Senior Travel Designer - Luxury Safari & Travel Company - Cape Town (Hybrid) | SL

Senior Travel Designer - Luxury Safari & Travel Company - Cape Town (Hybrid)

Kendrick Recruitment is searching for an experienced, commercially astute and guest-obsessed Senior Travel Designer for a well-regarded, responsible luxury travel operator with a portfolio of exceptional remote properties in Zambia and Madagascar.

This is a senior individual contributor role combining advanced sales performance, commercial judgement and operational excellence. The Senior Travel Designer drives strong conversion performance, protects margin integrity and serves as a role model in guest experience standards within the reservations team.

Please note: This is a hybrid position based in Newlands, Cape Town - three days in the office and two days from home on successful completion of probation. Candidates must be based in Cape Town or willing to relocate independently.

Minimum Requirements:

Minimum 5 years' experience as a Travel Designer or luxury travel specialist - essential

Proven track record in designing and converting complex, high-value bespoke itineraries

Experience selling luxury safari and responsible travel products - essential

Deep destination knowledge of Zambia and Madagascar - highly advantageous

Working knowledge of Res Request, Safari Portal and Hub

Spot

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Excellent written and verbal English communication skills

Advanced enquiry qualification and conversion skills

Strong commercial acumen with sound margin awareness and negotiation ability

Meticulous attention to detail with strong financial and administrative precision

High emotional intelligence, professional maturity and composure under pressure

Stable work history with outstanding, contactable references

Key Responsibilities:✈️ Travel Design

Research, design and curate high-end, bespoke, multi-property itineraries for discerning guests

Manage high-priority and time-sensitive enquiries with precision throughout the working day

Deliver exceptional personalised service from initial enquiry through to post-travel follow-up

Maintain expert-level knowledge of all properties and surrounding destinations

Collaborate closely with the Operations team to ensure flawless itinerary execution💰 Financial Performance

Own and deliver against defined revenue and conversion KP

Is

Maintain strong conversion ratios across B2

B and B2

C channels

Protect rate integrity and pricing accuracy at all times

Monitor provisional bookings and proactively drive confirmation

Exercise limited discount approval authority within defined thresholds⚙️ Operational Excellence

Oversee accurate booking creation, flight management and supplier coordination

Reconfirm all services in writing and ensure full documentation accuracy

Maintain meticulous financial administration including invoicing and payment allocation

Act as escalation support for complex booking challenges👥 Mentorship & Team Contribution

Provide guidance and mentorship to junior members of the reservations team

Share best practice conversion techniques and destination expertise

Lead by example in professionalism, organisation and guest-centric communication

Package:

Competitive CTC package

Hybrid working arrangement (Newlands, Cape Town)

Quarterly performance bonus

Opportunity to travel and experience properties in portfolio

Permanent position - To start ASAP

Should you feel you are the right fit for this role, please apply with your updated CV, contactable references and a recent head and shoulders photo ASAP!📌 Please Note: If you do not receive feedback within 7 working days, kindly consider your application unsuccessful.