France Manager – UK, Abbey Ireland & UK (French speaking)

Abbey Ireland & UK are seeking an experienced, commercial Business Development and Customer Care Manager with a proven track record in converting business from the French inbound market to the UK. The successful candidate will be a commercially driven self-starter with excellent interpersonal skills, articulate with total fluency in written and spoken English and French.

The company offers a competitive salary along with company bonus scheme and benefits package. This role is an exciting opportunity for a candidate who has a strong sales flair and is looking to develop their career in a fast growing travel company. The role is a management position and will report to the Customer Care & Operations Director and UK Managing Director.

Key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the business development and customer care group functions for the UK for the French markets for ad hoc groups and group series. Key to this role is ensuring all client requests are responded to in a timely, creative and professional manner.
• Identifying new opportunities to grow and generate business from the French market with particular focus on growing the London, England and Wales portion of the business
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key accounts in the French speaking group markets with both existing and new clients
• Promoting new destinations, activities and experiences, and advertising the range of Abbey products regularly
• Active hand-on role in the business development and customer care functions for the French team for the UK and in the development of the strategy in growing French business for the UK
• Active role in preparation and costing of group programmes and working with the client to ensure conversion to confirmed business
• Ensuring all enquiries are responded to within deadlines and followed up
• Design impactful marketing collateral to target specific market segments and generate new requests
• Full utilization of Tourplan NX to generate quotes and follow ups, ensuring that confirmed proposals are accurately reflected
• Full utilisation of the CRM
• Managing sales and marketing activities as agreed with the UK Managing Director and Business Development Director for the Group. This could take the form of desk-based virtual activity and on-the-ground live meeting and client visits
• Management of all staff and trainees assigned to the area
• Participation in the UK management forums
• Participation in the 24-hour on call support rota for clients and on call staff
• Strong communication with Dublin-based Business Development Managers for the French markets and with market-based sales representatives, with coordination of follow up communication with clients
• Assisting the Abbey Group with its environmental and responsible tourism initiatives

The ideal candidate will have: 

• Fluency in English and French required (written and oral)
• Good knowledge of the UK-wide tourism industry product
• Excellent organisational skills and staff management skills with good attention to detail
• Commercial drive and ability to work to identified key performance indicators
• Strong positive communication skills
• Client-focused, friendly and diplomatic
• Ability to work as a team in a busy environment

Please click here to view the full job description and person specification >>

How to apply: Please send your CV and covering letter to Rebecca Brooks at [email protected] by 28 February 2022.

About Abbey Ireland & UK: The Abbey Group is an established and fast growing Destination Management company with offices in Dublin, and Edinburgh with a turnover of 95 million in 2019 specialising in B2B sales to the international travel trade in both Groups and FIT. The UK operation is head quartered in Edinburgh with a turnover of 30 million. The Group has four divisions specialising in specific types of inbound tourism: conference and events; group tours; individual and online travel; incentive and luxury leisure travel.