**Job Summary**
The Latin America Operations Director is responsible for overall governance and performance of multiple operations within Latin America including operational performance, client servicing and retention, employee management and budgetary and cost management.
This person ensures all regional operational goals and processes are met consistently and works to implement and measure continuous improvement efforts.
This role needs to work extensively with Americas/Global Operations, Country Managers, In-Country Operations Directors/Leaders and other regional/global teams, to ensure continuous improvement, standardization when possible and simplification of Ops processes across the region.
Will work as main advisor and/or regional operations leadership and will be accountable for the regional Operations Strategy.
This position demonstrates an extensive understanding and applicability of all areas in the travel industry, call center operations, client servicing and business practices.
This position will need the skills to supervise the regional Operations team and will have a
dotted line responsibility over each country operations leader.
The position reports directly to the Managing Director LATAM and has a dotted line into the SVP Operations Americas.
**Operational Knowledge and Application**
- Creates and propose a strategy for Latin American operations in the region
- Creates a plan, seeks approval, and deploys the strategy in the region
- Analyses current operational status (maturity) of each country and also identify mayor challenges to reach standardization
- Establishes a work plan by country to reach standardization of key processes
**Quality**
- Reviews operations performance reports and provides direction and implements programs to improve the performance of the operations against goals
- Consistently follows BCD Travel guidelines
**Service Excellence**
- Ensure customer satisfaction is measured and goals are met; implementing plans for continuous improvement on a regional/local level and in conjunction with In-Country Operations teams
- Serves as regional liaison between the Program Management and the operational teams; ensuring all client needs are met
- Reviews customer servicing metrics; seeking and implementing improvements and ensuring goal levels are met on a regional/local level and in conjunction with In-Country Operations teams
- Serves as the regional escalation point for client and/or customer issues, ensuring customer satisfaction
**Teamwork**
- Although Operations Directors in each country will continue reporting with a direct line to the Country Managers, they will have a dotted line to this person to lead the Latin America Operations Team
- Work closely with the Country Managers and members of regional/global teams to assure different In-Country needs are covered and/or addressed while assuring regional/global alignment
- Assist the In-Country Operations Directors/Leaders in the review of operational processes and the commercial relationship with customer, provides and implements suggestions for improvement
**General Management Responsibilities**
- Sets the department goals and direction to support the achievement of the organization's goals
- Implement and ensure tracking against goals including regular communications to the staff of progress
- Manages all key performance metrics evaluating or implementing and reviewing measurements, coaching and continuous improvement
- Monitors and controls departmental expenses, seeking and implementing improvements to improve the profitability of the operations
- Leads the effort to implement new business implementations (client, technology, processes, etc.)
successfully and on-budget
**Education / Knowledge / Experience**
Bachelor's degree, or equivalent work experience
- Minimum of seven to nine (7-9) years corporate travel experience.
- Prior managerial experience of six to seven (6-7) years
- 8-10+ years' experience in the travel industry
- Prior budget and cost management experience
- Thorough knowledge of the travel industry, fares and markets
- Thorough knowledge of travel agency operations
- Ability to travel on a regular basis
- Ability to work nights and weekends when needed
- Bilingual English/Spanish, Portuguese desired