Head of Travel Operations Full Time NEW

Our client is one of the world’s leading international membership, travel, hospitality and luxury lifestyle firms with award-winning projects across Europe, Asia and beyond.

This is an operational leadership role and we seeking an experienced, hands-on travel professional to establish and lead travel division to arrange flights, curate itineraries, and deliver end-to-end travel services for member base with full responsibility for building the division from the ground up within an already powerful brand.

The ideal candidate

• Held a senior operational role in a recognised Indian or global travel company and understands the full mechanics of running a travel business (not just selling it)
• 10-20+ years of experience in travel operations (ideally at Director or GM level)
• Strong working knowledge of GDS platforms (Amadeus and/or Sabre) and solid experience with IATA/BSP processes and airline contracting
• Background at Cox & Kings, Thomas Cook, SOTC, Kuoni, or similar
• Experience in luxury or membership travel, understanding of the HNI/UHNI customer
• Existing relationships with airline commercial teams
• Familiarity with technology-enabled travel platforms
• Proven track record managing DMC, ground, and supplier relationships
• Experience building or scaling a travel operation, not just maintaining one
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment

Key Responsibilities

• Establish firms travel operations infrastructure: IATA accreditation, BSP participation, GDS integration (Amadeus / Sabre)
• Negotiate and manage airline contracting, net fare agreements, and preferred carrier relationships
• Build and manage a network of DMC partners, ground operators, visa facilitation services, and hotel contracting
• Design and deliver bespoke itinerary fulfilment for firm’s strong member base
• Recruit and lead a lean, high-performing travel operations team
• Develop operational processes, SLAs, and quality standards consistent with firms’s luxury positioning
• Work alongside firms curated events and technology teams to integrate travel services into the member experience
• Report on financial performance: margins, volumes, and growth targets

Please note: Due to the confidentiality of the role, we will not be able to respond to individual messages or emails and will only be contacting shortlisted candidates.