Skills
We are looking for a senior professional who combines deep, hands-on Travel & Tourism domain expertise with end-to-end Product Management ownership of travel technology platforms. This role is the single point of authority the organisation turns to for travel knowledge, while also owning the vision, roadmap, and execution of our B2C, B2B agent/distributor, and Corporate (TMC) travel technology products. The role bridges business, technology, UI/UX, operations, and vendors to deliver scalable, secure, and revenue-driven travel solutions grounded in real industry practice.
Experience & Education
- 8-12 years of overall experience spanning Travel & Tourism and Travel Technology, including a minimum of 5-7 years of hands-on, full-process experience in the travel industry (not limited to a single part of the booking chain) combined with substantial experience in product management/technology ownership of travel platforms
- Suitable backgrounds: travel agencies, online travel companies (OTAs), tour operators, airlines, railway/bus/cruise platforms, car rental companies, hotel chains, corporate travel companies, or travel technology product organisations
- Education: Bachelor's degree in any discipline; a travel or hospitality degree is an advantage but not mandatory; industry certifications such as IATA/UFTAA or GDS certifications are highly valued
Required Technical & Product Skills
- Strong experience with OTA / travel technology platforms and API-based architecture & integrations
- Hands-on experience with Agile/Scrum methodology
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to translate business/travel requirements into BRDs, PRDs, user stories, and acceptance criteria
- Excellent written and spoken English — able to explain travel and technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and comfortable producing clear guides, documentation, and instructional material
- Experience working with UI/UX wireframes and design systems
- Exposure to dynamic packaging, rate shopping engines, and corporate approval workflows integrated with travel expense management systems
Proven ability to work across business and product/technology teams, bridging Product Manager and Technical BA requirements.
Tools & Platforms
- GDS platforms: Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo/Travelport (certification or hands-on use preferred)
- Project & workflow tools: JIRA, ClickUp, Asana, Atlassian, GIT
- API & integration tools: Postman, Swagger
- Analytics tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel
- MS Office / Google Workspace
- Railway/bus/cruise booking tools and platforms
- Internal tools, CRM, and proprietary booking platforms (training provided)
Role & Responsibilities
Travel Domain & SME Leadership
- Serve as the organisation's go-to authority on all matters relating to travel and tourism, providing expert guidance on travel products, processes, policies, and operational scenarios.
- Track ongoing changes across airlines, railways, buses, hotels, and travel booking platforms, ensuring internal processes, content, and product decisions remain accurate and current.
- Act as the critical link between the Product Manager function and the Technical Business Analyst, translating product requirements into travel-domain context that can be clearly understood and built against.
- Provide subject-matter input into product roadmap and feature decisions, ensuring travel-domain accuracy in system design, content, and workflows.
Product Strategy & Roadmap
- Define and execute the product vision, roadmap, and KPIs for the B2C OTA website & mobile platforms, B2B Agent/Distributor portals, and Corporate Travel Management System (TMC).
- Align product goals with business revenue, margin optimisation, and scalability objectives.
- Prioritise features based on business impact, user feedback, and technical feasibility.
- Drive automation initiatives to reduce manual operations and dependency across travel workflows.
B2C Travel Platform
- Own and manage flight, hotel, holiday package, bus, visa, and travel insurance product modules.
- Drive improvements in conversion rate, booking flow, search speed, and overall user experience.
- Own pricing logic, markups, offers, coupons, and dynamic packaging for consumer-facing platforms.
- Partner with UI/UX designers to deliver a world-class customer journey, incorporating destination content and traveller experiences (attractions, activities) where relevant.
- Drive SEO-friendly architecture, landing pages, and CMS integrations to support platform discoverability.
B2B Agent/Distributor Platform
- Design agent-friendly dashboards covering markups, credit limits, wallet systems, and agent hierarchy (Distributor Agent Sub-Agent).
- Enable booking reports, invoicing, and GST-compliant documentation for agent transactions.
- Integrate and manage multiple suppliers/APIs — hotels, flights, DMCs, and aggregators — including rate parity, supplier mapping, and inventory logic.
- Enable self-service tools for agents, including vouchers, cancellations, and amendments.
- Apply working knowledge of the distinction between selling travel to agents/companies versus directly to travellers when shaping platform design.
Corporate Travel / TMC Platform
- Build and manage the Corporate Travel Booking Tool (CTBT), including company-wise travel policies, approval workflows, cost centres, and employee hierarchy.
- Implement MIS & analytics dashboards and a Travel Expense Management System for corporate clients.
- Integrate billing, invoicing, and credit cycles for corporate accounts; support SLA tracking and account-wise customisation.
- Ensure the platform reflects real-world corporate and group travel policy and approval requirements, including how business/group travel differs from individual vacation travel.
Travel Operations & Process Excellence
- Advise business teams on how travel bookings, ticketing, and cancellations work in practice, clarifying the end-to-end booking lifecycle — search, book, ticket, travel, and post-trip.
- Identify gaps and risks in existing travel processes and recommend improvements grounded in real industry practice.
- Support decision-making on vendors, pricing, and partnerships.
