Sales Administration Manager

Job description

Go2Africa is Africa’s trusted tailor-made safari specialist, with more than 25 years of experience creating deeply personal journeys across the continent. We combine first-hand African expertise, specialist regional knowledge, trusted local relationships and dedicated support to help travellers experience the Africa that’s right for them. Home to 21 Condé Nast Traveller Specialists - more than any other African safari company - Go2Africa is recognised by Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure and the World Travel Awards, and trusted by thousands of travellers around the world. As part of the B Corp-certified Nawiri Group, we generate funding through travel and long-term partnerships, working alongside trusted local organisations to strengthen landscapes, support livelihoods and help people and wildlife thrive together. At the heart of Go2Africa is a team of people who care deeply about Africa, our travellers and the work we do, each playing a part in creating the exceptional journeys and experiences we’re known for. Role Summary To lead and manage the Sales Administration team, ensuring accurate, timely and consistent administrative support to the Sales and Client Experience teams across the full client journey. The role is accountable for team performance, service delivery, quality, employee development, stakeholder satisfaction and continuous improvement. Functional Responsibilities Team Development and Onboarding: Conduct Ensure standardised training is offered to all new Sales Administrators. Develop new training material and keep all training material up to date. Mentor and assist new starters with daily tasks until they are confident in their role. Assist and check audits of new starters and ensure all is 100% before it is sent to the EQ or invoiced. Provide constant feedback to new starters and ensure problem areas are worked on. Continuous coaching of new members. Provide daily support to the Sales Administrator and SQ team. Ensure all new processes are rolled out and trained on, so the team knows what is expected of them. Any training gaps that are identified should be retrained to ensure a high standard of work is upheld by every member of the team. Daily assistance and support to the SA Team: Ensure deferrals and cancellations are completed accurately, acting as the escalation point for complex cases. Provide support and coaching on communicating with a supplier in tricky/challenging rate conversations. Assist with understanding of rate sheets, where required. Assist team with investigating rate discrepancies where needed and escalate to the Booking Operations Manager where necessary. Ensure client folders are ready and up to date on time so that the Travel Administration Team can complete the Reconfirmation Process timeously. Team Leadership Lead, motivate and line-manage all Sales Administrators, setting clear expectations and creating accountability for individual and team outcomes. Agree annual performance objectives and individual growth and development plans with each team member; review progress quarterly and ensure agreed actions are completed. Conduct monthly one-to-one meetings and formal performance reviews, recognising strong performance and addressing underperformance promptly and fairly. Own standardised onboarding and ongoing training, keeping training material accurate and current and ensuring new starters are signed off as competent before working independently. Provide regular, timely and constructive coaching and feedback based on quality results, observed performance and development needs. Maintain a team skills matrix and cross-training plan to strengthen capability, succession and operational resilience. Review and approve leave and shift changes in line with company policy, delegated authority and minimum operational coverage requirements. Promote a positive, collaborative and client-focused culture that supports wellbeing, accountability and continuous learning. Process, Systems and continuous improvement Track team and individual performance at an appropriate daily, weekly and monthly cadence using HubSpot. Identify improvement opportunities in Baz and work with the Booking Operations Manager and relevant system owners to progress agreed changes. Maintain current standard operating procedures, checklists, process maps in HubSpot and training material. Identify opportunities to reduce manual work, duplication, bottlenecks, errors and rework without weakening controls. Support the testing, implementation and communication of approved process or system changes and ensure the team is trained before go-live. Monitor adoption and measure whether implemented improvements deliver the intended quality, efficiency or service benefit. Projects and additional responsibilities Lead or contribute to cross-functional projects relevant to Sales Administration, operational performance or the client journey. Perform other reasonable responsibilities aligned with the purpose and level of the role Qualifications Matric Diploma in Travel and Tourism Experience & Knowledge Minimum 2 Years Leadership experience Minimum of 3-5 years Travel Industry experience Professional email and telesales communication Administration experience Experience using our quoting system, Bazaruto and HubSpot (Advantageous) Skills & Competencies Deciding and initiating action Persuading and influencing Presenting and communicating Planning and organising Working with people Exceptional written and verbal communication skills Good listening skills Learning and researching Delivering results and meeting customer expectations Adapting and responding to change Coping with pressure and setbacks Seamless administration and organizational skills Creativity Attributes and Behaviours People-focused Accountable Detail orientated Organised Solutions driven Adaptable Confident Independent Proactive Agile How to apply If this sounds like the role for you, send us your CV and a motivational letter. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Go2Africa Core Values We Care Without our people, we wouldn’t exist. Simply put: we have a genuine concern for our people, and their well-being. We value the close relationships with our partners to ensure the best experience for our travellers. When it comes to our travellers, every detail, even the very finest, matters. This motivates us to offer only the very best experience, one that they will forever hold in their memories, leaving an indelible mark for life. Without our Go2Africans, partners and travellers we wouldn’t exist. We Trust and are Trusted Our reputation of 20+ years precedes us and we’re among the longest-standing TOs in the country. We place our trust in each other, our partners and our many industry accolades are testament to our delivery, knowledge, and client service. Our travellers trust us for it. We Go Above and Beyond We don’t settle, we go further, do better and strive more every day to give our travellers the very best experience. We are Resilient We weather any storm. We are solid, can take the hard knocks, learn from them, and move on. We Collaborate We pride ourselves on our partnerships – be that with our travellers, partners or Go2Africans. Our approach is personal, and we take great care of each and every one of our relationships, to ensure we always deliver the highest quality result and share in our joint success. We Conserve We care deeply about Africa’s sustainability, and are invested in protecting communities, wildlife, fauna, and flora. We are deeply passionate about Africa. It’s more than a destination, it’s in our heart …it’s our home.