Travel Operations Manager

Travel Trade Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Office-based role

Mon-Fri

Sydney CBD location

Supportive team culture

Job summary

Travel Trade Recruitment Australia is seeking an experienced travel operations leader in Sydney CBD to drive end-to-end operations across FIT, Groups, and remote team members.

You will mentor the team, manage supplier relationships, optimise booking processes, and partner with Sales, Product, and Ops to enhance the customer journey. This full-time, office-based role offers a great salary and opportunities for career development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading travel operations teams.
• Experience in inbound tourism or tour coordination preferred.
• Strong stakeholder and supplier relationship management.
• Ability to optimise booking processes and itineraries.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-performing operations team across FIT, Groups, and remote staff.
• Oversee end-to-end travel operations, including bookings, itineraries, and tour coordination.
• Manage relationships with Australian and international suppliers (accommodation, transport, tours).
• Handle escalations and resolve operational issues quickly and effectively.
• Monitor workflow to meet deadlines and service standards.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product, and Account teams to improve efficiency and the customer journey.
• Review performance and identify process improvements.
• Ensure accuracy and compliance across documentation and systems.

Skills

Leadership

Travel operations

Tour planning

Stakeholder management

Tourplan

Tools

Tourplan

Job description

3mo ago , from Travel Trade Recruitment (Australia)

Are you an experienced travel operations professional ready to step into a leadership role within the tourism space? This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established, specialist travel business delivering exceptional, tailor-made travel experiences to international visitors.

This role is based in Sydney CBD and offers a hands-on opportunity to lead operations, drive service excellence, and play a key role in shaping seamless end-to-end travel experiences.

About the Role:

• Leading and mentoring a high-performing operations team across FIT, Groups, and remote team members
• Overseeing end-to-end travel operations, including booking processes, itinerary management, and tour coordination
• Managing relationships with Australian and international suppliers, including accommodation, transport, and touring partners
• Handling escalations and resolving operational issues quickly and effectively
• Monitoring workflow and ensuring deadlines and service standards are consistently met
• Collaborating closely with Sales, Product, and Account teams to improve efficiency and enhance the customer journey
• Reviewing operational performance and identifying process improvements
• Ensuring accuracy, compliance, and attention to detail across all documentation and systems

About You:

• Proven experience in travel operations, inbound tourism, or tour coordination (Australia experience highly regarded)
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing teams in a dynamic environment
• Confidence working with travel booking systems (Tourplan experience highly advantageous)
• Excellent organisation, time management, and problem-solving abilities
• Strong communication skills with the ability to manage internal and external stakeholders
• A customer-first mindset with a focus on delivering high-quality travel experiences
• Experience working collaboratively across departments such as Sales, Product, and Operations
• Knowledge of supplier management, contracts, and travel industry processes

What's on Offer

• Great Salary $110,000 - $120,000 + Super
• Monday to Friday
• Office-based role in Sydney CBD
• Opportunity to lead a diverse, global-facing operations team
• Work within a specialist travel environment with strong industry reputation
• Career development and long-term growth opportunities
• Supportive, collaborative team culture
• Familiarisation travel opportunities

Ready for your next step?

If you're passionate about travel operations and ready to take on a leadership role where no two days are the same, we'd love to hear from you.