Elevate Destinations

Experts in socially responsible luxury travel. We design travel experiences that support conservation and local communities without skimping on comfort.

Join Our Team

OPEN POSITIONS:

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL IMPACT JOURNEYS

Elevate Destinations is looking for an experienced, full-time Associate Director of Social Impact Journeys.

We are a dynamic, socially responsible travel company striving to bring more meaning, perspective, and positive impact into the lives of our travelers while respecting local destinations and communities. We are looking for an experienced manager who can lead our growing Social Impact Journey program.They will oversee all Social Impact Journeys managed by the team in addition to developing our high-level, curriculum-based trips. We seek a motivated self-starter who will bring leadership, new ideas and introspection to our tightly knit Group Travel team. This position requires thought leadership, curriculum development, creative problem-solving, excellent judgment, superb organization, attention to detail, close collaboration and eloquent communication skills.

Applicants must have experience in all categories below to be considered for this position:

1) Experience in the travel industry

2) Event and/or travel logistics management

3) Content or curriculum development in the field of experiential learning

4) Strong understanding of sustainability & international development

5) Group facilitation and/or group leadership

JOB DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Account Air Traffic Controller / Essential Duties

  • Manage the bandwidth of all staff and allocate accounts and responsibilities in a way that is aligned with efficiency and a healthy work-life balance for all team members.
  • Understand the ins and outs off all accounts and keep team on task to meet their deliverables.
  • Oversee and manage any emergency and hot spots on accounts, including in-country emergencies with a travelers health or security.
  • Accountable for the quality of our product from beginning to end.
  • Ability to prioritize short term and long term responsiblities for yourself and the team.
  • Frequent communication with your supervisor to communicate & identify goals, priorities and outcomes for the department on an ongoing basis.
  • Review and manage your team by providing guidance and mentoring support once each quarter through performance review system.

Content Creation

  • Develop itineraries in the developing world on topical area of expertise through your own research, Elevate’s network, and your own personal familiarity with the topic or country.
  • Understand how to design a curriculum through the framework of an itinerary.
  • Possess a deep understanding of experiential learning and techniques to support transformation while traveling.
  • Develop original content for reading materials to enhance travelers experience and enrichment while traveling
  • Source materials and resources that compliment travelers learning
  • Promoter, contributor and cheerleader for sustainable travel

Financial Oversight

  • Clear financial accounting on every trip we run, making sure margins / profits are met and budgeting and reconciliation is accurate department wide.
  • Manage all payments to vendors for the department.
  • Support staff in bringing in delinquent payments
  • Identify savings opportunities, service enhancements, and initiate improvements.

Confidence in Leadership without Ego

  • Someone who has excellent judgment that translates into logistical precision and safety for all travelers.
  • Listening for understanding and ability to reframe problems into opportunities for growth.
  • Ability to act independently and as a team player with thoughtfulness, humility, support and hard work.
  • Willingness and grace for letting our clients work shine while holding the framework in place for their journey behind the scenes.
  • Willingness and desire to learn from your own challenges, your peers and feedback.
  • Collegial and supportive attitude of all team members 100% of the time
  • Help identify and support everyone’s development on the team, including identifying trainings and providing frequent professional reviews.
  • Set an example of excellence and elegance in all that you do.

Account management

  • Plan and manage seven international trips annually that are aligned with our client’s specific goals with zero margin of error.
  • Manage high-level communications and expectation-setting with clients, international partners & suppliers. 
  • Establish timelines for each trip and manage the process of the execution of each deliverable in collaboration with clients, suppliers, and Elevate team members.
  • Manage itinerary planning, vetting, and execution
  • Manage logistical components of trip execution, including but not limited to coordinating site visits, selection of venues, meals or catering, audio and visual rentals, travel arrangements, hotel room blocks, and all other vendor relations for each trip
  • Coordinate invoicing and payments with clients and vendors
  • Establish Emergency Protocols for each trip
  • Create and oversee travel budgets and reconciliation.
  • Ensure compliance with company regulations and internal processes
  • Maintain and update electronic records and databases
  • Work with the Group Travel team to determine areas of product improvement and positive social impact
  • Collect feedback after each trip, and integrate lessons learned. Identify touch points for Business Development team to follow-up for future accounts
  • Provide suggestions and recommendations to management for improving efficiency and effectiveness of travel and operated related processes.

Comprehensive Traveler Support

  • A desire and drive to provide superb customer service to all travelers you interact with (150+ travelers a year).
  • Write 50 or more emails a day that are eloquent, detailed and personable
  • Develop a warm rapport with travelers and provide excellent customer service that is developed through truly knowing your customers’ needs and wanting them to have an amazing experience
  • Collect all traveler details and payments so they can have a seamless experience on their trip
  • Manage traveler’s problems with empathy, understanding and efficiency.  

Trip Management and Mobile Event Management

  • Independently travel and manage 2 to 3 trips a year in developing country for trips that are off the beaten track
  • Manage all ground logistics from A to Z, showing resourcefulness and poise.  
  • Ability to simultaneously advance a trip into the next phase while maintaining the quality of a trip from beginning to end.
  • Ability to identify the most pressing objectives and prioritize them on a rolling basis.

Business Development

  • Converse with top philanthropists and fundraisers at a high level and contribute to the conversation with their own expertise.
  • Attend networking conferences and events where possible and partner with colleagues to execute on all business development initiatives.
  • Take the initiative to identify other business opportunities for travel and partnerships as they arise.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Based in the Boston area
  • Six years of relevant work experience in event and/or travel management
  • Prior experience in overseeing a team
  • Demonstrated project management skills, project planning, scheduling and tracking
  • Content creator and curriculum designer
  • Group facilitator and program leader
  • Logistical prowess and attention to detail
  • Experience leading trips in a developing country
  • Ability and willingness to travel internationally
  • Financial acumen and budget management
  • Experience working in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities
  • Superb critical thinking, writing and editing skills
  • Must be a team player and possess excellent customer service skills
  • Capacity to be flexible and adapt to change
  • Desire and confidence to work with a tight knit hard working team that believes there is always room for improvement.
  • Experienced with Microsoft Excel; Google Documents and Spreadsheets
  • U.S. work authorization

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Sense of humor
  • WordPress
  • Smartsheets
  • Design skills (Indesign, Pages)
  • Experience working with a CRM

Salary Range

Commensurate within industry standard range and prior experience

Location

Boston, MA

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should send their resume and cover letter to careers@elevatedestinations.com with the position they are applying to in the subject heading.  Kindly note, we are hiring for more than one position so please make sure you include the position you are applying for.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage people of every race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, to apply.

About Elevate Destinations:

Elevate Destinations is a leader in eco luxury travel, creating new ways for travelers to make a difference worldwide.  The company was founded and operates as a social enterprise: philanthropy and positive social and environmental impact are key to their mission. Elevate Destinations has pioneered the field of donor travel and is able to provide responsible travel to any region of the globe.  They encourage people to travel sustainably and design each trip conscientiously, facilitating travelers to fully experience, understand and protect destinations and the people who live there. 

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