Operations & Guest Experience Manager

I. Job Description

• Job purpose

The Operations & Guest Experience Manager leads the end-to-end delivery of tour operations across Northern Vietnam and owns the standard of service that reaches the traveler. Managing a small operations team and the regional guide pool, the role ensures every booking from assigned accounts/agents is executed accurately and on time, that guides are assessed, developed, and available to the required quality, and that guests — including luxury and FIT clients — receive a consistently premium experience. The role is the operational and quality backbone for the North: turning confirmed sales into flawless on-the-ground delivery, resolving issues and complaints decisively, and protecting service quality, cost control, and the company's reputation.

• Accountabilities / Main Responsibilities
• Lead and manage the North operations and guide teams to achieve agreed performance targets.
• Oversee daily operations to ensure seamless, efficient, high-quality service delivery on every tour.
• Ensure all bookings from assigned accounts/agents are well-organised and meet the expectations of both agents and end clients.
• Own guide quality: assess, develop, and build a qualified guide pipeline (notably German-speaking) aligned to business growth.
• Uphold service standards and act as the escalation point for complaint and conflict resolution.
• Drive continuous improvement using operational performance data and post-tour feedback.
• Maintain strong supplier, partner, and stakeholder relationships; support Sales & Marketing on growth initiatives.
• Coach, develop, and manage 2 Operations Executives to a high-performance standard.
• Responsibilities / Tasks

3.1 Operations Management & Delivery

• Direct daily land operations across the North to ensure smooth, efficient, on-standard delivery.
• Ensure bookings from assigned accounts/agents are correctly executed and verified via the Operations Executives; review readiness ahead of arrival.
• Provide direction and resolve operational challenges across the full booking-to-travel cycle (FIT and GIT).
• Arrange or approve emergency guide/supplier replacements for last-minute changes.

3.2 Guide Management & Development

• Own the North guide pool: recruit, assess, and quality-score guides against defined service standards.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified guides — notably German-speaking — in step with business growth.
• Coach guides, close performance gaps, and coordinate briefing/training.

3.3 Service Quality & Guest Experience

• Maintain consistent service standards in line with company values and brand positioning.
• Act as the frontline/escalation point for complaint and conflict resolution — respond fast, resolve fairly, protect the relationship and brand.
• Develop strategies that drive customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat business.
• Run root-cause reviews on incidents and complaints; implement fixes to prevent recurrence.

3.4 Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop 2 Operations Executives; set priorities, hold standards, manage performance.
• Foster a collaborative, high-accountability working environment.

3.5 Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Analyse operational performance data to identify optimisation and improvement opportunities.
• Implement initiatives that lift productivity, efficiency, and service quality.
• Stay current on industry trends, regulations, and best practice to drive innovation.

3.6 Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, partners, and overseas stakeholders.
• Represent the company in partner meetings, with VIP clients, and on FAM trips (as directed by the Head of Operations), capturing insights for continuous improvement.

3.7 Reporting & Business Support

• Prepare regular (bi-weekly / monthly) reports on operations and guide-team performance for management.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to support business-growth initiatives.
• Oversee accurate operational records and master-file integrity maintained by the team.

3.8 Cost & Expense Oversight

• Oversee guide cash advances and expense settlements processed by the Operations Executives; approve within delegated limits.
• Protect operational cost control and margin (supplier rates, guide utilisation, replacement costs).
• Performance Standard
• Team achieves ≥ 95% of monthly operational performance targets.
• 100% of assigned-account bookings reviewed and confirmed ≥ 5 working days before arrival.
• ≥ 98% booking-data accuracy maintained in the master file.
• Guide quality score ≥ 4.3 / 5.0 average across the active North pool.
• German-speaking guide pipeline: maintain a ready bench of ≥ [X] [confirm] qualified guides; grow qualified pool ≥ 20% YoY.
• Customer satisfaction (CSAT) ≥ 4.5 / 5.0 (or ≥ 90%);
• Complaints acknowledged within 4 working hours; resolved or escalated within 48 hours.
• Replacement guide secured within 12 hours for emergencies / last-minute changes.
• ≥ 95% on-time settlement of guide cash advances and tour-expense balances (team, under oversight).
• 100% of bi-weekly / monthly reports submitted on time.
• Zero unresolved quality lapses attributable to guide or process failure per quarter [confirm tolerance].
• Authority
• Direct and reassign the 2 Operations Executives and the North guide pool; assign and arrange emergency replacement guides.
• Approve guide cash advances and routine tour expenses within delegated limits.
• Approve compensation or solutions for operational issues/complaints within delegated authority; escalate matters beyond threshold to the Head of Operations.
• Negotiate and confirm supplier/guide arrangements within approved rates and budgets.
• Request information, approvals, and clarifications from Sales and other departments to complete operational delivery.

Ii. Requirements

• Knowledge & Experience
• Diploma or Bachelor's degree in Tourism, Hospitality, Business Administration, Languages, or a related field.
• 4+ years in tour operations / DMC / travel operations, with 1–2 years managing or supervising a team; inbound tourism strongly preferred.
• Solid knowledge of Northern Vietnam destinations, routing, and land operations.
• Proven experience managing and assessing tour guides; existing German-speaking guide network a strong advantage.
• Proven ability to run FIT and GIT bookings simultaneously to a high standard.
• Familiarity with booking / tracking systems, master-file management, and supplier networks.
• Fluent English (working language); German an advantage.
• Skills & Competencies
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills with the ability to multitask under pressure.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and team-management skills.
• Excellent organisation and time-management; able to multitask under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving, judgement, and service-recovery / complaint-handling ability in fast-moving situations.
• Strong communication and relationship-building with suppliers, guides, agents, and customers.
• Data literacy for performance analysis and reporting; numeracy for cost/expense oversight.
• Proficiency in MS Office / Google Workspace and booking / tracking tools.
• Personal Attributes
• Service-oriented, proactive, and resourceful; detail-driven and accountable.
• Calm and composed under pressure and during urgent operational needs.
• Decisive and fair in conflict resolution.
• Flexible with working hours — tours may run on weekends/holidays, with on-call availability for emergencies.
• Collaborative team player across regions and functions.