Travel Operations Manager | Remote | Luxury Travel Leadership

Ascend helps founders, investors, and executives book international business and first-class flights at unbeatable rates—often 30–80% below retail. We combine proprietary booking methods with 24/7 white-glove concierge service to make premium travel seamless.

We've grown from 12 to 66 people in just over a year, backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, and have 5x’d our revenue year-over-year. We’re currently at $22M+ ARR and growing fast. Our mission is to democratize premium travel and make first class accessible to those shaping the world.

Our clients—founders, investors, and executives from venture capital, family offices, private equity, and beyond—expect exceptional service delivered with speed, accuracy, and sophistication.

We're looking for an experienced luxury service leader who wants to build world-class operations and scale their impact in a fast-growing company.

You’ll own shift-level operations across four core functions: Client Service, Ticketing, Trip Fulfillment, and Process Management. You’ll lead Team Leads who manage specialists, ensure every client receives five-star treatment, and build systems that make excellence repeatable and scalable.

• Manage 3–4 Team Leads across all concierge functions.

• Provide daily coaching, feedback, and support to develop their judgment and leadership.

• Build a culture where ownership, precision, and empathy are balanced with speed and quality.

• Conduct regular reviews to support team member growth and performance.

• Direct all client-facing operations during your shift with real-time decision-making.

• Allocate resources, manage escalations, and resolve complex issues with calm confidence.

• Ensure seamless handovers between shifts—nothing falls through the cracks.

• Maintain 95%+ SLA adherence and 98%+ data accuracy through effective systems and team management.

• Own the end-to-end client journey for your shift—every request, quote, booking, and follow-up.

• Personally handle VIP clients and high-complexity situations requiring senior judgment.

• Ensure clients receive timely updates, proactive solutions, and service exceeding expectations.

• Turn service recovery moments into opportunities that strengthen client relationships.

• Submit at least two documented process improvements per month that increase efficiency or quality.

• Spot patterns in client feedback, system inefficiencies, and team performance—and solve them systematically.

• Partner with Process Management and other teams to streamline workflows.

• Use data to make decisions, validate improvements, and track impact.

• Work closely with Product, Operations, and Leadership to implement new systems and scale consistency across shifts.

• Represent the voice of both clients and your team in strategic discussions.

• Contribute insights that shape how we grow globally while maintaining service quality.

• 4+ years in luxury travel, hospitality, or high-touch service operations (apply even if you don’t have all the experience but are confident in your skillset).

• 2+ years in a leadership or management role—you’ve coached teams, not just managed tasks.

• Strong GDS proficiency (Sabre preferred)—comfortable with fare rules, complex routing, and ticketing.

• Data-driven approach—you use metrics to spot trends and improve performance.

• Excellent written and verbal communication—you can coach with clarity and write polished client messages.

• Calm under pressure—when everything hits at once, you’re the steady presence.

• Experience with international business/first-class bookings or award travel programs.

• Familiarity with tools like Asana, Periskope, Stripe, or similar workflow/CRM platforms.

• Track record of building or improving operational processes, SOPs, or training programs.

• Experience managing remote, global teams.

• Background in luxury hospitality brands (hotels, premium concierge services).

You don’t need to check every box—if you have ~80% of the skills and the drive to learn, we want to hear from you.

• You’ve turned around an underperforming team or operation (and can show the metrics).

• You’re known as the manager people want to work for because you make them better.

• You have a reputation for spotting issues before they become problems.

• You think in systems but lead with empathy—process without people is just bureaucracy.

• You’re comfortable being hands-on when needed while developing others to take ownership.

Your progression: Concierge Manager → Senior Concierge Manager → Associate Director → Director.
We promote from within based on demonstrated performance and impact, not politics or tenure.

We’re implementing our concierge framework and career systems right now.
You’re not inheriting a rigid legacy system—you’re helping shape how FlyFlat’s operations scale globally.

• We hire proficient people—you won’t be carrying underperformers.

• Regular reviews with clear metrics and feedback.

• Head of People who understands operations and partners with you.

• Process Management team dedicated to making your job easier.

• Predictable scheduling—you’ll know your shift in advance.

• Proper handovers—the next manager gets everything they need.

• Global team—talented colleagues across continents.

• Merit-based performance incentives.

• Advanced travel optimization strategies used by elite professionals.

• Lead global teams with shared metrics and real-time decision-making.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Operations.

• Gain operational leadership experience at a venture-backed company growing 5x year-over-year.

• Learn systems and tools (Sabre, Asana, Periskope, booking platforms).

• Lead shifts independently with 95%+ SLA adherence.

• Begin coaching Team Leads effectively.

• Identify your first improvement opportunities.

• Consistently deliver 95%+ SLA and 98%+ accuracy.

• Achieve strong team sentiment scores (8/10+).

• Lead at least one initiative that measurably improves client satisfaction or efficiency.

• Build strong relationships with frequent travelers.

• Customer Obsession: We win when our customers win.

• Urgency with Impact: Clients expect answers in minutes, not hours.

• Radical Candor: Honest, direct, respectful feedback builds trust.

• Ownership: If something breaks, we fix it.

• Relentless Excellence: Good enough is never enough.