Explore is an adventure travel expert focused on sustainable, small group holidays which create stories to tell for a lifetime. From classic group tours and family adventures, to walking, wildlife and cycling trips. With around 100 countries to choose from, our customers explore the world with us. Join us on our journey, creating extraordinary travel experiences for all.

At the heart of all of this, is a passion to travel responsibly. We aim to always be welcomed back, for communities and cultures to benefit, and wildlife to flourish. In a complicated world that's full of potential, we strive to be better than yesterday.

We put people at the heart of everything we do and are proud of the extensive benefits we offer.

This role is remote/home based and is a full-time position, however work/life balance is important to us and so we are open to discussion on flexible working patterns (minimum 4 days per week).

The geographic region is covering the north of the UK - including Midlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Salary: £35,000 + bonus + OTE of up to £3,500 + car and fuel allowance 

About the role:

We are looking for a business development/sales professional to join our growing team and support the growth of our travel agency partners. As a face of Explore in the trade market you will be responsible for promoting our destinations, growing existing business and developing new sales opportunities. You will create and apply an effective sales strategy, offering unparalleled support to our agency partners, collaborate with other teams around the business and add to the continued success of the Explore brand.

Three to four days each week you will be travelling throughout your region making sales calls by appointment with targeted agency partners, this will involve sales updates, marketing discussions and training with a sales objective for each meeting which will be followed up in a timely manner. One to two admin days each week will involve stats reporting, follow up emails/calls from sales visits, creating and answering social posts, canva marketing activity, training webinars, responding to trade emails, personal development training plus diary planning. 

You will also be required to spend 2 days every 6-8 weeks at our head office in Farnborough, Hampshire (expenses will be reimbursed).

This role requires a flexible approach to working hours to support extensive travel, predominantly within the UK with some international as required.

If you have plenty of incredible travel stories to share, then this could be the role for you. We are looking for your application to demonstrate:

• Customer-focused approach with a can do attitude.
• Experience in a business development or sales role with an existing travel industry network.
• Ability to develop and maintain excellent working relationships while using your initiative to increase demand across our 350+ trips worldwide. 
• Good knowledge of the touring sector with a passion for adventure travel and the Explore product range.
• Excellent knowledge of the UK travel industry with established contacts.
• Commercially minded, with proven ability to deliver against set targets.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to quickly build rapport and communicate effectively at all levels.
• Results driven, team player who can work independently.
• Excellent communication, verbal and written, with acute attention to detail.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Exceptional time management and planning skills.
• Confident with delivering presentations and training in product features and benefits.
• Competent using MS Office (inc Teams) & Zoom.
• Experience and skills with creating content and posting on social media platforms (Tik Tok, Insta, LinkedIn, Hablo, Facebook).
• Problem solving experience with the ability to overcome objections with favourable resolution.

You must be willing to work flexible hours (including evenings and weekends as required) to support extensive travel plus events representation, predominantly within the UK with some international as required.  

We aim to be better than yesterday and our values will be close to your heart.

Diversity is to be celebrated. Life would be dreary, and change would be slow, if we all thought the same way. We challenge our ideas, each other, and our business partners - always with respect and kindness.

Explore is part of Hotelplan Group, a well-established and diverse family of specialist tour operators, with a long tradition of developing and operating market-leading experiences. The family comprises ski, walking and Lapland holidays with Inghams and Santa’s Lapland; adventure travel with Explore; and self-guided holidays with Inntravel. Sustainability and responsible tourism is at the core of everything we do, and should be a passion for everyone employed by the group.