Tour Manager - Sales & Operations

Tour Manager - Sales & Operations 

Revenue Growth, 24-Month Contracting and Profitable Tour Delivery

Core mandate: Build a predictable, profitable tours business that is sold and contracted up to two years in advance - then ensure every confirmed trip is delivered safely, smoothly and within its approved margin.

EMPLOYER BUSINESS AREA DUTY STATION REPORTING LINE EMPLOYMENT Omotic General Trading PLC Tourism and Hospitality - Paradise Lodge and Omo Car Rent & Tours Reservations, marketing, lodge operations, guides, drivers, transport, finance and external suppliers Arba Minch, South Ethiopia, with frequent travel across the Southern Ethiopia and Omo Valley circuits Executive Management Full-time, on-site management role TEAM INTERFACE

Why this role exists

Tours are a major revenue engine for the business. The company therefore needs a senior, hands-on commercial operator who can create demand before travel dates arrive, win and retain tour operator accounts, convert enquiries quickly, protect contribution margin, and coordinate the complete operating chain from the first sales message to the final guest departure.

This is not a guide-only, reservations-only or coordination-only position. The successful manager must personally own sales results, forward bookings, digital lead generation, commercial writing, trip costing, supplier performance and operational execution.

The role will be successful when

● A visible 12-24 month pipeline is maintained by market, account, travel date, value, probability and next action.

● Tour revenue and gross contribution grow without sacrificing safety, service quality or cash collection.

● International and domestic enquiries receive fast, persuasive and accurate proposals that convert. ● Digital marketing produces qualified enquiries and bookings that can be traced to channel and campaign.

● Vehicles, guides, rooms, meals, permits and suppliers are coordinated at the lowest responsible cost with no avoidable service failure. 

Revenue and Market Growth Responsibilities The manager owns commercial performance from market strategy through confirmed booking.

1. Build and Convert a 12-24 Month Sales Pipeline

● Prepare an annual and quarterly sales plan by source market, customer segment, channel, season, product and revenue target.

● Create a forward sales calendar covering departures, group series, seasonal campaigns, contracting windows, trade events and follow-up deadlines for the next 24 months.

● Prospect and win international tour operators, outbound agencies, destination management companies, wholesalers, group organizers and specialist travel companies.

● Grow domestic and regional business from corporates, NGOs, development partners, embassies, schools, universities, researchers, diaspora groups and private travelers.

● Sell differentiated segments including FIT, leisure groups, scheduled series, cultural tours, wildlife and birding, photography, adventure, premium/private, educational, research and corporate travel.

● Use outbound email, calls, virtual meetings, trade contacts, familiarization trips, agent training, referrals and account visits to generate business instead of waiting for enquiries.

● Negotiate 12-24 month net-rate and package agreements covering seasons, validity, allotments, release periods, deposits, cancellation terms, payment deadlines, commissions and escalation clauses.

● Maintain a disciplined CRM pipeline with owner, stage, booking value, expected margin, probability, travel date, source, last contact, next action and expected close date for every opportunity.

● Reactivate dormant accounts, secure repeat series, increase share of wallet and build referral programs for past guests and travel partners.

● Provide a weekly sales forecast separating confirmed, contracted, quoted, qualified and early-stage business; identify gaps early and launch corrective actions.

2. Digital Marketing and Demand Generation

● Own a conversion-focused digital plan that connects content, campaigns, landing pages, enquiry handling, quotation and follow-up to actual bookings and revenue.

● Improve search visibility through destination-led website content, technical and on-page SEO, local search, Google Business Profile management and useful itinerary pages.

● Plan and manage organic content across the channels relevant to each target market, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and email.

● Run or supervise paid Google and Meta campaigns, retargeting, audience testing and campaign-specific landing pages within approved budgets.

● Build a content system using itinerary highlights, short-form video, guest stories, guide expertise, wildlife and cultural experiences, lodge assets and seasonal travel reasons.

● Create lead capture and nurture journeys for new enquiries, incomplete bookings, long-lead travelers, past guests and trade partners.

● Track qualified leads, source, conversion, cost per lead, customer acquisition cost, return on advertising spend, booking value and margin - not likes or reach alone.

● Test messages, offers, audiences, creative and landing pages; stop weak campaigns quickly and scale campaigns that produce profitable bookings.

3. Tour Products, Pricing and Revenue Management 

● Develop clear, bookable itineraries with daily routing, timings, accommodation, meals, vehicles, guides, activities, permits, inclusions, exclusions and optional upgrades.

