Come and join one of the world’s leading luxury travel brands.
60 years after Geoffrey Kent founded A&K, we’re still setting the standard for adventurous, luxury holidays. Whichever role you join us in, whether customer facing or behind the scenes, everyone has their part to play in creating one-of-a-kind journeys that go beyond our clients’ high expectations.
With 55 offices worldwide and an unmatched network of connections across the globe, we offer adventures that can’t be experienced with any other tour provider. Working with a team of passionate and knowledgeable people, you’ll be able to open doors to private palaces, book Michelin-starred meals in the most remote locations and arrange out-of-hours museum tours. There’s always a buzz in the office about the latest ways we’ve gone the extra mile.
PURPOSE: As an Operations Coordinator (or Consultant) you will be responsible for the successful operating of our luxury Tailor-Made travel itineraries. To accurately book all ground arrangements for multiple departures of our European tours, working with local suppliers, A&K sales offices and an international set of luxury travel advisors to ensure the smooth operation of the tour.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Operations
* To ensure hotels have been booked correctly by the sales department.
* Accurately book all other services required for the successful operation of the tour within the budget set. Services include tour guides, transportation services, attraction tickets, restaurant reservations and more.
* To renegotiate supplier rates where appropriate.
* To liaise with travel advisors directly on any changes, operational requirements and questions they may have.
* To accurately cost any additional requests or changes the travel advisor wishes to make.
* Prepare detailed tour documentation for guests and suppliers.
* To log and share feedback from each tour, to ensure that improvements are made promptly.
* Successfully deliver the tour so it runs perfectly and exceeds our guests’ high expectations, whilst providing the travel advisor with regular updates.
* To assist management with handling potential guest complaints.
* To assist other departments and take on other projects during the operational low season.
Financial
* Taking full responsibility of a tour’s cost control and margins
* Ensuring necessary payments are made and received at the appropriate time
* To manage tour costs in order that budgeted margins are achieved
* Preparing accurate client payment and agent commission statements
* To assist the Finance Department with invoice queries as they arise.
* To enter financial data onto reservations system in a timely and accurate manner
Quality Control / Customer Service
* To have the highest standards of quality at the forefront of mind
* To proactively highlight potential Customer Service problems and take steps to make improvements
* To investigate and provide information to enable a response to customer service issues.
General
* General office duties
* To conduct special projects as requested by management
* Any other reasonable duties as requested by management
* Participation in occasional familiarisation or business trips with follow up reports and presentation as required
* To take the On-Call duty manager phone on a rota basis
ABOUT YOU:
* A confident, positive attitude
* Strong spoken and written communication skills. A second European language is advantageous
* Good level of geographical and general knowledge of Europe is advantageous
* Up-to-date knowledge of Outlook, Word, Teams and Excel
* Numeracy and good, basic mathematical understanding
* A real passion for travel
* Ability to multi-task and work under pressure
* Attention to detail
* A willingness to develop relationships with key suppliers
* Good and effective time management
WHAT WE OFFER:
* Competitive salary plus annual bonus plan
* Company pension plan from start of employment, with employer contributions increasing after 5 and 10 years of service
* 25 days annual leave – in addition to bank holidays, plus the ability to buy an additional 5 days or sell 5 days
* Discounted trips through A&K Travel Group Travel Benefit Program (includes friends and family)
* Discounted Gym Membership – we offer a contribution of up to £35 a month at either Virgin Active Gym (London) or to other gyms through GymFlex.
* Life Assurance (2x base salary paid out as a tax-free sum)
* Hybrid working – we value collaboration and ask employees to come to the office for a minimum of 4 days per week
* Enhanced Paid Parental Leave – 18 weeks full pay regardless of gender
* Employee Assistance Program – includes access to wellbeing resources and counselling
* £1,000 Recruitment Referral Bonus
* Cycle to work scheme
* Season Ticket Loans
* Regular Social Events
Why work for A&K
What makes A&K a great place to work is the people. It’s our people who foster the supportive environment that will make you proud to work for A&K. There will also be ongoing training and the opportunity to progress your career – not just in the UK, but as part of our global business.
We’re also a company that makes a difference. Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP) has supported local communities around the world for the past 40 years, and we were recognised by Which? for looking after our clients during the pandemic.