Regional Director - Africa, Pacific & Southern Europe

Regional Director (RD)

Our people make all the difference in our success.

Reports To: Justin Brown, Director of Trip Development

Location: Based in our Berkeley Headquarters (preference) or Utrecht (secondary)

Training: Berkeley, CA

Length Of Season: Full-time, year-round

Open To: All Nationalities*

Regions: Africa (South Africa, Namibia, & Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt), Pacific (Australia, Tahiti), Southern Europe (Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira) & the new Silk Road trip.

Purpose Of Job:

This Regional Director will oversee all aspects of trip operations in Africa, Pacific, and parts of Southern Europe, with the goal of achieving the highest possible overall success of the region, as measured by Trip Quality, Capacity, and Cost Accuracy. Additional markets and/or program/project management work will also be expected as part of this role.

All of the following requires a practical balance of doing and delegating in partnership with Regional Leads (RLs) & Trip Experts (TEs), with RDs overseeing and making strategic recommendations to Backroads Leadership on all quality, capacity, cost, and operational considerations.

This role will be responsible for meeting critical company deliverables related to:

• Management & mentorship of Field team (Regional Leads, Trip Experts)
• Overseeing trip operations to create the highest possible trip quality
• Developing multiple new trips in this high growth region
• Creating trip capacity to meet demand (primarily via identifying hotel rotations & fulfilling room inventory requests as determined by Demand Planning team)
• Maintaining and creating strong hotel relationships, including identifying new opportunities and building rapport to support Backroads objectives
• Hotel & other vendor relationship management, including escalated negotiation support
• Responsible for completeness and accuracy of all Tour cost estimates
• Ensuring that itinerary information is complete, accurate and of highest quality to support communications.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:

Trip Development

• Plan, create, modify and make final recommendations to Backroads Leadership for all components of trip quality and design, including Research, Pre-Season Updates (PSUs), and Presearch for designated trips.
• Review all available survey data for relevant feedback and continually look for ways to improve trip quality.
• Initiate Trip Changes when necessary and provide detailed trip information as needed.
• Respond to emergency situations on-trip (natural disasters, major guest injury, extremely difficult guests) and provide support and coaching to leaders on the ground in collaboration with Backroads Leadership.

Capacity

• Secure desired trip capacity (dates and rooms) and facilitate/support the achievement of the best rates and terms for services up to 48 months in advance.
• Build & maintain strong relationships with hotels and other key vendors.
• Fulfill trip design & hotel rotation requests from Demand Planning to maximize capacity while keeping quality high
• Develop opportunities related to quality, capacity or costs, and provide pertinent information regarding negotiation strategy and priorities for Backroads Leadership.
• Provide timely responses to ensure all contracts are completed in an expeditious manner
• Ensure Yield Management has the requisite information to effectively add/cancel dates, avoiding penalties & maintaining positive hotel relationships.

Trip Costs & Accuracy

• Ensure trip cost estimates are complete and accurate.
• Review actual cost reports and provide recommendations based on discrepancies.
• Verify data used for vendor deposits is accurate, adheres to Backroads 'gold standard' terms, and that supplier is in good standing and provide pertinent feedback to Backroads Leadership.

Other

• Program and/or Project Management to support the broader RD, RL, and TD teams. This may include projects related to regional work, new trip development, quality oversight, budgeting/costing, interdepartmental processes & systems, team management or other program/project management needs
• Provide input to OPS for specific equipment and regional needs including vans, trailers, bikes and emergency problem solving.
• Monitor industry competitors for points of similarity and differentiation. Where applicable, make recommendations for improving existing itineraries, addressing hotel overlap, or consideration for new trips.
• Various administrative tasks, as required

People Management & Scheduling

• Manage & mentor Field Staff (Regional Leads, Trip Experts) for timely execution of itinerary updates, critical quality decisions, and timely delivery of guest and leader facing materials.
• Actively recruit and assist in hiring and training Field Experts.
• Oversee management of field experts, in partnership with RLs, for the highest possible individual and team performance.
• Provide information in a timely manner to Scheduling to ensure accurate & successful leader scheduling in your regions.
• Forecast and maintain Scheduling Parameters to define how many field staff and vans are needed at varying guest counts and to define field staff lodging rules.
• Forecast and maintain requirements for additional fieldwork (Research, Pre-Season Updates, Presearch).
• Serve as vital communication link between field and office. Stay abreast of company and departmental communications and transmit/translate/reiterate to regional team and leaders to support their understanding.

Trip/Itinerary Details - Work closely with all partners to ensure the best possible experience for guests.

• Review and edit trip content, in partnership with RLs & TEs, to successfully capture and ensure accurate trip information.
• Oversee timely, accurate, and complete trip details at appropriate milestones (Presearch, Preseason updates, etc.).
• Respond in a timely and complete fashion to "trip change" questions & needs.
• Respond to requests or questions about trip information from Sales & other teams in a timely manner. Conduct sales seminars as needed.
• Own and facilitate excellent support to confirm all necessary vendors & subcontractors.

Required Knowledge And Abilities:

• Experience in Trip Development or prior RD, RL or TE experience required
• Strong leadership, relationship management, interpersonal skills & emotional intelligence; experience in LD as a mentor strongly preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong problem solving, organizational and analytical skills
• Cost management & analysis experience
• Ability to multi-task and handle a multitude of details while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to learn, understand, and efficiently utilize diverse systems & tools, including database & content management programs
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, and Word
• Other travel industry experience a plus

Eligibility, Compensation And Benefits:

• Salaried, full-time, year-round role, in office
• Pay dependent on experience and qualifications
• Regular travel to regions required
• This position is open to all nationalities.
• To be based in Berkeley, US citizens or those with US work authorization is required.
• To be based in Utrecht, candidacy is dependent on Backroads' ability to secure a visa unless a candidate already has European work authorization.
• Intra-company transfer (visa) requirements must be a current employee of Backroads in good standing with a minimum of one year experience as a Field Expert for one or more trips in the region

Application Details:

• Please apply via Workday, including a cover letter explaining why you are interested and your qualifications, as well as your resume
• Reach out to Justin Brown, Kate Tribuzio, or Cat Malone with questions
• Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.