- Review travel processes on an ongoing basis, retiring outdated practices and introducing more effective ones.
Technology, APIs & System Management
- Translate business and travel requirements into BRDs, PRDs, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
- Work closely with Business Managers, the Business Analysis team, backend and frontend developers, and QA & DevOps teams to deliver product features.
- Oversee API integrations across GDS platforms, LCCs, hotel aggregators, and payment gateways, applying working knowledge of how booking systems interconnect (e.g., channel managers).
- Ensure system performance, security, uptime, and scalability; manage staging UAT production release cycles.
Data, Analytics & Product KPIs
- Define and track product KPIs including conversion rate, booking success ratio, API response time, and revenue per booking.
- Drive analytics on funnel drop-offs, supplier performance, and agent/corporate usage trends.
- Use data insights to inform product decisions and improve product and revenue outcomes.
Stakeholder, Supplier & Vendor Management
- Serve as the single point of contact between business, operations, finance, and technology teams.
- Engage directly with airlines, hotels, DMCs, and other travel industry partners, alongside management of third-party technology vendors and API providers — maintaining a clear distinction between travel-industry relationships and technology-vendor relationships.
- Represent the organisation in industry conversations and forums.
- Coordinate with marketing on campaigns, offers, and landing pages, and support customer service teams with system enhancements.
Compliance, Security & Governance
- Ensure compliance with GST/TCS and invoicing rules, and with data privacy and payment security norms across bookings and transactions.
- Maintain audit trails for bookings, payments, and cancellations.
- Ensure company travel adheres to proper approval and policy rules; drive documentation and SOP adherence.
Travel Risk, Disruption & Duty of Care
- Advise on handling travel disruptions — cancelled flights, adverse weather, political incidents, or medical emergencies — and build proactive contingency plans for such scenarios ahead of time.
- Maintain working knowledge of traveller health, vaccination, and safety requirements to support duty-of-care obligations.
Training, Documentation & Knowledge Management
- Train non-travel staff on the essential travel concepts they need, and guide colleagues handling travel-related queries.
- Develop clear guides and reference material for internal use.
- Maintain product and process documentation, ensuring SOP adherence across teams.
Industry Trends & Continuous Improvement
- Track emerging trends in travel technology, traveller behaviour, pricing patterns, and sustainable/responsible travel practices.
- Share relevant industry insights and updates with leadership to inform strategic decisions.
Requirements
Required Travel Domain Knowledge
- Air, rail, bus, cruise, and rental car travel, including fares and booking mechanics for each mode
- End-to-end booking lifecycle: search, book, ticket, travel, and post-trip processes
- Hotel bookings — room rates, cancellation rules, and availability logic
- Holiday package and tour construction and pricing, including destination activities and experiences typically bundled into a trip
- Visa and travel documentation requirements across countries
- Distinctions between B2B (agents/corporates) and B2C (direct traveller) sales models
- PNR, fare quotes, and fare rules
- Corporate and group travel versus individual/vacation travel, including company travel policies and approval steps
- Distinctions between group bookings and solo traveller bookings
- Travel insurance fundamentals — coverage and exclusions
- Handling travel disruptions and contingency planning
- Privacy and payment security principles for travel bookings
- Eco-friendly and responsible/sustainable travel practices
- GST and TCS rules applicable to domestic and international travel bookings
- Religious and pilgrimage travel as a distinct, India-specific travel category
- Traveller health and vaccination considerations
- Foreign exchange/currency knowledge for international travel
- Airline and hotel loyalty/reward programmes
- Seasonal pricing dynamics
- Working knowledge of how booking systems interconnect (e.g., channel managers, supplier mapping, inventory logic)
- Flight, Hotel, Holiday, B2B, and Corporate travel product structures, including Extranet systems
- Dynamic packaging and rate shopping engine concepts
Behavioural / Leadership Competencies
- Ownership mindset with strong execution focus
- Business-first thinking combined with technology depth
- Strong process orientation and continuous improvement mindset
- Ability to handle pressure and manage multiple stakeholders simultaneously
- Clear communicator, in writing and verbally; prefers advising and guiding over simply taking orders
- Logical, detail-oriented thinker — attentive to fares, visas, paperwork, and tax details
- Comfortable operating across different travel types (vacation, business, group, religious/pilgrimage)
- Understands the cost implications of travel decisions
- Stays calm and clear-headed under pressure, particularly during travel disruptions
Good-to-Have Skills / Certifications
- Certification or hands-on use of GDS tools (Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo/Travelport)
- Experience training or mentoring others
- Familiarity with a broad range of travel booking platforms and tools
- Background in corporate or group travel
- Working knowledge of GST/TCS rules on travel
- Proficiency in an additional language, useful for vendor or traveller communication
Success Measures
- Conversion rate, booking success ratio, API response time, and revenue per booking
- Reduction in errors across travel-related processes
- Faster onboarding and ramp-up of new team members through effective training
- Measurable improvements to travel processes and operations
- Positive feedback from business teams on guidance and support provided
- Responsiveness to urgent travel queries and smooth handling of travel disruptions
