I. JOB DESCRIPTION

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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].

5. 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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.