Travel Operations & Business Development Manager

Our employer is a privately held company (Located in Thornhill) and one of Canada’s largest private travel companies, specializing in faith groups, corporate and leisure travel, and customized tours.

We are seeking a hands-on Travel Operations Manager to improve day-to-day operations, support travel advisors, manage complex travel requirements, and introduce practical tools that improve efficiency.

Compensation: $100,000–$120,000 CAD

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Strategy

• Oversee day-to-day operations across corporate, leisure, and group travel
• Improve workflows across reservations, ticketing, fulfillment, and post-booking support
• Develop and maintain SOPs, service standards, and quality controls
• Coordinate across Sales, Operations, Accounting, and Leadership

Booking Systems & Technology

• Support and optimize Sabre, NDC, CRM, and back-office systems
• Identify opportunities to automate administrative and operational tasks
• Introduce practical AI and technology tools that improve agent productivity
• Help advisors adopt and effectively use new tools and workflows

Commercial & Supplier Support

• Support supplier relationships and commercial initiatives where needed
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, reduce errors, and control avoidable costs
• Ensure operational processes align with supplier and business requirements

Leadership & Travel Support

• Support and coach travel advisors and operations staff
• Assist with complex itineraries, high-value bookings, and escalations
• Improve service quality, turnaround times, and booking accuracy
• Support hiring, onboarding, and employee development

Financial & Performance Management

• Track operational KPIs including productivity, booking accuracy, margins, and service levels
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control initiatives
• Provide operational insights and recommendations to leadership

Requirements

Experience

• 5+ years of relevant experience in travel operations, project management, or operations management
• Travel-industry experience strongly preferred, but strong project-management candidates with genuine travel knowledge may also be considered
• Strong understanding of complex travel, international itineraries, and operational coordination
• Ticketing and airfare experience strongly preferred
• TICO certification preferred or willingness to obtain

Technical Skills

• Sabre GDS strongly preferred
• Amadeus considered an asset
• Experience with NDC, CRM, and back-office travel systems
• Strong Excel, process-improvement, automation, and AI-tool capabilities

Profile

• Hands-on: comfortable solving operational issues and supporting complex travel
• Technology-curious: actively looks for practical tools that improve workflows
• Entrepreneurial: proactive, accountable, and execution-focused
• Organized: able to manage multiple priorities and complex projects
• Commercially aware: understands margins, efficiency, and business impact
• Strong communicator: works effectively with advisors, suppliers, and leadership

Nice to Have

• Experience with group, wholesale, or faith-based travel
• Experience implementing travel technology or automation tools
• Project-management experience involving multiple stakeholders
• Hiring and onboarding experience

Why Join?

• Work with one of Canada’s established independent travel groups
• Exposure to corporate, leisure, group, and customized travel
• Opportunity to improve operations and introduce new tools
• High-impact role with direct exposure to leadership