8+ years in service, operations, customer experience, or related fields
5+ years leading organizational change and process improvement
5+ years managing leaders and building high-performing teams
Ability to learn complex business functions quickly
Strong partnership-building skills with operational experts
Responsibilities
Define and drive the vision for Travel Services
Lead strategic improvement efforts to enhance service quality
Serve as the primary leader for cross-department collaboration
Establish operational goals and performance standards
Develop a team of senior leaders and design an effective organizational structure
Benefits
Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with employee subsidy
403(b) Retirement Plan with 5% company match after 1 year
Up to 20 days of PTO annually, accrued every payroll cycle
Paid week off at the end of December for the holiday season
Generous employee discounts on programs
IATA membership option for employees
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other professional development opportunities
Fully remote work environment
Full Job Description
About the role...
The Senior Director, Travel Services sets the strategic direction and provides overall leadership for Travel Services, strengthening the function's capabilities and its ability to deliver a high-quality, consistent participant experience. Leading through a team of senior leaders, this role ensures the operation is effectively led and executed while remaining focused on long-term strategy, innovation, and continuous improvement. The Senior Director designs and leads a function that enables the team to navigate the complexity of the airline landscape, manage high operational demands, and deliver on Road Scholar's mission and business goals.
Road Scholar offers a remote work environment. The compensation range for this exempt level salaried position is $119,500 - $144,500 based on experience.
In this role, you will provide...
Strategy & Functional Direction:
Define and drive the vision and long-term direction for Travel Services, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities
Establish and communicate a clear service and operating model across inbound, outbound, and support teams
Ensure the function evolves to meet changing participant and organizational needs
Continuous Improvement & Change Leadership:
Lead strategic and systemic improvement efforts across the function Champion changes that enhance service quality, efficiency, in both the employee and participant experience
Translate insight into action by delivering measurable operation and experience improvements
Cross-Functional Leadership & Alignment:
Serve as the primary cross-department leader for Travel Services, partnering across teams to influence outcomes and drive alignment
Ensure clarity in roles, responsibilities, and handoffs across functions (e.g., Air Operations, Program teams, PX, PS)
Connect the work of Travel Services to broader organizational goals and initiatives
Performance Framework & Operational Excellence:
Oversee the establishment of operational goals, KPIs, and best practices that reflect the true goals of the function
Define performance standards across service, quality, and efficiency, ensuring they are meaningful and actionable
Ensure a performance management framework is in place, enabling leaders to monitor results and adjust operations in real time to achieve targets
Organizational Leadership & Structure:
Lead and develop a team of senior leaders, including the Senior Operations Manager, Senior Training Manager, and the Director, Travel Services
Senior Operations Manager
Senior Training Manager
Director, Travel Services
Design an organizational structure that supports clarity, scalability, and effective spans of control Coach leaders to operate at the appropriate level, balancing strategic thinking with execution
Set direction for the Training function, led by a Senior Manager, to ensure programs effectively build capability and reinforce service, quality, and efficiency standards
Set direction for the Operations function, led by an Operations Manager, to ensure strong workforce planning, performance monitoring, and actionable insight
Ensure alignment across Training and Operations to drive consistency in execution and support informed, data-driven decision-making
Outcomes & Organizational Impact:
Deliver measurable improvements in participant experience, operational efficiency, and team effectiveness
Position Travel Services as a strategic contributor to the organization's broader success Ensure team efforts are clearly connected to participant impact and business outcomes
We're seeking...
8+ years of leading complex service, operations, customer experience, contact center, hospitality, travel, healthcare, or other service-oriented organizations
5+ years of experience leading organizational change, process improvement, and operational transformation initiatives
5+ years of experience leading leaders, developing emerging leaders and building high-performing teams Experience balancing strategic planning with operational execution in a complex, service-oriented environment
Proven ability to quickly learn complex business functions and lead teams comprised of subject matter experts
Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions in areas where others possess deeper technical expertise
Experience building strong partnerships with operational subject matter experts to drive business outcomes
Additional Skills:
Strong service orientation and commitment to delivering high-quality customer experiences
Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into action
Strong change leadership and organizational development skills
Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and complexity
Ability to balance participant needs, employee experience, and business objectives
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to lead effectively without being the technical expert in every area of responsibility
Curiosity and learning agility; quickly develops understanding of complex business processes and operating environments
Why join the Road Scholar Team...
We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package!
Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance (with a substantial employee subsidy!)
403(b) Retirement Plan with a company match of 5% after 1 year of employment!
Up to 20 days of PTO annually, accrued every payroll cycle
Enjoy a paid week off, in addition to your PTO, at the end of December to enjoy the holiday season!
A generous employee discounts on our programs
As a Road Scholar employee, you can opt-in to receive an IATA membership
We take professional development seriously which is why we provide LinkedIn Learning access to all employees amongst other professional development opportunities
That's right, we're fully remote!
To learn more about our benefits offerings, check us out at https://www.roadscholar.org/careers/
