Do you love the excitement of travel and the minutiae of spreadsheets and train timetables? Boutique Japan is hiring a Full-Time Operations Specialist to join our talented remote team.
If you are incredibly organized and detail-oriented, and passionate about deeply customized travel, you may be the perfect fit. Relevant experience in a comparable position in the travel industry is required. For more essential details please see below.
- Who Are We?
- Who Are You?
- Essential Skills and Experience
- Tasks and Responsibilities
- Important Details
- Apply
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Who Are We?
Boutique Japan is an award-winning travel company that specializes in crafting bespoke journeys for travelers from around the world.
Along with the unique experiences we offer, it is our extreme attention to our clients’ interests, priorities, and preferences that helps us ensure that each of our travelers has an amazing trip. We love what we do, and are passionate about treating every task and interaction with a highly personalized approach.
Learn more about our team!
Who Are You?
You are a highly motivated luxury travel specialist seeking an exciting new opportunity alongside a tight-knit group of enthusiastic travel obsessives, where you can put your superlative trip-coordination skills to use.
You are passionate about Japan travel, and realize that a huge amount of time and energy goes into planning meticulously arranged itineraries.
As an experienced and talented travel industry professional, you’re equally at ease with luxury travelers looking for white-glove service, as with adventurous high-end travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path experiences.
You will take on a challenging role at a dynamic US-based company, work on a remote basis, and live and breathe travel.
Essential Skills and Experience for the Role
This role is not for everyone, and if you don’t already have several years of professional experience in the travel industry, please resist the temptation to apply (for future opportunities with us, bookmark our Careers page).
Assisting and communicating with clients, while coordinating the behind-the-scenes workings of complex bespoke itineraries, is no easy feat. This position requires a uniquely keen attention to detail, and an extraordinary ability to prioritize from a big-picture perspective.
Essential skills, experience, and characteristics include:
- 5-10 years of relevant professional experience in a comparable position in the travel industry (personal travel-planning experience is not applicable)
- A level of attention to detail and conscientiousness that makes others wonder why you care so much, coupled with the ability to step back and see the big picture
- Native-level English fluency and outstanding writing and communication skills
- A steady poise in both calm as well as fast-paced, high-pressure moments
- Exceptional client care skills, and a refined ability to treat each interaction with a personalized approach
- Familiarity and ease with a wide range of software and apps
- An intrinsic desire to do great work, and track record of being able to manage yourself (we will support you, but you must be self-motivated to excel)
- Extensive world travel experience, and a palpable enthusiasm for travel and adventure
- The ability to focus single-mindedly on the task at hand, while simultaneously managing numerous tasks and clients (and the perspective to prioritize wisely)
- The humility and honesty to admit when you don’t know something, and the resourcefulness to help you find solutions to challenging questions and requests
- A constant desire to improve yourself, personally and professionally
Tasks and Responsibilities
As a member of our Operations team, you will be responsible for providing our travelers with a seamless, worry-free, and wonderful experience, from the moment they book their trip until after they’ve returned home.
Your role involves managing the behind-the-scenes details and logistics of complex itineraries, and providing extraordinary hospitality to our clients. You will work on a variety of tasks, depending on the evolving needs of our Operations team.
Below is a sampling of the types of tasks you will handle:
- Manage, prepare, and proofread complex and minutely detailed custom itineraries to ensure both complete accuracy and appealing trip flow
- Compile trip documentation, including pre-departure information, and field client questions using your expertise, research, and resourcefulness
- Provide warm, human, and exceedingly professional care to our travelers (via email, phone, and video calls)
- Compose and thoughtfully edit detailed itinerary descriptions
- Uphold exceptional levels of organization in record-keeping and updates to internal files and documents, and assist in managing complex trip budgets
- Collaborate closely with colleagues throughout the post-booking and pre-trip process to ensure even seemingly small details are thoroughly conveyed, and nothing falls through the cracks
- Communicate with guides, hotels, ryokans, and other suppliers to refine and coordinate highly customized services
- Adhere to internal deadlines as it applies to client contact and proactive outreach
As a member of our small and nimble team, you will also have the chance to play an active role in continually “leveling up” how we do things, and thus help shape the ongoing evolution of our company. This applies to everything from administrative processes, to how we interact with each other as a remote team, and of course our travelers’ experiences!
Important Details
This is a challenging role, but you won’t be working from a cubicle (unless cubicles are your thing), because the position is remote.
Your Location
Boutique Japan has been a US-based distributed company since we started in 2013, and this is a remote job for a US resident. As a close-knit team we communicate with one another via various tools, and typically hold in-person meetups one to two times a year.
But as appealing as it can be to some people, we won’t sugarcoat it: remote work is not for everyone. Many people prefer the structure and interaction of in-person office positions, and remote work can be lonely. So if you get the feeling that remote work might not be ideal for you, please trust your gut.
We are results-oriented above all, and while we will provide plenty of guidance and support (we want you to thrive), you must have a proven track record of successfully managing yourself.
Your Schedule
This is a full-time job of 36 hours per week, with full days (i.e., 8 hours) Monday through Thursday, and half-day Fridays.
Our business hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm (US Central Time), along with half-days on Fridays. As a US-based company, we work primarily during North American business hours, but there may also be times when you need to coordinate your schedule to speak with colleagues, travelers, and vendors located in other time zones, which may require some flexibility on your part.
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
Pay will be commensurate with skills and experience. Provided you excel in the role, you will have the opportunity to increase your level of responsibility and compensation. To complement your pay, we offer the following benefits and perks:
- The opportunity to work remotely
- Health and dental insurance
- 401(k) with up to 4% company match
- Generous paid time off, sick leave, and US national holidays
- The chance to work on a fun and dynamic team, in a company where there is room for you to grow and make a significant impact
- Fun and productive in-person team meetups (past locations have included Japan, Mexico City, Joshua Tree National Park, and more)
- An annual FAM trip beginning in the second year of employment
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I’m Ready to Apply! What’s the Next Step?
We look forward to your application! The application deadline is November 10. However, we may close the application window sooner, so don’t wait until the due date to apply.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED! THE APPLICATION WINDOW HAS CLOSED.
Please note that due to the large number of applications, we may not respond to all applicants.
