Overview

GVI is the global market-leader in sustainable development volunteer and internship programs. To join us on our growth journey ahead, we are looking for an experienced operations professional to join us as our in-country Program Managers in Huay Pakoot, Chiang Mai.

Our Asian Elephant Reintegration Project, which we run at this base, consists of elephant monitoring and research, community involvement as well as biodiversity surveying. It aims to provide an alternative model for ethical elephant ecotourism in Thailand. In the role of Program Manager you will manage the day to day running of the program operations. You will be responsible for effectively managing staff and participants and achieving the business and quality goals of the organization.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a self-starter, an excellent relationship builder, a strong leader and communicator, and an out-of-the-box problem solver who doesn’t mind rolling up their sleeves to get things done.

What you will do

  • Oversee the overall day to day delivery of projects, including quality, safety, and the overall effective functioning of the base

  • Work with the People (HR) team and line manager to hire, train and onboard new staff

  • Effectively manage any issues that come up in the field on a day to day basis, including participant complaints, medical issues, natural disasters etc.

  • Oversee day to day logistics of the projects including participant arrivals, departures, visits off base, day to day needs, base scheduling, etc.

  • Responsible for financial and overall reporting of the base

  • Work with the line manager to roll out defined best practice covering all key aspects of the programs and operations

  • Ensure the successful implementation and delivery of all GVI marketing and internal communication initiatives

  • Work with central to ensure in-country legal compliance and maintain desired legal status through accurate and timely reporting.

Must-haves

  • 3 years + operations experience, ideally within the tourism industry (proven experience working in the customer service industry, maintaining exceptionally high standards and exceeding customer expectations)

  • Excellent people management, communication and coordination skills with a minimum of 3 years experience successfully managing staff

  • Excellent time management skills with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks and meet deadlines

  • The ability to identify problem areas and utilize problem solving and decision making skills to put an action plan in place to rapidly improve

  • Trained on health & safety practices

Nice-to-haves

  • Experience in community development and working with communities

  • Interest and experience in conservation

  • Experience living in remote conditions

The GVI story 

We are a multi-award-winning social enterprise on a mission to build a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference. We run all our own sustainable development programs in 13 countries worldwide aligned to the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

To ensure we are truly having a lasting positive impact, we partner with local governmental and non-governmental organisations on the ground. More than 35,000 participants have either volunteered, interned, or studied abroad with us over the course of our 21 years in operation, and most have noted the experience as ‘life-changing.’

Our programs can be found at gviworld.com.

To apply

Please submit your application here on our career site: https://www.careersabroad.co.uk/current-vacancies/

Please note: We will do our utmost to respond to all applicants, however given the large volume of applications we receive, this isn’t always possible. If you do not hear back from us within three-four weeks, please take it that on this occasion your application was unsuccessful.