Expedition Operations Manager

Location: Cairns, Queensland, Australia; candidates must be based in Australia and hold Australian residency

Salary: AUD 90,000–AUD 95,000 per year

Company

Coral Expeditions is an Australian small-ship expedition cruise operator offering immersive travel experiences to domestic and international destinations. The company is part of the hirify.global.

What you will do

• Lead expedition operations across the fleet and ensure safe, consistent, high-quality delivery.
• Develop operational standards, procedures, service frameworks, and corrective actions through vessel visits and operational reviews.
• Lead and support a geographically dispersed workforce, including expedition leaders, crew, dive teams, guest lecturers, and special hosts.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, coaching, performance management, succession planning, rostering, qualifications, and workforce planning.
• Maintain guest experience and product standards through feedback analysis, quality metrics, itinerary development, and interpretation programs.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, cost management, strategic projects, product development, and future fleet growth.

Requirements

• Australian residency and substantial Australian work experience required.
• 10+ years of experience in tourism, expedition cruising, hospitality, marine operations, logistics, travel, or a similar service-based operational environment.
• Experience leading teams of 15+ employees across multiple locations and managing geographically dispersed or multi-site teams.
• Demonstrated experience in coaching, mentoring, performance management, succession planning, workforce planning, recruitment, and rostering.
• Experience managing change, implementing operational improvements, and working in safety-focused and highly regulated environments.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and document management.

Nice to have

• Formal qualifications in Leadership and Management.
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or equivalent training and facilitation experience.
• Previous expedition cruising, tourism, hospitality, or guest experience leadership experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Friendly, professional, and supportive team environment.
• Career growth in a progressive Australian expedition travel company.
• Opportunities to work and travel to expedition destinations.
• Flexible work, leave, and well-being benefits.
• Travel discounts on SIXT car rental, cruises, and NRMA Holiday Parks and Resorts.
• Complimentary myNRMA membership and discounts on insurance, fuel, groceries, entertainment, fitness, attractions, and restaurants.

Hiring process

• Applications are screened against the required qualifications and experience.
• Selected candidates are contacted to continue in the recruitment process.