Senior operations coordinator

Senior Operations Co-ordinator – Surrey

We are recruiting on behalf of a growing, people-focused educational travel business based in Surrey that specialises in delivering exceptional group events and educational travel experiences across the UK and Europe.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced travel operations professional who enjoys taking ownership, supporting a team, and being hands-on in delivering memorable events. You’ll be joining a collaborative, energetic environment where customer experience and teamwork are genuinely valued.

Senior Operations Co-ordinator – What will I be doing?

• Taking responsibility for the smooth planning and delivery of group travel events from start to finish
• Supporting and developing junior team members, working closely with the Operations Manager
• Coordinating key elements such as venues, accommodation, transport and event logistics
• Liaising with clients to gather requirements, confirm details and ensure a seamless journey
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with suppliers and partners
• Managing budgets, monitoring costs and protecting margins
• Overseeing multiple groups travelling at the same time, ensuring all details are accurate and delivered on schedule
• Travelling to events and leading operations on the ground, managing timings, logistics and resolving issues in real time
• Contributing ideas to improve processes, efficiency and the overall customer experience
• Participating in an occasional out-of-hours duty rota following a qualifying period

Senior Operations Co-ordinator – What experience do I need?

• Solid experience within travel operations, ideally involving group tours or events
• Previous experience leading or mentoring team members
• A strong customer service background with confident written and verbal communication skills
• Commercial awareness and experience working to budgets and deadlines
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and the ability to stay calm under pressure
• Good working knowledge of Excel

Desirable experience includes knowledge of the school travel market, group tour operations, sporting events or French language skills.

Senior Operations Co-ordinator – What else do I need to know?

• Office-based role in Surrey with potentially some flexibility on this in the future
• Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week with flexible start and finish times available
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service
• Pension scheme
• Health and wellbeing support
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Regular travel to events in the UK and Europe
• A genuinely supportive, team-driven culture where ideas and initiative are welcomed
• If you are an experienced travel operations professional who enjoys ownership, leadership and delivering outstanding events, we would love to hear from you.