Operations Manager

Reports to: Managing Director
Location: Derby, Belfast or remote (travel ​around UK and Ireland will be required for the role)
Job type: Full time - ​Permanent

THE ROLE
Identity Travel is at a significant point in its growth. The Operations Manager is the person who makes that growth structurally sound — ensuring service delivery, team performance, and programme governance are consistent, measurable, and fit for what comes next.  This is not a reactive role. The expectation is that you build systems, develop people, lead projects, and make operational decisions that reduce noise rather than create it. The industry is changing — technology is reshaping how travel is serviced, and this role leads the business through that change, not around it. Operational leadership

• Own end-to-end delivery of business travel services across online and offline channels.
• Maintain SLA and KPI performance across all client accounts — act early when standards slip.
• Build the operational processes, desk standards, and governance structures the business runs on.
• Lead crisis response calmly and decisively. How disruption is managed defines the client relationship.
• Deliver operational projects on time, with clear outcomes and structured reporting to the MD and senior team.
• Lead the business through operational change — including technology transition — keeping the team focused and confident as the role of the desk evolves.

Team management and development

• Lead consultants and supervisors across Belfast, Ireland and UK locations, building a culture of accountability and high performance.
• Run structured 1:1s, team meetings, and performance reviews. Identify development needs early.
• Build training programmes that keep the team current with industry change, evolving technology, and best practice.
• Create development pathways for high-potential team members — building the pipeline as the business scales.
• Manage change actively — support the team through shifts in how they work, what they handle, and what the desk looks like as automation increases.
• Plan for succession across key roles. Ensure the business is not dependent on single points of knowledge.
• Track employee engagement through eNPS and direct feedback.

Technology and change leadership

• Lead the evaluation and implementation of technology that improves how the desk operates — OBTs, automation tools, AI-assisted servicing, and beyond.
• Identify what should be automated and manage the transition when it is. Keep quality and team confidence high through the process.
• Understand NDC, modern distribution models, and how AI is reshaping the TMC operating model — and translate that understanding into operational decisions.
• Work with technology partners and Tech Lead on system improvements, issues, and new capability rollouts.
• Champion technology adoption across the team. Ensure new tools are used effectively, not just installed.

Project leadership

• Lead operational projects from brief to delivery — including technology implementations, process redesigns, and structural changes to how the desk operates.
• Define scope, manage timelines, and hold stakeholders accountable to agreed outcomes.
• Report progress clearly and honestly to the MD and senior team — including risks, blockers, and decisions required.
• Build a track record of projects that land on time and produce measurable results.

Client and stakeholder management

• Serve as the operational escalation point for key corporate clients — providing resolution and performance insight.
• Collaborate with Account Management and the Commercial Services Manager to align delivery with client expectations.
• Support client onboarding with structured operational planning.

Commercial accountability

• Monitor and report on team targets — transactions, margins, and booking channel performance.
• Maintain gross margin discipline across the offline operation, working to defined targets.
• Identify commercial opportunity within the operation — not just efficiency, but growth.
• Contribute to operational cost efficiency without compromising service quality.

Experience

• Minimum five years in the business travel industry, with at least two years in a leadership or operations management role within a TMC.
• Demonstrable experience managing geographically distributed teams.
• Deep understanding of TMC operations — online and offline environments, GDS platforms, and corporate travel programme structures.
• Proven track record of leading operational projects from brief to delivery, with structured reporting and measurable outcomes.
• Familiarity with NDC, modern content distribution, and how AI and automation are reshaping the TMC operating model.
• Experience with data and reporting tools — able to build, interrogate, and present operational metrics.

Skills and Competencies

• Leadership — you develop people, not just manage them. Your team performs because of the environment you create.
• Project leadership — you can take a complex, multi-stakeholder project from brief to delivery and keep it on track throughout.
• Change management — you have led teams through significant operational or technology change. You know how to keep people focused and confident when the ground is moving.
• Operational structure — you build processes that hold up under pressure and scale as the business grows.
• Commercial awareness — you understand margin, how it is made and how it is lost. You protect it without being told.
• Communication — clear, direct, and credible with clients, senior leadership, and your own team equally.
• Judgement under pressure — when things go wrong, you stay structured, act quickly, and keep your team focused.