Product Manager

ABC Worldwide; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading travel company in Cape Town seeks a Product Manager for the Indian Subcontinent. You’ll manage supplier relationships and oversee product offerings while ensuring high client satisfaction. Ideal candidates should have over 5 years in product management with destination knowledge across India and surrounding areas. A flexible hybrid working pattern is offered alongside a comprehensive benefits package including health cover and a company bonus scheme.

Benefits

Flexible working pattern

Company bonus scheme

Comprehensive health cover

29 days holiday per year

Discounted travel

Structured training

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a Product Manager role in the travel environment.
• Specific knowledge of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
• Ability to manage supplier relationships effectively.

Responsibilities

• Build commercially effective supplier relationships.
• Monitor and develop existing product offerings.
• Review destination performance and create effective strategies.

Skills

Product management experience

Destination knowledge

IT literacy

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Mentoring and coaching

Commercial acumen

Education

Degree in relevant discipline

Tools

WETU

Web CMS systems

Job description

About the role

Our client is a big player in the Luxury Safari Travel Industry. They are passionate about travel and creating Life’s Greatest Journeys for their clients. Currently the business is looking for a Product Manager: Indian Subcontinent.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

• 5+ years in a Product Manager role in an Indian Subcontinent travel environment
• Specific, in-depth destination knowledge across India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives
• Advanced levels of IT literacy
• Highly organised with strong time management skills and strong attention-to-detail
• A strong eye for detail and commitment to quality and service excellence
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong mentoring, coaching and people management skills
• Results-orientated with demonstrable commercial achievements
• Passion for cultural and wildlife travel
• Excellent commercial acumen and negotiation skills evidenced in positive commercial outcomes

Desired:

• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline
• Working knowledge of WETU and Web CMS systems
• Knowledge of destinations beyond the Indian Subcontinent
• A genuine passion for delivery of ‘best of breed’ customer experience

What is on offer for the right hire?

• Flexible working pattern with hybrid options
• Company bonus scheme
• Comprehensive Group Life Cover & Discovery Health Medical Aid with company contributions
• Company pension scheme
• 29 days holiday per year with long service benefits
• Discounted travel and access to exclusive industry rates
• Structured training and continuous professional development
• Team Volunteering aligned to your BCorp values and Social Events Calendar
• Employee Assistance Programme

The Role

• Build commercially effective supplier relationships including contracting and negotiating most competitive industry rates and rebates; and ensure these are effectively communicated to the sales and marketing teams
• Continually monitor and develop existing preferred product offering and ensure internal sales and marketing teams are briefed on all updates including special offers and exclusives
• Consistently review destination performance, industry trends and market demands to create effective product and sales strategies
• Identify best opportunities for new product development, aligned to our brand positioning, client preferences and latest marketing intelligence through to delivery of relevant product (and experience) launches, within and beyond the existing product portfolio
• Manage the full product lifecycle from concept and feasibility to launch and post-launch performance
• Manage client feedback process with suppliers to strengthen relationships and to deliver corrective action where required to maintain our exceptionally high client satisfaction rates
• Support the Head of Client Experience with the management of overall product performance against set targets in relation to product mix, pricing, profit margins and service delivery
• Support Travel Experts with live product and pricing queries to improve sales conversion rates
• Ensure Travel Experts are fully briefed in all the latest product developments, rates, special offers and all relevant tourism legislation relating to our product portfolio
• Assist with managing the educational trip calendar and ensure best opportunities are identified and matched against team’s knowledge gaps as part of the wider sales training programme
• Assist with the internal training programme on product for all Travel Experts
• Enhance personal product knowledge through educational visits, attending trade shows and supplier presentations and sharing knowledge with internal teams
• Work with the marketing team to ensure all product content requirements for marketing channels and communications are delivered accurately and timely
• Collate product, itinerary and pricing information for the website and assume responsibility for product detail on the company website ensuring 100% accuracy
• Support the development of joint venture marketing programmes with suppliers and tourism bodies
• Conduct ongoing market research and competitor analysis, implementing best practice insights to ensure our product offering stays ahead of the sector
• Support with the management of press trips and product information for editorial opportunities
• Oversee the accurate and timely loading of all product, pricing and content into our in-house reservation system
• Support Senior Management in project delivery