Boutique Japan is seeking an experienced and ambitious Full-Time Sales Specialist to join our talented remote team.

If you have professional travel industry experience as a sales specialist designing bespoke trips for savvy world travelers, you may be the perfect fit! Experience as a sales specialist in the travel industry is strictly required for this role.

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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 sales specialist seeking an exciting new opportunity alongside a tight-knit group of passionate travel obsessives.

As an experienced and talented travel industry professional, you’re equally at ease with luxury travelers looking for white-glove service, and 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 (both via Boutique Japan and our sister brand, Boutique Explorer).

Essential Skills and Experience for the Role

We are seeking an experienced Sales Specialist who will creatively and efficiently design truly unique itineraries for our sophisticated yet unpretentious clients.

The position requires an extraordinary work ethic, paired with a mix of creativity and extreme attention to detail. Essential skills and characteristics include:

  • At minimum one to two years of experience as a sales specialist in the travel industry
  • Native-level English fluency and superb writing and communication skills
  • Familiarity and ease with a wide range of software and apps
  • Outstanding customer service skills, and a refined ability to treat every interaction with an authentically personalized approach
  • 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 projects (and the calm perspective to prioritize wisely)
  • A level of attention to detail and conscientiousness that occasionally makes others wonder why you care so much, coupled with the ability to take a step back and see the big picture
  • 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)
  • A constant desire to improve yourself, as well as those around you (both personally and professionally)
  • The humility and honesty to admit when you don’t know something, combined with the resourcefulness to help you find solutions to challenging questions and requests
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Sales Specialist Tasks and Responsibilities

You will be responsible for putting together painstakingly considered itineraries around the unique preferences and priorities of our clients. As you master your responsibilities, you will take on an increasing number of clients, helping create exceptional experiences for travelers from around the world.

Tasks and responsibilities may include, though are not limited to, the following:

  • Reply to new inquiries from potential travelers in a warm, human, and exceedingly professional manner, primarily via email and telephone
  • Demonstrate your extensive knowledge and expertise through insightful ideas and questions, and read between the lines to home in on key traveler interests and needs
  • Keenly perceive traveler personalities and preferences to thoughtfully suggest ideal accommodations, guides, and experiences
  • Organize disparate trip ideas and priorities into cohesive bespoke itineraries that match and exceed the expectations of highly experienced world travelers
  • Possess the creativity to quickly and efficiently design itinerary outlines, and patience to painstakingly map out complex itineraries in minute detail
  • Compose accurate and beautifully written descriptions of destinations and experiences
  • Perform in-depth research on a variety of topics
  • Meticulously manage complex trip budgets involving a multitude of factors, and maintain extreme levels of detail and order in record keeping and updates to internal files and documents
  • Seamlessly and simultaneously assist travelers at various stages (i.e., new inquiry, discovery, proposal, etc.) of the process
  • Initiate bookings with guides, hotels, ryokans, and other suppliers
  • Communicate extensively with team members and suppliers throughout the booking process to ensure arrangements are executed flawlessly
  • Meet and exceed ambitious sales targets

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!

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Important Details

This is a challenging role, and you will be working full time. 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 meet for inspiring in-person retreats on average 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.

As a US-based company, we work primarily during North American business hours. However, you might occasionally need to coordinate your schedule to speak with travelers and vendors located in other time zones, which may require a degree of flexibility on your part.

Compensation, Benefits & Perks

Pay will be commensurate with skills and experience, composed of a base salary plus commission. 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 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
  • The opportunity to work remotely
  • A human schedule that prioritizes results and deliverables
  • Health and dental insurance
  • 401(k) with up to 4% company match
  • Generous paid time off, sick leave, plus US national holidays
  • 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 August 18. However, we may close the application window sooner, so don’t wait until the due date to apply. Somewhere within your application, make sure to include the word onsen.

UPDATE: 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.

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About Andres Zuleta

Andres founded Boutique Japan to share his passion and enthusiasm for Japan, and over the years he has had the opportunity to help countless wonderful travelers from around the world experience Japan in a truly personal and immersive way.