● Package the company's lodge, transport, guide, meal, transfer and experience assets to increase direct revenue and reduce dependence on outside suppliers.

● Maintain current cost and selling-rate matrices by season, group size, vehicle type, room category, source market and channel.

● Set prices from verified cost sheets that include tax, commission, payment fees, fuel and exchange-rate exposure, inflation risk, contingencies and the required margin.

● Use early-booking offers, value-added packages, group-leader terms, tiered volume rates, shoulder-season products and targeted promotions without uncontrolled discounting.

● Review product and channel profitability monthly; discontinue, redesign or reprice products that consume capacity without adequate contribution. Commercial Writing and Profitable Tour Delivery

4. Quotations, Proposals and Speed-to-Lead

● Write persuasive, accurate and natural English emails, itineraries, quotations, proposals, contracts, agent rate sheets and tender responses.

● Acknowledge enquiries rapidly, ask the right qualification questions and move each lead toward a clear next step, deadline and decision.

● Produce same-day standard quotations and complete complex, multi-destination proposals within the approved service standard.

● Build and control reusable templates, images, destination descriptions, inclusions, terms and follow-up sequences while keeping each proposal personalized.

● Follow up consistently across international time zones and record every commitment, version, price validity and client decision in the CRM.

● Protect brand credibility by checking all names, dates, rates, routes, availability, taxes, terms and operational promises before sending. 5. End-to-End Tour Operations and Logistics

● Own the complete booking file from confirmation to closure, including signed terms, deposits, passenger details, rooming lists, manifests, emergency contacts and special requirements.

● Plan vehicles, drivers, fuel, guides, routes, domestic travel links, meet-and-greet, accommodation, meals, boats, permits, tickets, community visits, baggage and equipment.

● Coordinate closely with Paradise Lodge Arba Minch, Paradise Lodge Turmi, Omo Car Rent & Tours and approved outside suppliers so capacity is reserved and reconfirmed.

● Issue final operating orders, driver and guide briefs, guest information and supplier vouchers with one clear source of truth for the itinerary.

● Conduct scheduled readiness checks before arrival and departure, including 72-hour and 24-hour reconfirmation of critical services.

● Monitor active tours, solve disruptions quickly, keep management and guests informed, and document every material change or incident.

● Maintain practical contingency plans for vehicle failure, road conditions, flight changes, weather, medical issues, supplier cancellation and communication loss.

● Ensure every departure follows safety, licensing, insurance, cash-handling, guest-protection and documentation requirements. 

6. Cost Control, Procurement and Margin Protection ● Prepare a complete pre-trip cost sheet and expected gross contribution for every booking before final price approval.

● Negotiate supplier contracts, rate cards, service levels, credit terms, cancellation protection, volume discounts and price validity using comparative quotations and performance data.

● Reduce cost per passenger and cost per trip through route planning, group-size economics, vehicle utilization, fewer empty runs, controlled fuel use, consolidated purchasing and smarter scheduling.

● Set and enforce approval limits for discounts, complimentary services, upgrades, overtime, per diems, emergency purchases and itinerary changes.

● Reconcile actual cost against budget immediately after each trip; investigate fuel, supplier, cash, accommodation, meal and activity variances and recover unsupported amounts.

● Work with finance to control deposits, balances, receivables, refunds, foreign-currency exposure, supplier payments and supporting documents.

● Achieve savings without compromising vehicle safety, guide quality, guest comfort, legal compliance, community relations or the promised experience.

7. Guest Experience, Quality and Responsible Tourism

● Set clear service standards for enquiry handling, pre-arrival communication, guiding, transport, accommodation, meals, issue resolution and post-trip follow-up.

● Capture dietary, medical, accessibility, language and cultural requirements early and communicate them only to the people who need them for delivery.

● Contact guests or trip leaders at key points, recover service problems before departure, and turn feedback into specific operational or product improvements.

● Grow verified reviews, referrals and user-generated content while respecting guest consent and community dignity.

● Promote ethical, culturally respectful and environmentally responsible tourism throughout the Southern Ethiopia and Omo Valley circuits. Leadership, Systems and First 90 Days

8. Team Leadership and Operating Discipline

● Lead and coach reservations, sales coordinators, guides, drivers and field support staff assigned to the tours function.

● Set weekly priorities, daily handovers, response coverage, duty rosters, measurable targets and individual accountability.

