Manager, Travel Experience

Navan; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Navan is seeking a Manager, Travel Experience Consultant to lead a team of Travel Consultants and oversee day-to-day operations and strategic service relationships with the dedicated customer’s Travel Manager and Specialists.

You will drive performance, coaching, and continuous improvement to deliver best-in-class service and a high-performing offline travel program for valued customers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in travel or customer service operations.
• Knowledge of the travel industry and GDS platforms (Sabre/Amadeus).
• Strong customer focus with a proven mentoring track record.
• Data-driven with strong analytical skills to improve operations.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as frontline manager for a team of Travel Consultants, coaching and developing talent.
• Conduct 1:1s and quarterly reviews to track progress and career development.
• Oversee call queues and SLAs, perform root-cause analysis, and implement improvements.
• Act as primary liaison with the dedicated customer’s Travel Manager and Specialists.
• Own escalations and coach team to resolve issues; step in during high-priority cases.
• Collaborate with support teams to meet performance metrics and drive product/service enhancements.
• Screen and interview new hires; contribute to New Hire Training programs.
• Handle approvals for travel bookings and oversee employee-related discussions.
• Organize team engagement activities to foster a positive culture.

Skills

People Leadership

Operations Management

Relationship Management

Travel Industry Knowledge

GDS Sabre/Amadeus

CRM (Salesforce)

Data-driven Decision Making

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Twilio

Calabrio

Workday

Job description

As a Manager, Travel Experience Consultant, you will lead a dedicated team of Travel Consultants. This role requires a unique blend of people leadership, operational management, and relationship cultivation. You will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of your team, ensuring they provide exceptional service, while also managing the strategic service relationship with the dedicated customer's Travel Manager and Specialists.

Your leadership will be key to developing a high-performing team, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring the success of the offline travel program for our most valued customers.

What You’ll Do

• People Leadership & Development: Serve as the frontline manager for a team of Business Travel Consultants. You will be responsible for coaching, training, and upskilling team members to deliver a best-in-class customer experience.
• Performance Management: Conduct regular 1:1 meetings and quarterly reviews to monitor progress, set clear expectations, and track career development using career maps. Provide continuous performance feedback to encourage desired behaviors and ensure alignment with corporate goals.
• Operational Management: Oversee the team's operational performance, monitoring call queues (ACD) and SLAs to ensure goals are met. You will perform root cause analysis on common service issues to develop and implement permanent corrective actions and process improvements.
• Customer Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for the dedicated customer's Travel Manager. You will conduct regular check-ins, present performance statistics, and collaborate on improvement plans and service enhancements.
• Issue & Escalation Resolution: Take ownership of customer escalations, managing and resolving issues from start to finish. You will coach your team to proactively address traveler inquiries and aim for first-contact resolution. As Manager, you may also need to step in and directly handle escalated chats and calls to ensure prompt and effective resolution.
• Collaboration & Communication: Collaborate with the wider support team to meet performance and behavior metrics. You will work with your manager to prioritize and address customer requests for product and service enhancements. You will also communicate transparently with the dedicated customer about service improvements and corrective actions.
• Talent Acquisition & Onboarding: Screen and interview new hires as the organization scales. You will provide input for the New Hire Training Program and ensure its effective execution for modules delivered by the support team.
• Administrative Oversight: Manage approvals for employee travel bookings and handle Resignation Conversations with departing employees. You will lead these discussions with respect and curiosity, documenting insights to help improve the company.
• Engagement & Culture: Organize team engagement activities, both in-person and remote, to foster a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: A minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in a contact center or support environment, with at least 5 years of experience at the manager level.
• Industry Expertise: A minimum of 5 years of experience in the travel industry, with deep knowledge of GDS platforms (Sabre and/or Amadeus).
• Customer Focus: A proven ability to live and breathe customer support, with a commitment to high customer engagement and a passion for resolving complex customer issues.
• Leadership Skills: A track record of building relationships, motivating teams, and acting as a proven mentor. You should have a clear understanding of the challenges facing a fast-growing company.
• Analytical Abilities: The ability to use a data-driven approach to identify operational challenges and inform strategic decisions.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Technical Acumen: Familiarity with CRM applications (e.g., Salesforce, Twilio) and contact center applications (e.g., Calabrio, WorkDay).
• Personal Attributes: Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. You should be able to work independently and as part of a team, and be flexible to work non-traditional shifts as needed.
• Education: Bachelor's degree preferred.

What Sets You Apart

• A reputation as a resolution-focused leader who champions change and consistently exceeds expectations.
• A proven ability to proactively identify and implement process improvements.
• A passion for developing others and fostering a solutions-oriented team culture.

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