Operations Specialist

**Business Overview**:
USTO comprises two sister brands Europe Express and YMT Vacations, each providing decades of experience in custom independent and group travel for North American travelers throughout Europe and other popular destinations around the world. Together they are a $100 million+ revenue business, a significant and strategically important part of the $1billion+ Travelopia portfolio. Established in 1990, Europe Express provides high-quality, custom travel to Europe for their North American clients. The company serves both private group and FIT leisure markets, working exclusively with travel advisors to book everything from air and rail to hotels and sightseeing tours. YMT is an industry-leading guided tour specialist for North American travelers. Since 1967, the company has offered affordable land, cruise, and river cruise tours to the most popular destinations around the world.

**Location**:
This position is eligible for fully remote working within the Cape Town, South Africa or hybrid working from our Cape Town office.

**Scheduling**:
This is a full-time, 40 hours a week, 9am to 6pm PT on a regular basis with occasional shifts until 9pm PT. Scheduled days may include Saturdays during peak travel season (April - October).

**Position Summary**:
The Operations Specialist supports the sales process by processing reservations after conversion, confirming services, and issues travel documents. This position works directly with international vendors and answers calls from customers regarding travel documents.

**Responsibilities**:

- Provide excellent customer service, support, and information to all company personnel and customers
- Accurately quote, confirm, issue rail tickets and reservations using Rail Europe
- Assist with training staff on rail products and assist in determining continuing education needs. Update staff with Rail product and procedure changes
- Accurately process requests and confirmations for hotels, transfers, sightseeing and cars while following company policies and procedures
- Ability to make independent decisions with customers and coworkers while maintaining our customer service standards and financial profitability
- Support reservation staff
- Maintain ongoing communication with manager about procedures and problems and offer suggestions for resolutions
- Timely response to all co-workers and customers; following through with resolution
- Quality control of final documentation sent to clients
- Keep queues at a manageable level
- Participate in the emergency duty rotation, which includes being on-call for one week every 1-2 months, while adhering to our emergency duty operational standards

**What We Are Looking For**:

- Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
- Good time management and ability to multi-task
- Courteous and professional telephone manner
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Proficient in MS Office, including MS Excel, MS Word, Outlook
- Proficiency in Amadeus and Rail Europe ERA system a plus
- Proven ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment

**OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION**

We believe people are happier and perform best when they can be their true self, and that diverse teams deliver better results.

Together we will cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, where all our people can flourish and are encouraged to be their unique selves. We are committing to implement meaningful change within our culture by increasing awareness of and counteracting unconscious bias, eradicating systemic barriers, embracing diversity, and engaging all employees in the process.

**We look forward to getting to know you