● Create practical SOPs, checklists and templates for enquiry handling, quotation, confirmation, pre-departure, dispatch, incident response and post-trip reconciliation.

● Maintain an approved guide and supplier bench, assess performance after every tour, and remove repeated underperformance from future assignments.

● Build a professional service culture based on urgency, accuracy, ownership, respectful communication, cost awareness and honest reporting.

9. Systems, Analytics and Management Reporting 

● Use the company's CRM, reservation, finance and operational systems as the official source for enquiries, quotations, bookings, payments, costs and supplier commitments.

● Maintain clean master data for products, rates, suppliers, agents, contacts, terms, vehicles, guides and templates.

● Submit a concise weekly dashboard covering sales activity, pipeline by year and month, conversion, confirmed revenue, gross contribution, digital leads, collections, active tours, risks and next actions.

● Provide monthly analysis by source market, channel, segment, product, season, agent, group size and campaign; recommend specific commercial or cost actions.

● Monitor competitor products, destination trends, customer feedback, travel advisories and source-market demand, then translate insight into products and campaigns. 

Decision Rights and Key Relationships Within approved budgets, rate floors and delegation limits, the manager may recommend product prices, negotiate supplier and agent terms, allocate operational resources, select approved suppliers, launch campaigns and resolve live-tour issues. Unbudgeted commitments, rates below the approved margin floor, material contract deviations, major refunds and capital expenditure require management approval.

Internal partners Executive Management; Paradise Lodge Arba Minch and Turmi; Omo Car Rent & Tours; reservations; sales and marketing; finance; procurement; HR; drivers; guides; kitchen and guest-service teams.

External partners International and domestic tour operators, travel agents, corporate and institutional clients, hotels, airlines and ticketing partners, guides, vehicle suppliers, activity providers, community partners, tourism authorities and emergency-service contacts.

Required 30-60-90 Day Priorities Days 1-30 | Diagnose and establish control Focus: Audit the existing pipeline, customers, products, rates, supplier agreements, digital channels, lead handling, booking files, costs and operational failures. Required evidence: Clean CRM; verified rate and cost matrix; margin floors; top-account list; enquiry and quotation SLA; baseline dashboard; risk and quick-win report.

Days 31-60 | Build and launch Focus: Create the 24-month departure and contracting calendar, focused product portfolio, source-market plan, outbound account program, digital campaign calendar and operating SOPs.

Required evidence: Sellable itinerary library; partner rate pack; top-100 prospect plan; live campaigns and lead capture; supplier shortlist and negotiated terms; staff training completed.

Days 61-90 | Convert and scale Focus: Close priority accounts and bookings, prove a visible forward pipeline, optimize campaign spend, implement savings and demonstrate reliable operating control. Required evidence: Confirmed and weighted pipeline by travel month; signed or reactivated accounts; first campaign conversion report; documented cost savings; weekly performance rhythm in place.

Performance Scorecard Annual revenue and margin targets will be approved by management after the baseline review. The standards below define how performance will be measured from the start.

Performance area Core measures Expected management standard Revenue growth Tour revenue; revenue by month, channel, segment and account; average booking value Achieve approved revenue budget and show corrective action early when monthly pace is below plan.

Profitability Gross contribution; contribution per passenger/trip; discount leakage; product and channel margin No final quotation without a verified cost sheet and approved margin; improve mix toward profitable products.

Forward pipeline Confirmed, contracted, quoted and weighted pipeline for the next 12-24 months Maintain qualified pipeline coverage of at least 3x the next 12-month revenue target, with dated next actions.

Sales conversion Qualified leads; lead-to-quote; quote-to-booking; win/loss reasons; sales cycle Improve conversion monthly and follow every qualified opportunity to a documented outcome.

Response and writing Acknowledgement time; quotation turnaround; follow-up completion; proposal accuracy Acknowledge during agreed coverage within 2 business hours; issue standard quotes within 12 business hours and complex proposals within 24. Account growth New contracted accounts; reactivated accounts; repeat series; partner-generated revenue Meet approved monthly account targets and build a balanced portfolio that is not dependent on one buyer.

Digital efficiency Qualified digital leads; booking conversion; cost per lead; acquisition cost; ad return; direct revenue Report revenue and margin by campaign; stop unproductive spend and scale channels that convert profitably. Cost control Cost per passenger/trip; fuel and supplier variance; purchasing savings; post-trip variance Deliver documented savings against the validated baseline while keeping safety and guest standards intact.

