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.