Abbey Ireland & UK are seeking an experienced, commercial Business Development and Customer Care Manager with a proven track record in converting business from the Mediterranean market to the UK. The individual will be a commercially driven self-starter with excellent interpersonal skills, articulate with total fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish or Italian.
The company offers a competitive salary along with a 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 company.
Key responsibilities include:
- Overseeing the business development and customer care group functions for the UK for inbound Mediterranean 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
- Ensuring the smooth running of the department, ensuring allocation of workloads within the department and appropriate apportion of time between the business director and customer care functions
- Developing and maintaining strong relationships with both existing and potential new clients. To include promoting new destinations, activities and experiences, advertising the range of Abbey products regularly
- Active hands-on role in the business development function for the Meds team for the UK as well as a key role in the development of the Meds strategy in growing business for the UK
- Preparing and costing of group programmes and working with the client to ensure conversion to confirmed business
- Full utilisation of the Touplan NX system to generate quotes and subsequent follow up, ensuring the confirmed proposals are accurately reflected in the system
- Full utilisation of the CRM system
- 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 live on-the-ground meetings and client visits
- Management of all staff and trainee assigned to the area
- Participation in UK management team forums
- Participation in the 24-hour on-call support rota for clients and staff assigned to on-call
- Strong communication with Dublin based business development managers for the Meds markets and with market-based sales representatives, with coordination of follow up and communication with client
- Assisting the Abbey Group with its environmental and responsible tourism initiatives
- Any other duties as assigned by the manager or director..
The successful candidate will have:
- Relevant degree qualification in languages, business or tourism – desirable but not essential
- Very good knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Fluency in English (oral & written)
- Fluency in Spanish and/or Italian (oral & written)
- Good knowledge of the UK tourism industry product
- Excellent organisational and staff management skills with good attention to detail
- Commercial drive and ability to work to KPIs
- Strong positive communication skills
- Client focus, friendly and diplomatic
- Ability to be a team player in a busy environment
- A desire to be the best for yourself and your clients
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How to apply: Please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] by 14 October.
About Abbey Ireland & UK: The Abbey Group is an established and fat growing DMC with offices in Dublin and Edinburgh, and a runover of £95m in 2019 specialising in B2B sales to the international travel trade in both groups and FIT. The UK operation is headquartered in Edinburgh with a remote team presence in London. today the group consists of Abbey Ireland & UK, Abbey Conference & Events, and Moloney & Kelly Ireland & UK.
