Tour Operations Manager

Travel Trade Recruitment; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive salary

Employee benefits

Job summary

Travel Trade Recruitment in Birmingham is seeking an experienced Travel Operations Manager to lead a team of five Operations Executives and ensure every departure is ready, accurately documented and delivered.

You will manage day-to-day operations, maintain high standards of accuracy, coordinate suppliers and tour logistics, and drive improvements to enhance efficiency and customer experience.

Qualifications

• Experience in travel operations or tour operations and leading a team.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to motivate, coach and develop others.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a methodical approach to operational delivery.
• Confident problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency using business systems and Microsoft Office; TMS experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support and develop a team of five Operations Executives.
• Collaborate with Head Of Product & Operations.
• Oversee preparation, quality checking and distribution of final customer travel documentation.
• Coordinate suppliers, transport, accommodation, rooming lists and wider tour logistics.
• Manage operational deadlines, workloads and performance standards.
• Maintain accurate operational records and oversee invoice approvals.
• Identify and resolve operational issues and mitigate risks.
• Build relationships across internal teams and supplier partners.
• Drive process improvements to enhance efficiency and customer experience.

Skills

Team leadership

Travel operations

Microsoft Office

TMS experience

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Tools

TMS

Job description

Are you an experienced Travel Operations Manager with professional with strong leadership skills and a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a specialist tour operator based in Birmingham as Operations Manager, leading a team and ensuring every departure is fully prepared, accurately documented and ready to run smoothly.

You'll play a key role in managing the day-to-day operations function, maintaining high standards of accuracy and efficiency, and continually improving processes as the business grows.

THE ROLE:

• Leading, supporting and developing a team of five Operations Executives.
• Working closely with the Head Of Product & Operations
• Overseeing the preparation, quality checking and timely distribution of final customer travel documentation.
• Coordinating suppliers, transport, accommodation, rooming lists and wider tour logistics to ensure departure readiness.
• Managing operational deadlines, workloads and departmental performance standards.
• Maintaining accurate operational records, systems and procedures, including overseeing relevant invoice approvals.
• Identifying and resolving operational issues, managing risks and escalating concerns where necessary.
• Building strong relationships across internal teams and supplier partners.
• Driving process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy and the overall customer experience.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• You'll have proven experience in travel operations or tour operations - ideally with previous responsibility for leading a team.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to motivate, coach and develop others.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a methodical approach to operational delivery.
• Confident problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Confidence using business systems and Microsoft Office; experience with a TMS or travel operations platform would be advantageous.
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach, remaining calm under pressure.
• Flexibility to provide occasional out-of-hours support when required.

WHAT'S ON OFFER:

• On offer a competitive salary of £40k, plus excellent benefits
• Hybrid working - 2 days per week in their central Birmingham office, with the remainder from home, as well as the opportunity to join a fast-growing, specialist travel organisation

You must have full rights to work in the UK. We have a high volume of applications, so unfortunately we are unable to reply to unsuccessful applicants.