JAPANESE-SPEAKING CUSTOMER LIAISON & STUDY TOUR OPERATIONS ASSISTANT MANAGER
ABOUT BLUE SKY EDUCATION
BlueSky Education is a global education service provider founded in the UK and expanding its business in the Asia-Oceania region. Currently Headquartered in Singapore and growing rapidly. Global working members are based in Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Inbound tour business in Japan will be launched in 2024.
We provide international study tours, short-term and skills-based programmes.
Our short courses are designed to prepare students for their future with a variety of programmes which cater to skills needed in the years to come, whether that be learning how to become our planet’s steward with our Sustainable Future Programme, how to be business ready in our Startup & Innovation Programme or how to become a fantastic speaker in our Public Speaking & Leadership programme.
Our residential study-tour programmes in Singapore are hosted at prestigious boarding schools such as Hwa Chong International Boarding school, Dunman High school hostel, etc. Workshops by frontrunner or cultural exchange sessions with local university students are held in the classrooms/seminar rooms in National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU) etc.,
There is something for everyone at BlueSky Education and we want students to come away with not only better English skills, communication skills but also life skills which they can take with them through life far after the programmes have ended.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
We are seeking to appoint a well-qualified, flexible, and highly experienced Customer Liaison & Educational Tour Operation Assistant Manager to be based in Singapore. In this position, successful candidate will work closely with the management and sales team as well as operations team who are currently based in Singapore.
The successful applicant will play a direct role in making our Singapore & Malaysia short courses & holiday programmes a success. This role requires occasional overseas travel and a high level of professionalism as well as relevant travel-industry operations and customer service experience. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are essential for this post.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
● Customer Liaison:
○ Liaise with B2B customers (mainly Japanese-speaking customers) for pre-departure, during their study tours, and post-programme customer service.
○ Liaise with Group Leaders coming from abroad to ensure a high level of customer service.
○ Maintain a professional working relationship with staff, clients and venue staff.
○ Work closely with sales team to understand and manage customers requirements and expectation as well as to provide sales team with sales and after-sale support activities where required
○ Maintain and develop relationships with international and local partners who send students to our programmes.
○ Work closely with marketing team members to response to product-market fit feedback loop. Assist the management and marketing team in designing programs as and when required.
○ Assist Sales & Marketing team with quotation preparation tasks ( such as designing a programme in Singapore), ad-hoc Japanese language localization of our sales & marketing materials, among other tasks.
○ Pre-arrival, during programme runs and post-departure customer satisfaction services for our clients coming from abroad, especially Japanese clients.
● Operations:
○ Work with the operations team to provide customer service on-site to mainly Japanese-speaking groups, when student groups are in Singapore for their study tours as well as plan and execute logistics for study tours and travel itineraries.
○ Assist sales team and operations team in product planning, budgeting and costing estimates for study tours projects.
○ Create a positive team atmosphere and motivate staff.
○ Ensure effective communication with all members of staff.
○ Prepare, book, and monitor residential accommodation, transportation, meals, excursion and ensuring sufficient staff provision is available.
REQUIREMENTS:
● Relevant experience in working as a tour operator with at least 3 years’ experience in the travel industry.
● Fluent in English & Japanese (both speaking and written) - Certified minimum JLPT N2, and study or working experience in/with Japanese company)
● Ability to build rapport with people from different cultures especially with clients from Japan.
● Enjoy working with teenagers and children as well as working professionals with high standards of customer service.
● Computer literate and proven competence in administration.
● Flexible, adaptable and solutions focused.
● Proactive and effective communicator.
● Approaches work with a flexible ‘can-do’ attitude.
● Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to adapt style in relation to differing stakeholder groups.
● Commercially minded with experience maintaining international partner relationships
● Reliable, enthusiastic, highly organized, and able to work unsupervised with excellent attention to detail.
● Proactive and self-motivated, resourceful and with entrepreneurial spirit
● Ability to work individually and as part of a team, flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances and requirements.
DESIRABLE
● Professional Marketing qualification and/or relevant leadership experience
● Diploma or Degree holder
● Previous budget management and staff recruitment experience
● Experience in international working environment
● Experienced working at Singapore Tourism Board (STB) registered companies
● Good-humored with the desire to achieve the highest standards
