Product Manager (Maternity Cover)

Brand:                 Global Touring (Topdeck Travel, Back Roads Touring and Grasshopper Adventures)
Position:             Product Manager
Reporting to:     Head of Product
Location Base:   Hybrid (office location is in Chiswick, London)
Contract:             Maternity cover - 12 month fixed term contract
Start date:          ASAP

Global Touring
Here at Global Touring, we’re a travel company specialising in group tours and inspiring people through life-changing travel experiences. Through our brands Topdeck Travel, Back-Roads Touring and Grasshopper Adventures, we are ever developing our product range, driving growth in key sales markets (Australia, New Zealand & North America), innovating product delivery and ensuring we deliver a first-class customer experience. Don’t worry if you can’t find Global Touring when you search online – this is our internal brand; externally we only use our customer-facing brands.  
We’re looking for a Product Manager to join our team as maternity cover, that aligns perfectly with our brand and values... if this sounds like you then keep reading!    

The Role
Global Touring Product Managers need a pretty tough backbone and willingness to give us all they’ve got, but in return they’ll be surrounded by arguably the best teammates ever!

We’re looking for a Product Manager to hit the ground running; who will be responsible for managing and developing a portfolio of tours. Covering the full product cycle from competitor analysis and positioning, through to supplier negotiation, contracting and content checking, this is a hands-on role and requires a thorough understanding of group touring product, contracting and schedule management, as well as the operations that sit behind it.

The role requires extensive experience in product development, competitive buying and cost analysis, and contracting a variety of suppliers including activity providers, hotels, wholesalers and DMCs.

To succeed in the role you must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, highly numerate, analytically minded, with an astute commercial awareness. You will possess excellent planning skills, with an ability to identify opportunities to improve existing products, and to develop new products. You will also have excellent attention to detail, well-developed time management skills, methodical research and analysis skills, be an outstanding negotiator, and have thorough understanding of the escorted tours market.

Some overseas travel may be required.
 
Key Responsibilities

• Managing tour product from conception through to completion with continuous improvement.
• Conducting destination research and competitor analysis to create proposals for new destinations and products with evident rationale on demand, value and potential revenue.
• Ensuring tours are competitive in a crowded marketplace, have clear placement and differentiation within the product range and fulfil each brand’s specific customer value propositions.
• Developing excellent strategic relationships with all suppliers to ensure access to the best services at the best rates.
• Procurement and contracting of accommodation, meals and activity services.
• Negotiation of rates, payment terms, cancellation periods and room reduction policies with suppliers.
• Benchmarking supplier proposals and analysis of rates and contract terms.
• Building comprehensive and accurate costings that enable a clear pricing strategy, ensuring they are in line with financial targets and competitor activity.
• Finding creative solutions to supply chain issues and making data-driven decisions to implement changes.
• Capacity planning and scheduling of tours, with clear combinability of dates across different tour series.
• Reviewing sales data to track and improve product performance.
• Maintaining supplier databases to house relevant information for all departments.
• Building and maintaining operational tour and product schedules.
• Being a vocal and passionate advocate of your products; creating and delivering training resources to ensure products are distributed into the wider business and marketplace effectively, with clear value propositions that make them a commercial success.
• Perform tasks to ensure product is brought to market accurately (providing clear detail and proofing copy and web content)
• Following standard procedures in all administrative duties, ensuring that clarity and consistency is always maintained to the highest standard.
• Ensure trip documentation provided to our customers is accurate.
• Supporting Operations team to ensure product is being delivered to the company standard and suppliers are fulfilling the Service Level Agreement.
• Assisting with the customer complaints procedures to ensure satisfactory resolutions.
• Representing Global Touring at industry events.
• Ensure product is developed in accordance with Global Touring crisis management and health and safety guidelines.
• Ensure product is developed and delivered within specified timeframes along with internal and external training material.

Experience, Requirements and Key Behaviours

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a travel industry Product Management role
• Creative thinker with high adaptability and problem-solving skills
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently
• Experience of developing travel products from initial conception
• Commercial awareness with strong negotiating skills
• Highly numerate and analytical
• Ability to confidently make data-driven decisions
• Experience contracting accommodation and activity suppliers
• Experience with group travel requirements
• Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Experience in collecting, assessing and analysing data
• Demonstrable negotiation skills
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills
• Confidence to deliver presentations and interact with a wide range of individuals
• Excellent time management with the ability to deliver to deadlines
• Ability to undertake business travel independently
• Foreign language skills are desirable
• A valid driving license is advantageous
• The right to live and work in the UK
• And of course… a passion for all things travel!

Global Touring Values 

Our values aren’t just words on a page. They’re the backbone; the steering wheel;
the soundtrack to how we embrace each day. Like a well baked brownie, every ingredient
combines to achieve the rich consistency fuelling the soul of Global Touring.      

Stay curious
We are natural born explorers. Our people question old solutions, apply alternative thinking and embrace being challenged in the search for outcomes. We’re excited by the journey on and off the road – expanding our knowledge, adapting to feedback and questioning the status quo. Value ideas over hierarchy. Have the courage to take risks. Don’t let perfection prevent growth.

Choose transparency
We take the right way, not the easy way. We’re straight up even through the toughest conversations; tackling challenges head-on and with integrity. Honour commitments. Communicate with clarity. And build relationships based on mutual respect. Forget hidden agendas, we treat everyone fairly – despite a preference for instant coffee.

Don’t pass the buck
If we do it, we do it well. We are empowered to make decisions based on data and experience – holding each other accountable along the way. Spare the excuses. Be fearless in the pursuit of results. And take responsibility – even when no one’s looking. There will be bumps in the road; that’s ok. We own our mistakes and learn from the challenges as well as the successes.

Together we go further
Across oceans and office desks, it’s more than a love for travel that keeps us connected.
There are no silos here; we are each other’s toughest critics and loudest supporters – especially around the ping pong table. People with diverse backgrounds, different identities and varied experiences make our company exceptional. We embrace alternate perspectives, recognise each other’s strengths and champion collective genius.