours responsibility across the operations team. The role is included in the emergency phone rotation, and acts as an escalation point on a shared basis also.

Communication and Content Management

Work closely with the Product team to verify the completeness and accuracy of all trip content, and tour staff resources, including trip details, brochure and web content, and trip flows.

Monitor and maintain communication channels such as passenger feedback and regional correspondence to ensure timely responses and issue resolution.

What you'll need to be successful

Minimum of 5 years' experience in the travel industry, with extensive travel experience in the region.

Minimum of 2 years' experience in an operations leadership role.

Experience in new product development and supplier negotiation is desirable.

Experience developing and implementing systems and procedures to improve operational efficiency.

Proficient in office administration, problem solving and organizational management.

Proficient in working across a diverse suite of platforms, and the ability to

Ability to manage crises and take responsibility for the safety and well-being of others.

Ability to train, mentor and lead team members effectively.

Commitment to delivering high levels of customer satisfaction and ability to manage complex customer service issues.

Effective stakeholder management skills across a geographically and culturally diverse organisation.

Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship management skills.

Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize competing demands effectively.

A functional knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, relating to employment, passenger transport, and national parks visitation.

Right to Work in Australia or New Zealand

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Travel Agents, Tour Operators & Tourist Services

Whatever your style, see it your way

Everyone loves to travel, but not everyone loves to travel the same way. G Adventures Travel Styles gather trips of a feather together so you can spend less time searching and more time dreaming about where you’ll go next.

Why adventure travel?

Adventure travel is more than a vacation. It’s a chance to get to know your world better by putting yourself on a first-name basis with the people, places, and things that make it worth exploring. This is your planet. Come and get it.

Why G Adventures?

We’re the small-group adventure travel experts, and have been for over 20 years. We got that way by listening to travellers and giving them what they want: Top-notch tours in top-notch places with top-notch staff at great prices.

Source: this is an extract from the company’s own website.

Whatever your style, see it your way

Everyone loves to travel, but not everyone loves to travel the same way. G Adventures Travel Styles gather trips of a feather together so you can spend less time searching and more time dreaming about where you’ll go next.

Why adventure travel?

Adventure travel is more than a vacation. It’s a chance to get to know your world better by putting yourself on a first-name basis with the people, places, and things that make it worth exploring. This is your planet. Come and get it.

Why G Adventures?

We’re the small-group adventure travel experts, and have been for over 20 years. We got that way by listening to travellers and giving them what they want: Top-notch tours in top-notch places with top-notch staff at great prices.

Source: this is an extract from the company’s own website.