Land Product Manager

At HX our purpose is to awaken people to the beauty and fragility of the planet, with adventure that reignites a sense of wonder. We take curious travellers to incredible destinations, sustainably and in true expedition-style. We bring them off the beaten track, to special destinations across the Arctic, Antarctic, Galapagos, British Isles, Alaska, Northern Norway, and Central / South America.

The HX Land Product Manager owns the end-to-end planning and purchasing of pre and post voyage products and services, establishing relationships with vendors, and ensuring the safe and successful guest experience in the destinations we visit. We are looking for an individual with a positive, can-do attitude and an energetic personality capable of injecting excitement and passion into their work. Someone that understands and values the impact their work has on the guest experience. A strong collaborator that is also agile and curious about the places we visit.

We are a passionate team who deliver our global operations from every corner of the world and our people are instrumental in continuing to inspire this adventure, play their part and deliver on our promise of guest centric and memorable experiences, benefiting the communities we visit, enriching our guests and inspiring a more sustainable world.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Deliver and execute responsibilities in a safe manner.

• Build and maintain our pre/post product and gateway services portfolio including hotels, transfers, pre/post programs, and other services to deliver the best guest travel experience.

• Commercially minded to ensure alignment with brand, strategy, and financial targets.

• Secure the required gateway services, capacity, allotments, competitive rates, and terms to support HX’s  sales and operations.

• Creation of pre/post programs concepts including contributing to the definition, feasibility, viability and profitability analysis involved in the development stage.

• Build strong relationships with vendors and partners across the portfolio to effectively support standard and irregular operations.

• Lead bidding, negotiation, contracting, and strategic supplier management of pre/post suppliers around the world in collaboration with Procurement.

• Develop and implement process/procedures to ensure quality and safety standards are met including educating, training and conducting audits of suppliers.

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to provide key product information to internal stakeholders (e.g. product descriptions, cost calculations, and conditions) to enable pricing, system loading, packaging, and launch of our pre/post products and services.

• Support the development of HX tours and packages as needed.

• Develop a deep expertise and knowledge of the HX product and brand, competitive landscape, and supplier landscape.

• Commercially minded capable of reading reports, conducting analysis, and reviewing profitability and guest experience measures.

• Actively engage in product launches, including customer service training in USPs, submitting website material.

• Seek to understand our guests and hold their opinions and preferences in the front of your mind during product and experience design.

• Capture & monitor region specific cost implications in collaboration with other stakeholders – in scope are all costs related specifically to the destination including, excursion costs, regulatory expenses.

• Exhibit and champion the HX Purpose and Spirit

Experience required: 

• 8+ years experience as a buyer in the travel industry, with experience from a tour operator, DMC, or cruise operator and strong knowledge of travel operations and logistics, especially in remote destinations with limited infrastructure.

• Experience successfully managing relationships across a large and strategic supplier mix.

• Strong knowledge of travel operations and logistics, preferably with direct experience in the HX destinations.

• Works effectively in a diverse team in a multinational organization.

• Extensive experience in research and analysis to support proposals and plans.

Essential Knowledge & Skills: 

• Fluency in English required. French, German, Spanish, Norwegian beneficial.

• Comfortable with travelling to remote destinations as needed.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated experience with time management and organizational skills.

• Highly developed sense of empathy and a commitment to guest satisfaction.

• Comfortable learning new software and applications including independent learning.

Desirable Knowledge & Skills:

• Structured and analytical approach to problem solving and decision making.

• Adaptability to changing environments and operational demands.

• Willingness to support audit and review of vendors and destinations.

Key Personal Attributes: 

• Safety minded for themselves and others.

• You value diversity and take pride in bringing people and perspectives together.

• Motivated to deliver results consistently and to the highest standards.

• Personal integrity and honesty.

• Resilient and calm when working under pressure.

• Agile and responsive to changing business needs.

• Dependable and trustworthy approach to work.

• Detail oriented.

• Proactive problem solver.

HX Spirit:  

• Passionate Explorers: We are proud of our history and are driven to create more.

• ‘Can-do’ Mindset: We jump-in and proactively contribute to the greater good.

• Humble Leadership: We have a short distance between leaders and teams.

• Genuine Interactions: We want all people to be their true selves.

• Supportive & Collaborative Teams: We are curious and generous with our knowledge. We Trust.