Inventory Manager

The Opportunity:

For Sunwing Vacations, we are looking for an Inventory Manager to join us in making vacation dreams come true. The Inventory Manager is responsible for all land product inventory management, which includes the planning, forecasting and analysis of inventory requirements. The position will also be responsible for training and development of the Inventory Supervisors and Coordinators ensuring availability of products for the purpose of maximizing sales and yield as well as fulfilling risk and moral commitments to our hotel partners. The position reports to the Vice President, Commercial and will be located in Toronto, ON.

What You’ll Do:

• Monitor availability of inventory on an ongoing basis and keep abreast of Inventory team’s actions to ensure rooms are available and balanced against seats.
• Ensure Inventory team maximizes risk utilization and matches available risk air seats to “saleable” inventory up to arrival, including initiating recommendations to guarantee non-risk inventory or to secure new product.
• Establish and maintain relationships with hotel contacts that support inventory management within the new connected hotel landscape.
• Drive department communication of inventory opportunities and threats to and from Payload, Product, and external sources.
• Monitor seasonal and ongoing forecasting of inventory needs (where possible acknowledging channel manager enforced opacity) with special attention to peak travel periods and suggest strategies to maximize utilization before room availability comes under threat.
• Monitor guaranteed room inventory and alert Payload and Product to any impediments to full utilization of guarantees or any opportunities to increase or reduce guarantees where necessary, including risk cruise inventory.
• Support Inventory team with escalations for additional inventory requirements, cut-offs, stop sales and guarantees to ensure business needs are met.
• Ensure accuracy of input between selling system and contract system, including allotments, room types, blackouts, cut-offs, auto cut-off.
• Ensure inventory requests are being handled and answered in a timely fashion.
• As part of an interdepartmental (matrix) team, onboard channel manager partners.
• Trouble shoot channel manager issues pertaining to inventory.
• Ensure channel manager modifications are handled accurately and efficiently.
• Monitor implemented technologies as appropriate.
• Continually review and evaluate departmental processes for improvement.
• Propose and implement both intra and interdepartmental process improvements.
• Implement and maintain business intelligence reports to assist the Inventory team with daily task and reporting requirements.
• Other duties as assigned.

 What You’ll Need:

• Minimum 5 years leadership experience within the travel industry, preferably with a tour operator.
• Minimum 3 years working within an operations or inventory management department.
• Current commercial knowledge of tour operating including destinations within the Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America.
• Spanish speaking an asset, but not required.
• Previous experience working with forecasting and analytics.
• Good working knowledge of TTS system and other travel related reservation systems as well as MS Office.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills organized, attentive to detail and able to multi-task.
• Able to confidently negotiate and liaise with third party suppliers.

   What We Offer:

• Remote and/or Hybrid Work Opportunities

• Great travel perks!
• Goodlife Corporate Discount

• Growth opportunities

• Free Parking
• Open concept, collaborative workspace

• Fresh Café with delicious snacks and meals at a subsidized price!
• Opportunity to give back through our social responsibility initiatives
• See for yourself! @sunwinglife