[Hiring] Manager, Travel Experience @Navan

Role Description

As a Manager, Travel Experience Consultant, you will lead a dedicated team of Travel Consultants. This role requires a unique blend of people leadership, operational management, and relationship cultivation. You will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of your team, ensuring they provide exceptional service, while also managing the strategic service relationship with the dedicated customer's Travel Manager and Specialists. Your leadership will be key to developing a high-performing team, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring the success of the offline travel program for our most valued customers. This is a Remote Opportunity within Mumbai, requires candidate to be based in Mumbai.

What You’ll Do

• People Leadership & Development: Serve as the frontline manager for a team of Business Travel Consultants. You will be responsible for coaching, training, and upskilling team members to deliver a best-in-class customer experience.
• Performance Management: Conduct regular 1:1 meetings and quarterly reviews to monitor progress, set clear expectations, and track career development using career maps. Provide continuous performance feedback to encourage desired behaviors and ensure alignment with corporate goals.
• Operational Management: Oversee the team's operational performance, monitoring call queues (ACD) and SLAs to ensure goals are met. Perform root cause analysis on common service issues to develop and implement permanent corrective actions and process improvements.
• Customer Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for the dedicated customer's Travel Manager. Conduct regular check-ins, present performance statistics, and collaborate on improvement plans and service enhancements.
• Issue & Escalation Resolution: Take ownership of customer escalations, managing and resolving issues from start to finish. Coach your team to proactively address traveler inquiries and aim for first-contact resolution. Step in and directly handle escalated chats and calls to ensure prompt and effective resolution.
• Collaboration & Communication: Collaborate with the wider support team to meet performance and behavior metrics. Work with your manager to prioritize and address customer requests for product and service enhancements. Communicate transparently with the dedicated customer about service improvements and corrective actions.
• Talent Acquisition & Onboarding: Screen and interview new hires as the organization scales. Provide input for the New Hire Training Program and ensure its effective execution for modules delivered by the support team.
• Administrative Oversight: Manage approvals for employee travel bookings and handle Resignation Conversations with departing employees. Lead these discussions with respect and curiosity, documenting insights to help improve the company.
• Engagement & Culture: Organize team engagement activities, both in-person and remote, to foster a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in a contact center or support environment, with at least 5 years of experience at the manager level.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the travel industry, with deep knowledge of GDS platforms (Sabre and/or Amadeus).
• A proven ability to live and breathe customer support, with a commitment to high customer engagement and a passion for resolving complex customer issues.
• A track record of building relationships, motivating teams, and acting as a proven mentor.
• The ability to use a data-driven approach to identify operational challenges and inform strategic decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Familiarity with CRM applications (e.g., Salesforce, Twilio) and contact center applications (e.g., Calabrio, WorkDay).
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a team, and be flexible to work non-traditional shifts as needed.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.

What Sets You Apart

• A reputation as a resolution-focused leader who champions change and consistently exceeds expectations.
• A proven ability to proactively identify and implement process improvements.
• A passion for developing others and fostering a solutions-oriented team culture.