Shore Excursions Cost Manager

Purpose of Position

The Shorex Cost Manager (SCM) is in charge of managing all tactical purchasing for Shorex products for a specific number of ships, within his/her Operation Area (geographical stretch / operation). The role is an integral part of the Land Operations team.

The SCM reports to the Director Land Operations, communicates with the extended corporate team and Program Directors (PDs) towards cost efficiency, in his/her Operation Area. Tactical internal (Land Operation Dept.) meetings, continuous communication with corporates (Corporate Operations Manager – Corporate Enrichment & Program Manager (CEPMs)) and the ships, as well as with partners and vendors are part of the role’s responsibilities.

The main objective of the role is to ensure seamless flow of Shorex operations, appropriate pre-season planning & ordering of products and control cost without endangering quality, guest satisfaction or Viking standards. To this end, tactical and ad-hoc analyses on Shorex cost is required, as well as appropriate reporting on a cruise by cruise basis.

Some travelling might be required with the objective of investigating potential areas of cost deviations and to discuss realignment measures and cost controlling initiatives. Furthermore, the SCM is responsible for escalating to other members of the team (Shore Excursions Product Managers), potential quality performance issues that may have been identified.

This role is based in our Operational Head Office in Basel, Switzerland. Please note that we can only accept applicants who are eligible to work in Switzerland or in possession of a valid work permit.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning & Tactical Purchasing

In the core of the SCM role lies planning for and managing tactical purchasing operations. The SCM is expected to draw a detailed mapping of Shorex product needs for the upcoming season, request products / services from vendors and issue purchase orders (POs), manage issues on requested services and approve invoice discrepancies.

• Identify Shorex order needs for the upcoming season and draw requirements for each city call (Masterfile)
• Communicate & confirm availability and black-out dates from our vendors
• Create / update detailed cost structure for all Shorex products in MXP
• Create tour orders or batch assign in MXP
• Monitor – control of MXP invoice discrepancies
• Review & approve re-confirmation of services (PD voucher) for tighter cost controlling
• Communicate with PDs and drive adherence to PD tour count in cooperation with CEPMs
• Ensure all airport transfer information is filed correctly according to the order – report any discrepancies
• Communicate with vendors and resolve any cost related issues – Coordinate or escalate within Land Operations (LOD) team
• Check for discrepancies and approve invoices on Easy on a weekly basis
• Maintain the vendor contacts / emailing list in SharePoint

Cost Controlling & Reporting

• Controlling Shorex cost is performed through monitoring data and performing analyses on cost. Tactical and ad-hoc analyses on cost are aiming at identifying performance gaps and to provide a basis for designing & implementing cost controlling initiatives.
• Manage and maintain Shorex cost reporting structure and database
• Perform Shorex cost analysis per cruise and reporting to directors as well as ships
• Implement a Shorex cost reporting structure for Vice President, Director and Fleet
• Set Shorex cost targets for ships and monitor progress on a weekly basis
• Perform ad hoc analyses on Shorex cost
• Monitor deviation extra cost & report on a tactical basis (monthly)
• Identify areas for improvement in cost controlling, design and implement appropriate initiatives
• In coordination with the SPMs, apply analytics on various cost metrics in order to support the Product Development team in the refinement of new products for the upcoming season

Other

Communication with vessels

SCMs are responsible for communicating with PDs for driving process adherence to tour count, pushing a ‘cost minded’ culture when issuing PD vouchers, communicating cost analyses with them and discussing initiatives, as well as coordinating various Shorex issues that may arise. Additionally, in some cases, might be required to inform directly the PD, instead of the CEPM, for deviation tour counts.

Communication with vendors

SCMs are responsible for developing their own relationships with key people within our vendors’ organizations, which will allow them to purchase services from them in an efficient way. Requesting services and availability before season start and communication for any issues regarding services or cost (invoicing) is a responsibility of the SCM.
Although SCM role has a different scope than SPM role, managing the same operation or fleet, leaves room for cooperation and early surfacing of identified performance issues. Thus, it is expected that the two roles consult / advise each other on relevant matters relevant to their role.

QUALIFICATION PROFILE

• Business degree
• Background in accounting; experience in tour guiding and in the cruise industry are a plus
  
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills. Fluent in English, additional languages are a plus
  
• Business acumen and computer affinity (Office Suite, MXP), administrative experience
  
• Excellent organizational and communicational skills
  
• Ability to work independently, service-oriented and guest-focused
  
• Open for new ideas, honest, critical, energetic and enthusiastic
  
• A self-starter with a can-do mindset, with complete attention to detail
  
• Flexibility and stress resistance, team player, commitment, positive personality, professional appearance