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 ResponsibilitiesOperations & 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
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
RequirementsExperience
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
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