Ground Operations Manager

About us:

Calling all travel and food lovers! Were Walks and Devour, global leaders in the tours and activities industry, part of the City Experiences family. Were a passionate, innovative team of travel enthusiasts dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences. Join us in shaping the future of tours and activities. Were seeking smart and ambitious individuals who want to be part of something fast-paced and exciting.

With us, youll have room to grow and develop. Our culture is laid-back yet professional, fostering a collaborative and approachable environment. We celebrate diversity, creativity, and dynamism. If youre ready to embark on an exciting journey, where you can make a difference and leave your mark, wed love to receive your application.

About You:

We are looking for a Ground Operations Manager who is a strong communicator, passionate about the tourism industry and eager to grow our operations in an emerging market. Our ideal candidate will be flexible, collaborative, self-starting and highly organized. This role will require a keen eye for detail and strong problem-solving ability.

This person must have high energy, a "can do attitude," and must also embody City Experiences RESPECT Service System.

About the Opportunity:

As Ground Operations Manager you will be responsible for our tour operations in Dublin. After a very successful first few seasons, we are looking to expand our presence in the city, establishing ourselves in an increasingly competitive market. Your primary focus will be developing your guide team, hiring and training guides to deliver the top-quality experiences our brand is known for. You will be our point of reference on the ground, managing relationships with any external partners or suppliers.

You will also work closely with our central operations team to manage the day-to-day operations in Dublin, reporting to leadership on successes and challenges in the market. You will also collaborate with our product team on an as needs basis in the development of new walking tours, food tours, and day trips in the region.

You will be the chief gatherer of on-the-ground feedback - from guides, partners, and personal experience, safeguarding the quality of our experiences in the city. Youll also report on the financial performance of each of our tours, helping to trouble-shoot discrepancies in tour costs and brainstorming ways to improve. Prior experience in tourism, preferably in tours & activities, is a bonus, but not essential. We also would love to connect with candidates who have experience in training and managing a team. You should be excited to champion a team of hard workers that support our ever-expanding client base.

This role will be based in Dublin and will be responsible for supporting our continued growth through developing and nourishing a network of Guides and Suppliers. This is not a typical desk job; we expect you to be out and about at least half of the time, trialling new products and maintaining the quality of existing products, meeting with suppliers and tour guides, networking and creating opportunities for growth.

You would need to be available to work on a flexible schedule with the occasional need to be present for tours departing from central Dublin early in the morning and for off-schedule events and travel.

Your responsibilities:

• Procedures & Documentation: develop and upkeep all relevant Guide & Product documentation
• Assume responsibility for the existing operation in Dublin: managing the day-to-day operations and post-tour reconciliation
• Manage the working relationship with a wide range of partners such as sites, restaurants and other food tour vendors, transport suppliers, any other external partner/operator; including setting up agreements, negotiating rates and maintaining relationships
• Recruitment, onboarding, and training of guides
• Guide scheduling & optimal staffing: ensuring we have enough high-quality guides to meet demand
• Guide engagement: Interpret and apply global engagement strategy including the planning and execution of regular guide events
• Guide communications & support
• Ground Operations Quality: ensuring consistent quality of our Guide pool, through regular training, feedback and monitoring.
• Accounting: Guide and Vendor Invoicing and Cash & Ticket distribution and tracking, as well as any other expenses needed to run daily operations
• Assisting with product development and redevelopment, where product revisions are required or requested
• Carefully monitor and report on market performance and proactively strive to improve our margins, procedures, efficiencies and quality
• Material and Branding: procurement and distribution
• Workflow support for Operations team where volume requires
• Provide Ground support in case of emergency/need/high flux

Your Skills:

• Previous experience in tourism is a big plus, especially if its guiding or in an operations role
• Excellent organizational skills
• Professionally efficient in all forms of communication
• Dependability, candor, strong work ethic, time management are all pre-requisites
• High attention to detail required
• Strong technical skills, and the ability to learn multiple systems in a fast-paced environment
• Fluency in English
• Familiarity with Microsoft suite, Asana, Slack desired

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: €40,000.00-€45,000.00 per year

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

Application question(s):

• Do you possess experience within the travel, tourism or hospitality industries?
• Do you have people management experience?

Work authorisation:

• Ireland (preferred)

Work Location: In person