Operational delivery On-time departures; missed services; vehicle/supplier failures; preventable incidents Target at least 98% on-time departures and zero preventable safety incidents or undocumented service changes.

Guest loyalty Satisfaction; review score; complaints; recovery time; referrals and repeats Maintain at least 4.6/5 guest satisfaction, or the higher approved company benchmark, with closed-loop recovery. Cash and controls Deposits and balances collected; receivables aging; booking-file completeness; CRM accuracy; reconciliation 100% of active opportunities and bookings recorded; no departure outside approved credit and documentation rules.

Commercial discipline: Revenue is not treated as success if the booking is underpriced, uncollected, operationally impossible or delivered with unsupported cost. The manager is accountable for both growth and contribution 

Candidate Profile

Essential experience and capability

● At least five years of progressively responsible experience in tour sales and operations, destination management, travel, safari operations or lodge-based touring, including at least two years with clear ownership of revenue and delivery.

● Demonstrated success selling and contracting tours 12-24 months before travel, including B2B rates, group series, deposits, cancellations and supplier commitments.

● Evidence of achieving sales, gross profit, pipeline or account-growth targets; candidates must be able to explain the numbers they personally influenced.

● Strong knowledge of Southern Ethiopia and Omo Valley routing, seasonality, travel times, accommodation, vehicle requirements, cultural considerations, risks and guest expectations.

● A credible network - or a proven method for rapidly building one - among international tour operators, domestic agencies, institutional buyers and specialist travel partners.

● Hands-on digital marketing capability: content planning, SEO, paid campaigns, landing pages, lead capture, email/CRM nurturing, analytics and conversion improvement.

● Advanced itinerary writing, trip costing, quotation, pricing, negotiation and proposal skills, with exceptional written and spoken English.

● Strong operational command of vehicles, drivers, guides, suppliers, fuel, schedules, permits, guest communication, contingency planning and post-trip reconciliation.

● Comfort using CRM, reservation tools, spreadsheets, shared documents, dashboards and digital analytics to manage work and report results.

● Ability to reside in Arba Minch, travel frequently, and provide planned flexible coverage for international enquiries and active-tour issues.

Preferred qualifications

● Bachelor's degree in tourism, hospitality, marketing, business or a related field; equivalent high-performing industry experience will be considered.

● Experience with premium/private travel, cultural and community tourism, wildlife, birding, photography, educational, research or corporate group segments.

● Existing relationships in priority international source markets and experience at travel trade shows, familiarization trips or overseas sales missions.

● Additional international or Ethiopian language capability.

● Valid driving licence and practical field knowledge of 4x4 or fleet-based tour operations.

Leadership characteristics

● Commercial hunter and disciplined operator: actively creates business and remains accountable through delivery and collection.

● Fast, confident writer who can communicate clearly and accurately under time pressure without sounding mechanical or careless.

● Strong negotiator with sound judgment on price, margin, quality, risk and long-term partner value.

● Calm problem-solver who takes ownership during disruptions and gives management clear facts, options and recommendations.

● Detail-oriented, data-driven, cost-conscious, culturally respectful, ethical and reliable with company and guest information. 

Working Pattern The role is based on-site in Arba Minch and includes frequent field travel. Because international clients and live tours operate across time zones and weekends, the manager must support a planned coverage and on-call arrangement for urgent sales or operational matters. This does not mean continuous work; schedules, rest periods and duty coverage will follow company policy and applicable requirements.

Application and Selection Process Applicants should submit a current CV and a concise achievement summary showing the revenue, pipeline, margins, accounts, tour volumes, digital results or cost savings they personally delivered. Claims should be supported with context and may be verified through references. Shortlisted candidates should expect a practical assessment covering

● A written response, itinerary and commercial quotation for a realistic Southern Ethiopia tour enquiry.

● A cost and selling-price case showing gross contribution, assumptions, risks and recommended terms.

● A 12-24 month sales-pipeline and account-development plan.

● A measurable digital campaign concept with target audience, content, budget logic, conversion path and reporting metrics.

● An operational disruption and cost-reduction scenario requiring clear decisions and communication. Selection emphasis: Demonstrated commercial results, writing quality, operational judgment and practical knowledge will carry more weight than job title alone. Omotic General Trading PLC evaluates qualified applicants on relevant capability, experience, performance evidence and role fit.