Operations Manager (Tours, Events & Experiences)

Company Description
Saigon Social is a culinary experience and events agency founded by Singaporean food writer Jovel Chan in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We design high-end, custom food tours, tastings, workshops and dining experiences for travelers and companies who want to discover Vietnam's rich heritage, modern food scene, and local craft products. We focus on story-led experiences, all anchored by our 30-seat culinary studio in District 1, which showcases over 40 Vietnamese craft food and drink brands.
Role Description
We're looking for an experienced Operations Manager who thrives on organisation, logistics, and leading teams on the ground. You'll oversee the end-to-end operations of our tours, workshops, tastings, and events-from managing bookings and client communications to leading our operations team and ensuring every experience runs seamlessly. You'll also oversee daily venue operations, staff scheduling, inventory, supplier coordination, and maintain exceptional guest experience standards.
Key Responsibilities & KPIs
Manage Bookings & Pipeline: Take full ownership of our reservation system and master calendar. Coordinate all incoming requests for group tours, corporate workshops, and private tastings, maximizing our 30-seat capacity.
Client Relationship Management: Act as the primary operational contact for travel agencies, corporate clients, and international groups. Answer inquiries quickly, customize itineraries, and handle special requests professionally.
Team Leadership & Scheduling: Directly manage, schedule, and train our team of junior operations staff, tasting hosts, and workshop facilitators. Keep team energy high and maintain top-tier service standards.
Daily Floor Operations: Oversee opening and closing procedures, coordinate retail and workshop operations, maintain inventory and venue presentation, and ensure every guest receives a seamless, high-quality experience.
Performance Tracking & Quality Assurance: Monitor event attendance, booking conversion rates, and team performance to report operational insights directly to the founder.
What We Are Looking For
Bilingual Skills: Professional fluency in both English and Vietnamese is required. You must be comfortable writing professional emails to international corporate clients and managing local suppliers.
Team & People Management: Proven experience managing, scheduling, and coaching a team of customer-facing staff or junior operations roles. You know how to motivate people and play to their strengths.
International Environment Experience: Experience working with international travelers, multinational corporate clients, or within a global company culture. You understand international service standards.
Relevant Operations Experience: 2+ years of operations experience, ideally spanning both tour operator/travel agencies (managing itineraries, group logistics) and experiential retail/F&B operations (running workshops, tastings, or live events).
Organized & Calm Under Pressure: Highly organized with shared calendars and booking software. A natural problem-solver who can handle late-arriving groups or sudden schedule shifts smoothly.
Flexibility: Ability to work a flexible full-time schedule tailored to group bookings, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
If you're proactive, detail-oriented, and enjoy building efficient systems while leading people, we'd love to hear from you!