Operations Manager (Traveling Industry)
5 days ago
New York
About the Role We're seeking an Operations Manager to own the day-to-day operational excellence of our luxury travel business. This is a hands-on role that combines process improvement, quality management, customer success, and systems administration. You'll be the operational backbone that enables our Travel Team to focus on delivering exceptional client experiences. Why this role matters: Our team's success depends on seamless operations, documented processes, efficient systems, and proactive customer success management. You'll directly impact client satisfaction, team productivity, and company scalability. Key Responsibilities Process Management & Documentation (25%) • Write, edit, and maintain SOPs for all trip-related processes (trip planning, vendor coordination, escalation handling, etc.), • Create and update macros, checklists, and templates in Monday.com, Google Workspace, and other tools, • Document lessons learned from escalations and complex scenarios for team learning, • Implement process improvements based on team feedback, client feedback, and operational gaps, • Audit process adherence and provide coaching when SOPs are not being followed, • All processes documented and accessible, • 90%+ team adoption of new SOPs, • Monthly process improvement implementation, • Zero confusion on "how we do things" Systems & Automation (20%) • Administer systems: Monday.com, Zendesk, Google Workspace, Guru (knowledge management), • Create automations for repetitive work (booking confirmations, follow-ups, escalation routing, etc.), • Build workflows that reduce manual data entry and human error, • Configure templates and macros for common tasks (welcome emails, proposal templates, QC checklists), • Integration management: Ensure all tools talk to each other smoothly, • 50%+ reduction in manual/repetitive work within 6 months, • All common workflows automated, • Systems running smoothly with zero major outages, • Team time savings documented quarterly Quality Assurance & Compliance (30%) • QA on all client communications (emails, confirmations, itineraries) before they go out, • Manage client issue audits (investigate why escalations happened, document root causes), • Create quality check points (pre-trip, during-trip, post-trip checklists), • Monitor SOP adherence and provide corrective coaching, • Track data accuracy across trip requests, vendor information, client preferences, • <5% error rate in client communications, • All escalations have documented root causes, • 95%+ SOP adherence, • Client satisfaction maintained at 4.5+/5 Customer Success & Renewals (10%) • Manage customer success tracking: Monitor trip progress, proactively communicate with clients, • Handle renewals: Track renewal timelines, create renewal workflows, ensure seamless continuation, • Manage customer data: Keep client profiles, preferences, and history up-to-date, • Track usage across membership types and identify at-risk customers, • Post-trip follow-ups: Ensure clients receive thank-you notes, feedback surveys, and renewal outreach, • 100% renewal rate (or document why clients leave), • <2% at-risk clients surprise churn, • Customer success data current and accurate, • Proactive renewals (reaching out 60 days before expiration) On-boarding & Training (10%) • Manage client onboarding: First welcome email, client profile setup, preference gathering, • Train new Travel Team members on all processes, tools, and company standards, • Maintain training materials: Documentation, checklists, video walkthroughs, • Track training completion and ensure competency before independence, • New clients onboarded within 48 hours, • New agents independent within 2-3 weeks, • 100% training completion rate, • Zero errors in new hire setup Capacity Planning & Reporting (10%) • Capacity planning for trip team: Monitor workload, identify understaffing issues, forecast needs, • Track data across request types: Volume, complexity, turnaround time, • Generate operational reports (metrics, trends, recommendations), • Monthly dashboard reporting: SOP adherence, escalations, QA results, customer health, • Monthly operational reports delivered on time, • Capacity issues flagged in advance, • Data-driven recommendations for process improvements, • Clear visibility into team health and workload Who You Are Required Skills & Experience • 2+ years in travel lsaas, or corporate travel Strong organizational skills: You thrive in managing multiple processes, details, and timelines simultaneously, • Systems & tool proficiency: Comfortable learning new tools (Monday.com, Zendesk, Google Workspace); ability to configure workflows and automations, • Attention to detail: Client-facing work means errors matter—you catch and prevent them, • Written communication: You write clear, professional emails and documentation, • Problem-solving: You see issues and design solutions, not just report problems, • Initiative: You identify what needs to be done and do it without being asked Nice-To-Have • Experience with travel, hospitality, or luxury brands, • Experience in Zendesk, Monday.com, or similar CRMs/workflow tools, • Exposure to Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Gmail management), • Basic knowledge of macros or automation principles, • Customer success or retention experience, • Data analysis or reporting skills Soft Skills (Critical) • Proactive: You anticipate problems and prevent them, • Detail-oriented: You catch typos, inconsistencies, and process gaps others miss, • Collaborative: You work well with Travel Team, CoS, and leadership, • Flexible: You adapt to changing priorities and emerging needs, • Curious: You ask "why?" and continuously improve, • Calm under pressure: You handle escalations and urgent issues without drama Day-In-Life Example Monday, 9:00 AM • Check QA inbox: Review client communications from agents before sending (15 mins), • Escalation audit: Investigate why a trip had a delay, document root cause, update SOP if needed (30 mins), • Automation work: Build new Monday.com workflow for trip confirmations (1 hour), • Customer success: Review at-risk renewals, prepare outreach emails (45 mins), • Reporting: Pull monthly metrics, prepare one-pager for CoS (1 hour), • Continuous improvement: Draft SOP update based on recent escalations (30 mins) Success In This Role (First 90 Days) 30 Days • Deep dive into all current processes (understand the status quo), • Meet all team members; understand their pain points, • Identify 3-5 quick wins (automations, template improvements, SOP gaps), • Set up basic QA process (review client communications), • Implement 2-3 quick wins (process improvements, new automations), • Document all critical SOPs in centralized location, • Build customer success tracking dashboard, • Train team on new processes and tools, • All critical processes documented and being followed, • 2-3 major automations live and reducing manual work, • Customer success/renewal system in place, • QA process embedded (zero surprises on quality), • Team reporting processes smooth and data-driven, • Show impact: Metrics improving (SLA, error rate, renewal rate, efficiency) Growth Opportunity This role is positioned as a stepping stone to bigger leadership: • 6 months in: If excelling, explore expanding to oversee additional functions (customer support, operations team coordination), • 12 months in: Potential to manage small team (if company grows and needs more operational support) Compensation & Benefits Salary: $70,000 - $90,000/year (based on experience) Benefits: • Health insurance (medical, dental, vision), • 401(k) with employer match (if eligible), • Flexible work schedule, • Remote-friendly (distributed team), • Professional development stipend ($200-300/quarter) *HOW TO APPLY: Please submit the following short application form:
