Explore is an adventure travel expert focused on sustainable, small group holidays that create stories to tell for a lifetime. From classic group tours and family adventures to walking, wildlife, and cycling trips, our customers explore the world with us. Join us on our journey, creating extraordinary travel experiences for all.
At the heart of all of this is a passion to travel responsibly. We aim to always be welcomed back, for communities and cultures to benefit, and wildlife to flourish. In a complicated world that's full of potential, we strive to be better than yesterday.
This role is based in Farnborough, Hampshire, with 2 days per week in the office. Our office is within walking distance of the train station and has free parking. This is a full-time position; however, work-life balance is important to us, and we are open to discussion on flexible working patterns (minimum 4 days per week).
Salary: £38,000 - £42,000 + bonus
About the role:
As a Product Manager, you will create unforgettable worldwide adventures – be it a cultural experience, a bucket-list trek, a cycle ride through the backroads of a little-known destination, or an amazing family holiday. You’ll generate ideas for exceptional experiences, seeing them through to fruition as small group adventures. You will deliver sustainable, profitable itineraries that operate within our safety guidelines, continually innovating to ensure that Explore always offers market-leading trips that exceed our customers’ expectations. You will manage a portfolio of tours within Europe and be (or become) the expert for a variety of destinations in this area depending on your experience.
A typical working day will undoubtedly be varied. You will be in regular contact with our overseas suppliers for various reasons – discussing on-the-ground delivery, talking about itinerary improvements, obtaining discounts for staff/press trips, or just having a catch-up chat. Occasionally, you’ll complete specific tasks, such as negotiating rates, setting dates/capacity, or putting together inspiring text for new tours. On other days, you’ll conduct competitor analysis, onboard a new local partner, talk to a tour leader about on-the-ground operations, or review customer feedback and implement changes to improve customer satisfaction. You will also spend time training the wider Explore team on your portfolio of trips and occasionally present at trade or customer events.
There will be times when you get on the phone to customers to answer pre-travel questions or discuss their experience on a recent trip. On other days, you may deal with unexpected situations, perhaps helping to resolve an on-tour issue or as a member of the crisis team. Travel to European destinations and taking responsibility for the out-of-hours duty phone (on a rota basis) will also be required.
We invest in staff development, and this role is available as the result of an internal promotion.
Am I the right person?
We are looking for someone who has experience working in a sales, operations, or product role in a tour operator, travel agent, or ground agent, along with personal travel experiences. A passion for sustainable travel and a knowledge of what this means is non-negotiable.
You must be able to celebrate diversity and build great relationships with our world-wise partners while having high and fair expectations of them. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential.
It's vital that you are passionate about providing exceptional customer experiences, as one of our targeted aims is to raise our NPS. The desire for continual improvement is built into the company DNA as we live up to our values to #BeBetterThanYesterday, so experience delivering quality improvements to a portfolio of tours would be beneficial.
We have ambitious growth plans, so a growth mentality is essential. This role would suit someone who is curious and quick to adapt, as change is constant in the product sphere. We’re looking for someone who can bring new ideas to the table, is energetic, a strong negotiator, and someone who gets things done. We welcome diverse thinking and people who can work out what doing the right thing is.
Usual requirements such as being an independent thinker and a team player, and demonstrating a record of working to tight deadlines, delivering excellent attention to detail, and working under pressure are essential traits for this role. While we work hard, the company ethos is that we work in a positive and fun environment, so it is essential that the successful candidate can fit into this culture.
Diversity is to be celebrated. Life would be dreary, and change would be slow if we all thought the same way. We challenge our ideas, each other, and our business partners - always with respect and kindness.
Explore is part of Hotelplan Group, a well-established and diverse family of specialist tour operators, with a long tradition of developing and operating market-leading experiences. The family comprises ski, walking, and Lapland holidays with Inghams and Santa’s Lapland; adventure travel with Explore; and self-guided holidays with Inntravel. Sustainability and responsible tourism are at the core of everything we do and should be a passion for everyone employed by the group.
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