Operations Manager - Luxury Rail & Tour Operations in Manchester

We have an exceptional opportunity for a highly organised and commercially aware Operations Manager to join a leading, luxury travel organisation in Greater Manchester. The successful candidate will oversee the end-to-end coordination of luxury rail journeys and associated land arrangements and the role is central to ensuring every guest movement, supplier interaction, hotel booking, tour programme and operational detail is delivered seamlessly, accurately, and to the highest standard. They will act as the operational link between reservations, tour leaders, suppliers, hotels, transport providers, finance, and onboard teams, ensuring all pre-tour, live-tour, and post-tour requirements are managed with precision. This role would suit a proactive and detail-driven operations professional who thrives in a premium travel environment and enjoys bringing structure, accuracy, and calm control to complex itineraries. The ideal candidate will be confident working across multiple departments, comfortable dealing with high-value guest arrangements, and committed to delivering a seamless operational experience from planning through to post-tour reconciliation. In return, our client can offer a highly competitive salary plus excellent benefits. If this role is of interest to you, please apply online.

Role of Operations Manager – Luxury Rail & Tour Operations:

• Logistics and Tour Coordination:
• Voucher management: Prepare, issue, and manage all transfer and tour vouchers
• Programme confirmation: Reconfirm tour programmes, timings, guide arrangements, and transport logistics with local suppliers
• Hotel and rooming list coordination:
• Prepare and send accurate rooming lists to partner hotels within agreed deadlines
• Confirm room requirements, including pre-tour and post-tour nights
• Monitor hotel contracts, release dates, attrition deadlines, and cancellation terms
• Build strong supplier relationships and negotiate competitive rates, favourable terms, and service improvements where appropriate.
• Live operational support: Act as a key contact point for suppliers and internal teams, managing last-minute changes
• Pre-Tour Planning and Guest Documentation:
• Guest manifest management: Prepare and distribute accurate master passenger manifests
• Tour documentation: Coordinate the preparation, printing, and delivery of onboard packs, cabin allocations and guest itineraries
• Passport and compliance checks
• Financial and Administrative Oversight:
• Invoice management: Proactively obtain invoices from hotels, transport providers, guides, and local suppliers
• Billing accuracy: Check supplier invoices against confirmed guest numbers, issued vouchers, contracted rates, and services delivered
• Post-tour reconciliation: Work with the Finance team to complete post-tour reconciliations, resolve discrepancies, and close out trip accounts accurately
• Cost control: Maintain tour cost control procedures, update operational spreadsheets, monitor variances, and support budget discipline across each journey

Skills required for the role:

• Strong experience in travel, tour operations, rail, hospitality, events, or complex logistics coordination.
• Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple moving parts and competing deadlines.
• Confident supplier management and negotiation skills.
• Commercial awareness and experience supporting cost control, invoice checking, or budget reconciliation.
• Clear and professional communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Calm, solutions-focused approach when dealing with last-minute operational changes.
• High level of discretion and professionalism when handling guest information, VIP requirements, and sensitive travel details.

If you’re interested in learning more about this Operations Manager – Luxury Rail & Tour Operations role, please apply online.