Seasonal Travel Assistance Coordinator

Position Objective

Based on YFU USA's mission and goals, this position coordinates closely the day-to-day activity of the Seasonal Airport Coordinator and the Seasonal Airport Staff in selected airports, in conjunction with the Travel Operation and Systems Coordinator, to provide a consistent and smooth running Travel Assistance Program.

Essential Functions

• Apply all departmental operational strategies, processes, and guidelines to provide outstanding travel assistance services to all callers.
• Maintain on-call 24-hour operating schedule and availability during peak time for Travel support and emergency assistance.
• During Travel cycle, lead and support off-site Seasonal Airport Coordinators and Seasonal Airport Staff for peak performance.
• Review all routine and non-routine "distressed calls," analyze, perform due diligence, and apply reasonable duty of care and common sense principle to minimize risk to YFU and student during flight irregularity occurrences.
• Escalate occurrences to Travel Operation and Systems Coordinator requiring further intervention, which are non-routine or requiring authorization or any other approval that is monetary, out-of-scope, or outside standard guidelines, policy, and procedure.
• Provide high-touch customer service support to callers whenever required, externally and internally.
• Monitor all relevant travel assistance functions for peak performance and in accordance with departmental policies and guidelines.
• Provide initial verification and reconciliation step of all travel disbursements and expense report submissions from Seasonal Airport Coordinators.
• Apply department guidelines for daily airport staffing and scheduling, coordinate timesheet/payroll submissions, and other relevant tasks as required to ensure all HR and Payroll requirements are being met.
• Daily review of reporting and student travel manifest to cross-reference and triple-check that all resources are in place and consult on any non-routine irregularities with Travel Operation and Systems Coordinator.
• Man the external Travel answering service system on a daily basis and follow up/delegate as required.

• Attend and participate in group and staff meetings and conferences as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Ability to organize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously with strict timeline requirements.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, high-volume driven environment is highly recommended to succeed in this position; specific experience in travel, hotel, airline, call-customer service center is highly desirable.
• Commitment to work with a team work collaboration approach.
• Excellent problem solving skills; a strong can-do customer service approach and great people skills.
• Strong aptitude to make sound business judgments consistently and exercise reasonable care of duty.
• Ability to work on-call and during peak travel season weekends and late evenings.
• Availability and commitment for the entire travel cycle, no exception.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills.
• Tolerance for high volume of requests and inquiries, often last minute, and ability to work under extreme pressure during peak travel cycle; able to respond to emergencies expeditiously.
• Strong professional demeanor and aptitude to remain cool in challenging and demanding situations.
• Good computer skills to include MS Office, Internet, e-mail, office automation/tools, etc.
• Flexibility, dependability, and reliability are essential.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary work - exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently.
• Visual Acuity - Level I - minimum standard for those whose work deals largely with preparing and analyzing data and figures, accounting, and extensive reading.
• Working conditions - this position is not substantially exposed to adverse environment conditions.

Equipment Used

Application Information

If you are qualified and interested in being considered for this position, please mail, fax, or e-mail your resume with cover letter to:

Youth For Understanding USA
Travel Department
6400 Goldsboro Road
Suite 100
Bethesda, MD 20817
Phone: 1-800-705-9510
Fax: 240-235-2155
E-Mail: travel@yfu.org

Travel Staff Online Application

YFU is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome all applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

This job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and marginal job functions are subject to modifications.

Return to Travel Introduction.

Last Updated: Monday, November 17, 2003 02:53 PM