Regional Operations Manager – Japan

The Dragon Trip is a leading adventurous and budget tour provider and operates tours across all major travel regions in Asia. The company focuses on showing the real side of the countries we visit with sustainable, engaging and fun activities offered throughout the trips. Our trips broaden cultural understanding between the next generation of global citizens. Our mission is to expand minds through transformative travel experiences.

The parent company of The Learning Adventure in The Dragon Trip Group, a global company operating a number of brands in the youth travel space including The Dragon Trip, The Learning Adventure, and The Coyote Trip.

We’re currently seeking a Regional Operations Manager who is an exceptional leader, strong communicator, has strong attention to detail, is able to manage remote teams, build systems, work efficiently, overcome challenges faced during rapid expansion and is highly passionate about the positive impact travel can have on young people. 

Responsibilities

• Operations  – Full responsibility for operating all of our Adventure Tours in Japan
• Ensure quality – Our company is rapidly growing with the addition of in-house tours, introduction of new tour types, and expansion in operating tours for new partner agents from around the world. In this role, you will be responsible for overseeing trip quality, dealing with the new quotes, resolving issues, and ensuring that current and new projects meet our expected quality standards.
• Customer Support: Alongside your team, you're expected to respond to all customer questions and handle complaints, serving as the face of our company in Japan for all Adventure Tours.
• Emergency Support: You are expected to be part of the emergency support team and respond to emergency calls. You’ll be managing emergencies, working alongside teams to ensure all travelers are safe, and guarantee that our safety protocols are followed.
• Team Management: You'll be managing the operations team based in Vietnam and Japan offices, and also overseeing adventure leaders who are running our tours across Japan.
• Bookings: You’ll be overseeing the teams to ensure all guide, hotel and ticket bookings across Japan have been arranged. 
• Prepare Documents: You’ll be overseeing preparation of budgets, new quotes, safety forms and other key information for Operations Team. 
• Financial Liaison: Communicate key financial information to our finance team. 
• Recruitment and Training: Help recruit team members both in the office and in the regions when needed, and ensure they're trained well for their positions.

Competencies

• Attention to Detail: A careful, organized approach to work is essential for this role. 
• Management Ability: Effectively manage team members who are located in different countries/cities. 
• Communication Ability: Work with colleagues in Shanghai and London, as well as our regional specialists in Japan and operations team in Ho Chi Minh City, and our partner agents worldwide for whom we operate tours. 
• Operational Ability: Effectively execute on plans, in an organized and efficient way.
• Language: Advanced English is required, with a minimum intermediate level of proficiency in Japanese.
• Travel: Ability to travel inside and outside Japan when required. 

Experience

• At least 3 years working in youth travel or relevant industries, ideally in Japan.

What you get from us

• Responsibility. Freedom to execute on your ideas, plan your own schedule and build the change you want to see in the organization.  
• Support.We’ll invest time in you to allow you to succeed. It is important to us that our team members develop professionally during their time with us.
• Opportunity.We are a rapidly growing company in our space and work hard to recruit internally. We expect to move from a medium to large sized entity within 5 years and you will be in the top level of management. 
• Fun, growing team: Our global teams are growing – be part of the action and grow alongside us.  

Terms

• Reporting to Senior Operations Manager.
• Competitive salary. 
• PR or citizenship is required for this role as we are unable to sponsor visas.
• The successful individual will be issued with a consultancy contract and will therefore be required to declare their own tax. The company will provide advice regarding this. 
• Start date: 1 April 2024 or earlier.