Europe Express is part of the Travelopia group, which is one of the world’s leading specialist travel groups, providing customers with a diverse range of unique travel experiences. This includes adventure travel, safaris, private jet and polar expeditions, tailor-made luxury holidays, yacht and river boat charter holidays, educational and sporting based school trips, corporate hospitality and sporting event fan travel. Private equity owned by KKR, Travelopia is headquartered in the UK, with offices and marine bases all over the world.
Established in 1990, Europe Express provides high-quality, custom travel to Europe for their North American clients. The company serves both private group and FIT leisure markets, working exclusively with travel advisors to book everything from air and rail to hotels and sightseeing tours.
The Operations Supervisor is responsible for leading all aspects of the department's day-to-day, coordinating tasks for the team, and ensuring they are done properly and on time. The supervisor is also in charge of approving vacation time and ensuring plans are in place to cover the workload of absent employees, leading weekly record keeping of time worked.
The Operations department is responsible for processing reservations after conversion, confirming services, while working closely with hotels, sightseeing suppliers, and transfer companies, and issuing travel documents. The department is also responsible for assisting passengers with any travel issues while they are in Europe.
In addition to working alongside the staff and developing the structure of the department, the supervisor will be instrumental in training, motivating, and counseling the staff as necessary to achieve high productivity and customer service.
- Oversee workflow to assist employees in knowing their job responsibilities and delegated duties
- Assists the team members in balancing priorities and managing their workload, so the team's critical metrics are consistently achieved
- Train new team members and ensure existing team members are kept informed of changes and new information
- Keep track of employee's schedules and vacation time
- Mentor employees by giving them constructive feedback, and being their primary point of contact
- Proactively provides feedback and works with management to develop solutions to improve processes
- Evaluate and motivate employee performance to achieve short and long-term objectives
- Ensure the team efficiently and accurately processes service confirmations in the system while following all company policies and procedures, maintaining quality standards through regular checks
- Encourage employee engagement while building a positive atmosphere at work, mediating disputes, facilitating communication, and promoting resolution among the team.
- Address inquiries and complaints from customers while they travel
- Cultivate partnerships and strategize to manage the team’s workload
- Communicate effectively with suppliers from all over Europe, ranging from hotels, DMC, transportation companies, tourist attractions, and any other services
- Ensure Europe Express’s safety management system is followed
- Support the Reservations Team to ensure seamless delivery of FIT services
- Participate in the emergency duty rotation, which includes being on-call during local festivities and/or night shift 2–3 times per year
- Other tasks assigned by the Manager or Director
- Experience in operations or after-sales within the travel industry
- 2 years of experience leading a global team within the travel industry
- Fluent in written and spoken English (additional language skills such as Italian, French, Spanish, and German are an advantage)
- Self-motivated, demonstrating the ability to work independently and as a team player
- Ability to solve conflicts and meditation
- Ability to work effectively in diverse environments, showing adaptability and flexibility
- Ability to cultivate inclusion
- Excellent communication skills, presenting information and ideas professionally with clarity & confidence, while being open, honest & objective
- Experience working in complex back-office computer systems
- Well-organized and driven to excel in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to demonstrate a consistently high level of attention to detail and accuracy
- Proficient in MS Office, including MS Excel, MS Word, Outlook
- Knowledge of Amadeus or other GDS is a plus.
- This is a full-time position requiring 40 hours per week.
- The working schedule is Monday – Friday, between the hours 08.00 am and 7.00 pm for an eight (8) hour day of work plus 1-hour unpaid lunch.
- Saturday and Sunday: 1 weekend approx. every 4 weekends rotation This position requires participation in the emergency duty rotation, which includes being on call during local festivities and/or night shift, 2-3 times per year
- Our work environment is a hybrid model, with a minimum of one day per week in the office in Cape Town.
- A competitive salary that recognizes your expertise and contributions.
- Various employee discounts and offers to enhance your travel experiences.
- Career progression opportunities to support your professional growth and development.
At Europe Express, we value and celebrate diversity in our workforce. We believe that an inclusive and equitable environment leads to greater happiness and better performance. Committed to fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive and be their authentic selves.
We strive to create an open, accessible, and inclusive work environment, removing any barriers that may hinder individuals from reaching their full potential. If you require accommodations or additional support during the recruitment and selection process, please inform us, and our hiring team will work with you to provide suitable accommodations in a timely and confidential manner. Rest assured that any information you share will be handled with the utmost discretion.
To request accommodations, please contact us at [email protected].
#LI-CA1 #LI-HYBRID
