What we do is simple – we send people on holiday, and who doesn’t love that? But we couldn’t do it without our property owners, the people who provide the setting for your perfect getaway. This role, at its very crux, is about maximising the lifetime value of our property owners, and reducing attrition. We’re looking for someone motivated and energetic, who can develop and lead a high performing team.
About Awaze
Awaze is Europe’s largest manager of holiday rental properties, with 110,000 units under management in over 600 destinations in 25 countries across the continent. Our purpose is simple – to delight owners and guests. The business operates more than 25 consumer brands including Cottages.com, Novasol, Hoseasons, Landal and James Villa Holidays. More than 8 million people stayed in one of our properties in 2019.
The vacation rental market has been growing strongly over the last few years, with people desiring the space, flexibility and uniqueness provided. The current global pandemic has only served to strengthen that trend. Summer 2020 saw unprecedented demand.
The Role
This role isn’t for the faint of heart; we’re looking for a strategic thinker, who lives and breathes all things commercial, whilst also bringing a passion for service. You’ll motivate and manage a sales team, and you’ll be responsible for leading a strategy of initiatives which will ensure that we are seen as the letting agent of choice for vacation rental property owners. You’ll do this through developing KPIs, insights, analysis and tools to improve retention of and communication with owners, offering a truly personalised service.
What you’ll be doing
We know it sounds cliché, but this is genuinely a role where no two days will be the same. You’ll be responsible for proactively managing our retention strategy; we don’t just want to meet our retention targets, we want to smash them, and you’ll do this by using data and insights to understand the accounts that are at risk of leaving the Awaze business, and look at all commercial options available to retain them. You’ll lead our Retention team to drive high performance and a culture where the owner is put at the heart of all decisions we make, including supporting efforts to enhance and develop our digital offering for property owners.
This role will focus heavily on relationship management; you’ll be supporting colleagues internally and you’ll take responsibility for escalated conversations around commercial performance. You’ll be constantly looking at ways for us to build and improve relationships with owner, particularly those who we see as being at risk of leaving us through data and feedback. You’ll also look at how our inventory is performing and, where a property is underperforming, look at how to proceed. You’ll be seeking feedback for owners to drive our strategy for reducing churn, and you’ll be given the freedom to identify and implement new tools and technologies which will enhance the owner’s experience.
We’re looking for someone who is commercially savvy, as you’ll have targets within your area, and you’ll be looking at ways to deliver on (and exceed!) these within budget. You’ll present back on financial performance in high level presentations to key stakeholders, as well as preparing and managing your own department budgets. You’ll be there to identify opportunities which could deliver additional value for our owners and generate additional revenue, and you’ll be part of a team where your ideas are listened to, which is important as you’ll act as the voice of the owner, ensuring they’re represented in all key strategic decisions.
Key skills we need:
You’ll be joining a genuinely passionate team, with a real desire to be the best at what they do. Our owners are incredibly important to us, so you’ll be in the spotlight when it comes to looking at how we’re looking after and retaining their business. Things that would make you a success in this role include:
- You’re a natural relationship builder, with empathy and sincerity
- You’re self-motivated, energetic and passionate about service
- We’re looking for someone who is never satisfied – you’re always looking for ways to improve commercial performance
- You’re data focused and comfortable with turning the numbers into business recommendations
- You’re driven by targets and thrive in a fast paced environment
- You don’t see problems, but challenges, and thrive on finding solutions
- You’re passionate about travel and, in particular, UK holidays
- Ideally, you’ll have had some experience of working within leisure/travel
- We know it’s corny, but our colleagues are like our family, so we’re looking for someone who wants to work in a can-do environment in which you give and receive support from your peers
Equally as important as all the technical “stuff”, we’re looking for someone who is hungry to learn, irrespective of their seniority. We don’t believe in standing still (we work in travel, after all), but instead think that everyone should be learning, all the time. Whether it’s a new tool, an industry event or a mentoring opportunity, we will support you to grow your skillset.
If you’re excited by working in a fast paced environment, are obsessed by all things customer and want to join us on our journey, we’d love to chat.
What we’ll give you
- This is an opportunity for you to join us at a pivotal point in time as we invest in our future
- You’ll be supported by a team of genuine, passionate people
- We work cross-functionally, so you’ll be given opportunities to develop skills outside of your core skillset.
- You’ll be an integral part of a team which delivers great commercial results, and who doesn’t want that?
We offer a great salary and excellent benefits; we’re all about holidays, so we practise what we preach and offer some great travel discounts and a range of other perks.
What else do you need to know?
We want to make the application process as stress-free as possible, so typically we’ll have an informal chat with you on the phone, followed by a comprehensive interview over Teams, where you’ll have a chance to find out a bit more about the exciting things we’re doing (and maybe tell us what we’re doing wrong). We want to hear about what makes you tick and why.
Due to the ongoing Covid situation, this role would initially see you join the team remotely. However, the intention is to return to our office in Lowestoft as and when restrictions allow and this role will include regular travel in future, including internationally.
We believe in equal opportunities and aim to create a team that is representative of our society, knowing that embracing differences enhances the capabilities of our business and makes for a happy place to work. We are proud to recognise and celebrate that we have a diverse culture where employees are accepted for who they are, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or ability.