Operations Specialist

Job description

About Us Let’s go on an adventure together! Hey there, we’re G Adventures. We’re one of the world’s leading small group travel companies, and we’ve always believed that travel isn’t just about where you go — it’s about how it changes you. For the last 35 years, we’ve set out to do things differently. No cookie-cutter tours. No giant buses or cruise ships. And not to mention, as few selfie sticks as possible. Just real humans, travelling your heart out across the world with open minds and a non-stop desire to make our planet better, simply by exploring it. At G Adventures, our DNA (or GNA, if you will) is built on belonging — where bringing your authentic self to work every day isn’t just accepted, it’s downright celebrated. For our office crew — you wanna rock a t-shirt with your dog’s face on it? We say go for it. For our Chief Experience Officers — you wanna hit the road and call some of the most epic places on Earth your home office? We love that — and we’ve got you. Wanna spend your days with people you genuinely like? Us too — and we’re pretty sure you’ll fit right in, wherever that is. Now about that career of yours — this is the kind of place where you can spread your wings and truly grow into your role. The best part? You get to do it all alongside a passionate, freakishly talented, one-of-a-kind bunch excited to produce top-notch work and spread a ridiculous amount of goodness at the same time. Feel like this could be the right fit? We think so too, and we’re already way too excited to meet you. The Senior Operations Specialist is a key member of the Southern Africa Operations team, responsible for delivering end-to-end operational support across the region. Reporting to the Regional Operations Manager, this role ensures the smooth day-to-day execution of tour operations, traveller support, supplier quality management, and administrative functions. This is a role for a self-motivated, solutions-driven professional who thrives in a dynamic environment, takes full ownership of their responsibilities, and consistently delivers to a high standard without requiring close supervision. The ideal candidate brings initiative, sound judgement, and a genuine commitment to operational excellence, someone who identifies what needs to be done and does it. Key Duties & Responsibilities: Operational Execution & Trip Support Manage and respond to operational queries from the sales team and internal departments, ensuring timely, accurate, and complete responses through the operations central mailbox and internal communication tools. Monitor day-to-day trip execution across the region, supporting tour leaders operationally and coordinating solutions to on-tour issues as they arise. Coordinate logistical changes and updates across active trips, keeping tour leaders, suppliers, and the wider team informed throughout. Prepare and maintain pre-trip documentation for new trips and new tour leaders, ensuring all relevant operational detail, supplier information, and route notes are accurate and current. Manage on-tour and post-tour traveller complaints from end to end, investigating, coordinating with relevant stakeholders, and driving resolution independently. Support the customer service team on escalated matters, providing operational context, investigation support, and recommended outcomes. Monitor and analyse regional Net Promoter Score (NPS) data and tour evaluations, identifying trends, flagging concerns, and producing regular reports with recommended actions to drive continuous improvement in traveller experience. Supplier Quality Control & Relationship Management Conduct regular quality control reviews across accommodation, transport, and activity suppliers, documenting findings and driving follow-up directly with suppliers. Build and maintain structured records of supplier performance, escalating repeat concerns through the appropriate channels with supporting documentation. Represent G Adventures professionally in all supplier communications, maintaining strong working relationships and holding suppliers accountable to agreed standards. Investigate and respond to supplier quality concerns raised by tour leaders or travellers, communicating outcomes clearly to the relevant internal stakeholders. Critical Incident Management Take ownership of critical incident coordination as required, ensuring appropriate escalation and clear communication with all relevant internal and external stakeholders throughout the duration of an incident. Coordinate ground-level logistics and support during operational emergencies, liaising with tour leaders, suppliers, and management to drive resolution. Participate in emergency phone rotation and respond to out-of-hours crises as required. Review and action incident reports in a timely manner, ensuring all follow-up steps are completed and outcomes are documented. Visa & Compliance Management Manage work visa applications for regional tour leaders end-to-end, including applications, follow-ups, invoicing, and record-keeping. Proactively monitor upcoming visa requirements across the team, flagging critical needs well ahead of departure dates. Oversee permit applications for tour leaders and vehicles, ensuring all documentation is accurate, compliant, and submitted on time. Maintain compliance records across the region and ensure all documentation is current and correctly filed. Financial & Budget Administration Manage and maintain tour leader expense trip budgets across all trip, ensuring accuracy through proactive review and cross-referencing against operational data. Identify and action budget updates in a timely and accurate manner, providing the necessary detail for changes to be processed correctly. Support invoice validation and coordinate with reservations and finance teams on supplier payment queries. Maintain optional & primary activity pricing information across the region, ensuring rates are current and proactively flagging any changes. Administrative Ownership Own the day-to-day administrative functions of the operations department, including maintaining tracking systems, process documentation, and operational records. Oversee the management of incident reports, ensuring all cases are triaged, actioned, and closed with documented outcomes. Maintain and update in-field branding inventory, coordinating delivery to suppliers and ensuring brand standards are upheld across the region. Build and maintain standard operating procedures for core operational processes, ensuring the team has clear, written guidelines to follow. Provide direction and support to the Operations Coordinator on administrative functions, setting clear expectations and escalation thresholds. Product & New Trip Support Assist and participate in the operational components of new product development, including reviewing and maintaining technical itineraries for new and existing trips. Coordinate with the product and buying teams to ensure the accuracy and completeness of trip content, including itineraries, budgets, and operational logistics. Identify and flag operational gaps, itinerary inconsistencies, or supplier capability concerns to the relevant internal teams. Tour Leader & Team Engagement Act as a reliable and knowledgeable operational point of contact for tour leaders, providing timely support and proactively sharing relevant updates and operational changes. Foster strong working relationships with the tour leader team, contributing to a culture of operational support and clear communication in the field. Ensure tour leaders are prepared and informed ahead of new or unfamiliar trips through the provision of accurate pre-trip documentation and operational guidance. Skills & Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in travel or tourism operations, with a demonstrated track record of managing complex, multi-functional responsibilities simultaneously. Proven ability to work independently and take full ownership of responsibilities end-to-end without requiring close supervision, repeated prompting, or management intervention on routine matters. Self-motivated and proactive - someone who identifies what needs to be done, does it, and looks for ways to improve the process. Strong administrative capability - organised, accurate, and able to maintain multiple tracking systems, SOPs, and process documents concurrently without dropping the ball. Sound judgement and decision-making ability, particularly in high-pressure or ambiguous situations where the right course of action is not always obvious. Demonstrated experience investigating and resolving traveller complaints independently, with a clear sense of when to escalate and when to own the outcome. Strong written and verbal communication in English, with the ability to produce clear, professional, and accurate correspondence with internal and external stakeholders. High attention to detail with a self-auditing mindset - checking work before communicating it and verifying information with suppliers or systems before confirming to others. Experience managing supplier relationships, holding suppliers accountable to agreed standards, and building structured records of performance over time. Comfortable working across multiple regions, brands, and stakeholder groups simultaneously in a fast-moving environment. Proficiency in standard office tools (Google Suite, Microsoft Office) and the ability to learn internal systems quickly. Emotionally resilient, calm under pressure, and able to maintain composure and clarity of thought during critical incidents or peak operational periods. What Do We Offer You? Competitive Total Rewards Package, including exclusive travel perks! Additional days off, including on your birthday! Vacation time for you to recharge Enhanced Parental Leave Meaningful Employee Recognition Program Learning and Growth Opportunities Employee Resource Groups *Applicable based on location* Please note that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used in the selection or interview process. G Adventures is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We consider all qualified applicants.