• Are you an entrepreneurial thinker with the negotiating skills and experience to expand our travel options?
• Would you like a career supporting wildlife conservation and protecting ecosystems?
• Would you enjoy being at the heart of logistics and operations?
• Are you a natural leader with an eye for detail?
• Do you have the confidence and skills to build unique relationships with all kinds of people, from business professionals to conservation specialists?
• Do you have a talent for spotting opportunities and implementing creative solutions?
• Could you offer exceptional customer service to our global network of travellers looking to make a genuine difference in southern Africa?
• Do you want the autonomy to move forward professionally, through self-evaluation and constructive feedback?

We need an ambitious, dynamic manager to work at the heart of our operations and logistics in southern Africa. If you are passionate about ethical and meaningful conservation travel, as well as outstanding business practice, this could be the job where you thrive.

About the Role

As our company grows, we’re seeing more people than ever getting in touch with us from all four corners of the globe, looking for wildlife conservation travel experiences. Based in our Johannesburg office, your main goals will be to maintain excellent working relationships with our conservation partners and to expand our transport logistics and travel options across southern Africa.

Occasionally travelling into the field to work alongside our conservation initiatives, you will ensure that our travellers receive unique and outstanding experiences that would not be possible through other travel providers.

Working alongside our passionate and professional team in South Africa and the UK, you will ensure that we provide the outstanding level of customer service we have become known for. This will mean being confident and supportive, showing a genuine love for what you do as you engage with our travellers directly.

Combining exciting and varied tasks with an enviable employment package (including a private health scheme), this is a one-off opportunity to fast-track your career development working for an ambitious UK-based company.

Please click here for the full job description

Working hours

Your normal working hours will be 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. However, with the nature of this work, we will need you to be flexible a couple of days a week, working early mornings, evenings or at weekends and sometimes spending days in the field working with our partners.

Benefits Package

• Monthly salary range: R23,000 – 28,000
• Private Health Medical Scheme.
• Membership of our profit share scheme in the second full financial year of employment.
• 21 days of leave per year plus South African public holidays.
• A company laptop.
• A contribution towards your personal cell phone costs.
• Ongoing training and opportunities to progress in the company as we grow.
• Based in an easily accessible and secure office park in a business hub close to Johannesburg airport.

Job Progression

We’re a small established company that is expanding and we have big ambitions for the future. We are looking for an entrepreneurial team member who can develop and shape this new role within the company.

About African Conservation Experience

Founded in 1999, we are southern Africa’s original conservation travel company. Headquartered in the UK with full-time teams on the ground in South Africa, we play an active role in creating a brighter future for Africa’s wildlife through organising conservation travel experiences. We do this by embedding ourselves in the region’s conservation community, providing equipment, money and guidance to projects and even pioneering our own where needed. This conservation-first approach makes us a different breed to online booking agents. It’s also one of the many reasons why thousands of people around the world have enjoyed an unforgettable experience travelling with us.

You have at least three years of experience in a managerial role in the travel industry. From this experience, you are able to show a proven track record for developing professional relationships with customers and providers and for managing logistical operations effectively and safely.

You prefer developing tailor-made experiences with exceptional levels of personal customer service, yet understand the commercial pressures that travel companies face. You have a genuine love and enthusiasm for international travel and feel passionate about environmental issues.

You are flexible with your time and location, appreciating that working in the travel industry often involves working irregular hours. You are independent and resourceful and enjoy spending multiple days away from the office travelling to visit our conservation partners as necessary. At the same time, you understand the importance of working methodically and strategically towards the shared goals of an organisation.

You have experience working in an office environment, are proficient with IT and online communication methods and are also happy to just pick up the phone to call a customer. Specifically, you are proficient with spreadsheets, information management systems and thinking of effective ways of storing and communicating detailed information. It would be a bonus if you are familiar with Google apps.

You have a good financial understanding and are comfortable working with numbers.

You may have experience with health and safety regulations or conducting risk assessments, but this is not a necessity. However, you do appreciate the need to uphold high safety standards in order to protect our customers, our partners, ourselves and the company.

You are proficient and comfortable communicating both in English and Afrikaans, with a functional ability in any additional South African languages being advantageous.

You have a university degree or equivalent and a valid driving licence.

How to Apply

Please send us your CV and a covering letter. Successful candidates will be invited to face-to-face interviews taking place on Tuesday 4th February 2020 in Johannesburg. Final interviews will be taking place on Monday 10th February. You may also be invited to take part in one or more telephone or Skype interviews beforehand.

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 26th January 2020

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we will only be able to contact successful applicants.