Orvis Job Opening: Sporting Travel Planner

Orvis Adventures, part of The Orvis Company, is currently seeking applicants for a Sporting Travel Planner. The position will focus on fly fishing and wingshooting trips.

Read more in the press release below.

Orvis Job Opening – Sporting Travel Planner: fly-fishing and wingshooting trips

From Orvis:

Orvis Adventures is a specialty adventure travel company dedicated to providing Orvis customers with unique trips—both domestically and internationally—that reflect the Orvis lifestyle. We are on a never-ending journey to learn and share our love of the outdoors, a passion that begins with fly fishing and wingshooting. Our travel specialists are dedicated to providing the highest quality, friendly customer service in every phase of trip selection, planning and participation. Orvis Adventures trips are part of the lifetime relationship between customers and the Orvis Company. Extraordinary customer relationships and personal connections are the foundation of our success.

We are seeking a Sporting Travel Planner to join our team of travel professionals in Sunderland, Vermont. While we are passionate about the outdoors, this is an office-based position, requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week. There will be occasional opportunities to lead Orvis group trips as well as participate in familiarization trips to Orvis Endorsed destinations.

The Sporting Travel Planner is responsible for direct sales of fly-fishing and wingshooting trips to individuals and groups, primarily by telephone and email. The ideal candidate will possess an in-depth knowledge of domestic and international fly-fishing and wingshooting travel based on personal experience, as well as a passion for helping customers plan the trip of a lifetime. This individual should have professional sales experience related to sporting travel preferably with a tour operator, a retail shop with a significant travel business, or a sporting lodge. The position is a combination of front line sales, customer service, database management and tour operations. The individual must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a proven ability to multi-task and manage dozens of emails from both guests and lodges. A customer’s experience can be enhanced or diminished by the tiniest of details, so a superb attention to detail on every level is an absolute must.

Orvis Company associates take pride in our world-class service and products, treating customers, vendor partners, and each other with integrity and mutual respect. We work in a supportive, team-oriented environment, focusing on performance, continuous improvement, and exceeding our customers’ expectations. The Orvis Company and our associates are committed to giving back to our communities and protecting nature.

Company Interfaces:

This position is located in Sunderland, Vermont and works under the supervision of the Sporting Travel Program Manager with a direct report to the Orvis Travel Department Manager. Orvis Adventures functions as a team and there is extensive interaction with other team members on projects. It is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

Performance Measurements:

Performance will be evaluated based on established Goals, Strategies, Objectives and Tactics (GSOTs) as well as sales growth in the sporting travel category.

Customer satisfaction with scores averaging 9 or better (on a scale of 1 to 10) on customer evaluation forms.

General Responsibilities:

•  Engage in direct customer sales to groups and individual travelers by managing existing customer relationships as well as identifying new sales channels and developing new customer relationships.
•  Provide extraordinary customer service as a representative of both Orvis Adventures and The Orvis Company throughout all stages of the trip planning process from the initial inquiry to the booking phase, trip planning, trip departure and even after the customer returns home.
•  Maintain and update customer information and reservation details across multiple platforms including a customer relationship management database.
•  Manage relationships with Orvis Endorsed partners including endorsement contracts and fees, negotiating contracts for net rates and group travel dates, and reviewing lodge invoices for accuracy and submitting invoices for payment.
•  Effectively communicate trip details with lodges, vendors and other partners before, during and after the trip to ensure the success of each trip.
•  Ensure accuracy of trip information on Orvis.com/travel and submit updates to the Web team in a timely manner.
•  Maintain and update itineraries and trip planning materials.
•  Occasionally lead group trips to domestic and international destinations.

Education and Experience:

•  BA/BS degree preferred
•  4+ years working in a professional travel environment, preferably with a tour operator or similar travel-oriented business either in a sales, operations, or guest services capacity.
•  Knowledge of fly-fishing destinations popular with Orvis customers, such as Patagonia, New Zealand, Central America, the United States and the Caribbean.
•  A passion for the outdoors and a desire to share that love with Orvis customers through fly fishing, wingshooting, conservation and outdoor-oriented travel.
•  Experience working in a sporting lodge or other outdoor adventure-oriented facility, with established responsibility for organizing guides and guest activities.
•  Exceptional email and phone etiquette, with strong writing skills to communicate clearly through written correspondence.
•  Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
•  A high level of attention to detail.
•  Ability to multi-task while meeting deadlines.

About Orvis – www.orvis.com

In 1856, Charles Orvis founded the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont, offering the finest fly-fishing equipment, and priding himself on customer satisfaction and service. Today, along with our world famous fly-fishing gear, Orvis offers distinctive clothing, home furnishings, gifts, and dog products. Each item is rooted in our heritage of authenticity and the outdoors, and is backed with a no-questions-asked guarantee. As the longest-running mail order business in the United States, and with our flagship retail store located in the same Vermont village as the original store since 1856, we offer experience and knowledge that no other retail company can. Each day we strive to apply what we know and learn to bring our customers even better service and products tomorrow.

Orvis is headquartered in beautiful Southwestern Vermont with major operations in Roanoke, Virginia and the U.K. We firmly believe that the only way for Orvis to achieve its vision to be the most respected lifestyle brand in America, is to have a company culture that is supportive and inspiring to the individuals that will get us there

Orvis offers competitive compensation commensurate with scope of responsibilities and experience required; plus a comprehensive benefits package including medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, 401K with a company match, generous Associate Discounts, and other excellent benefits.

To learn more and connect with Orvis, please visit us online www.orvis.com.

Sarah Thies
Dept. Manager of Orvis Travel
The Orvis Company
178 Conservation Way
Sunderland, VT  05250-4165
(802) 362-8544
[email protected]
www.orvis.com