| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Hospitality |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Operating Officer |
| Direct reports | Travel Branch Manager, Tour Manager |
| Experience | 10+ years in travel with 4 years leading operations |
Head of Travel Operations job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Head of Travel Operations
Department: Hospitality
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Head of Travel Operations runs the operations of a travel and tourism company across branches. They own supplier contracts, service quality, cost and the smooth delivery of tours, tickets and holidays. The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer or Managing Director and leads branch and tour managers. A good Head of Travel Operations keeps operations reliable in peak season, holds costs down with strong supplier deals and makes sure travellers get what they paid for, on time and without stress.
Key responsibilities
- Run travel operations across branches and keep service delivery reliable and consistent.
- Negotiate and manage contracts with airlines, hotels, transporters and other suppliers.
- Set operating standards and processes for ticketing, tours and holiday packages.
- Control operating cost and supplier rates to protect package margins.
- Lead branch and tour managers and set their targets and standards.
- Handle major service failures and traveller escalations during trips.
- Plan capacity and staffing for peak travel and festival seasons.
- Review branch performance, bookings and customer feedback each month.
- Ensure compliance with travel, visa and licensing requirements across branches.
- Improve operations processes and supplier mix to raise reliability.
Requirements
- Degree in travel, tourism or hospitality
- Strong travel operations record
- IATA knowledge is an advantage
- 10+ years in travel with 4 years leading operations
KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Travel Operations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Service reliability | Trips and bookings delivered with no major failure above the agreed limit |
| Operating margin | Package operating margin held at or above the approved level |
| Supplier cost | Supplier rates negotiated to meet the annual cost target |
| Customer satisfaction | Traveller satisfaction score held above the agreed level |
| Branch performance | Branches meet their booking and service targets each quarter |
| Peak readiness | Capacity and staff in place for every peak season |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Travel booking systems, GDS such as Amadeus, CRM, MS Excel, Supplier portals.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Operating Officer, Business Head Travel, Managing Director
Interview questions for a Head of Travel Operations
- How do you keep operations reliable during peak travel season?
- How do you negotiate better rates with hotels and airlines?
- Walk me through how you handled a group tour that went wrong.
- How do you control cost without hurting the traveller experience?
- How do you manage performance across several branches?
- How do you plan staffing for a festival rush?
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What does a Head of Travel Operations do?
A Head of Travel Operations runs the operations of a travel and tourism company across branches. They manage supplier contracts, set service standards, control cost and ensure smooth delivery of tours, tickets and holidays. They lead branch and tour managers and handle major escalations, reporting to the COO or Managing Director.
What is the difference between travel operations and travel sales?
Travel sales focuses on selling tours, tickets and packages to customers. Travel operations makes sure what is sold is delivered: booking suppliers, coordinating logistics, managing quality and handling problems during trips. Operations is about reliable delivery and cost, while sales is about winning the booking.
What qualifications does a Head of Travel Operations need?
Most Head of Travel Operations roles ask for a degree in travel, tourism or hospitality with a strong operations record and ten or more years of experience, several leading operations. Knowledge of booking systems and supplier contracting is essential, and IATA knowledge is an advantage.