Career Opportunities

Department: International – US Sales

Reports to: VP of Sales

Salary: Up to 100,000 USD + 25% OTC

About Riviera River Cruises

Riviera River Cruises is a business operated in North America, owned by Riviera Travel, the UK's biggest award winning river cruise and escorted tour operator that has been operating for over 40 years.

Riviera River Cruises is an award-winning river cruise and tour operator with an excellent reputation, and the proud recipient of numerous travel trade and customer awards that recognize the company for its product delivery, customer service and value proposition.

Riviera River Cruises promotes five-star luxury cruises on the main European waterways. With 13 river ships and 38 different itineraries for guests to enjoy and agents to book and choose from, Riviera River Cruises will become a major force in the North American river cruise market. It also boasts 6 unique yachts that sail itineraries on the Dalmatian Coast.

The company is now looking for an exceptional person to join the North America sales team and be part of something very special, as it embarks on its next chapter of development and growth. With a clear hunter mentality and proven experience in the river cruise, luxury travel or ocean cruising space. This unique opportunity to join Riviera River Cruises will be career changing. 

Role purpose:

As the Regional Sales Director, you will be responsible for driving sales growth and market share within your designated region. Your role will focus on developing and executing strategic sales plans, building and maintaining strong relationships with key travel partners, and supporting a dynamic sales team to achieve and exceed sales targets. This position requires a deep understanding of the luxury travel market, particularly river cruises, and a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.

The successful Regional Sales Manager will be a dynamic and results orientated individual who is intelligent, creative, forward thinking, and above all, able to demonstrate excellent sales skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.

At least 5-7 years of industry-related travel agent sales experience, with a sound knowledge of luxury products and services with a tour or cruise operator, is essential.

The successful candidate must embody a strong work ethic, excellent diplomatic skills, and should be able to take a strategic and macro-outlook on every aspect of the job.  Candidates must possess the ability to ‘think big’ as well as creatively and should have a sound grasp of both the travel industry and the relevant competition.  They must be capable of making compelling high-level presentations and must possess strong skills in both written and oral communications.

Ultimately, the successful candidate will be both confident and competent. Helping to build the Riviera brand in a competitive market, this individual will need to be diligent and unrelenting in their pursuit of acquiring and supporting travel agency sales in their region. They will be responsible for the development and implementation of sales strategies designed to drive profitable revenue in their territory.  

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Execution:

• Develop and implement comprehensive sales strategies to achieve revenue targets and increase market share within the region.
• Analyze market trends, customer needs, and competitor activities to identify opportunities for growth. A clear understanding of the North American Travel Agency sector with strong, already established relationships across the distribution network.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to create effective sales campaigns and promotional activities.

Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key travel agencies, tour operators, and other distribution partners.
• Negotiate contracts and agreements with travel partners to maximize sales opportunities.
• Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, and conferences to promote the brand and expand the customer base.

Sales Reporting & Analysis:

• Monitor and report on sales performance, providing regular updates to senior management.
• Utilize data and analytics to assess the effectiveness of sales strategies and make data-driven decisions.
• Prepare and manage the regional sales budget, ensuring efficient use of resources.

Customer Focus:

• Ensure a deep understanding of customer preferences and needs, particularly in the luxury river cruise segment.
• Work closely with the customer service and operations teams to ensure a seamless customer experience from booking to post-cruise follow-up.

Skills, Experience & Competencies:

• 5-7+ years of sales experience in the travel industry, with a focus on luxury travel or river cruises.
• A proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets and leading high-performing sales teams is an advantage.
• Experience in managing relationships with travel agencies, tour operators, and other distribution partners.
• Extensive European destination knowledge is preferred.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to analyze market trends and data to drive business decisions.
• Ability to travel within the region and internationally as required.
• Ideally, a bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Hospitality, or a related field. An MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

Other:

• Valid driver’s license
• Up to 50% business travel expected, including international destinations at times throughout the year
• Global travel experience, especially in Europe

Department: Travel Concierge

Role purpose:

As Team Manager of the Travel Concierge team, you will lead a high-performing group of specialists dedicated to delivering personalised and seamless travel experiences for guests. Your role is to inspire, coach, and develop your team to consistently exceed service expectations, while driving operational efficiency and ensuring alignment with the wider Guest Experience strategy. You will act as the key escalation point for complex travel arrangements, support cross-functional collaboration, and champion continuous improvement in service delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Travel Concierge Executives through regular 1:1s, coaching sessions, and performance reviews.
• Foster a culture of accountability, empowerment, and guest-centric service.
• Identify individual and team development needs and implement tailored action plans.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new team members.

Operational Oversight

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Travel Concierge function, ensuring all guest requests are handled promptly and accurately.
• Monitor team performance against KPIs including response times, booking accuracy, and guest satisfaction.
• Conduct regular call listening and side-by-side coaching to ensure service quality and consistency.
• Manage real-time resourcing across communication channels (e.g. phone, email, live chat).

Guest Experience & Escalation Management

• Act as the escalation point for complex or high-priority guest travel requests, ensuring swift and effective resolution.
• Collaborate with internal departments (e.g. Customer Experience, Product, Operations, Transport) and external suppliers to secure bespoke travel solutions.
• Ensure the team is equipped with up-to-date knowledge on products, destinations, and supplier processes.

Strategic Contribution

• Collate and analyse team and guest data to identify trends, service gaps providing opportunities for improvement.
• Present daily huddles to align the team on priorities, share insights, and celebrate successes.
• Support the Head of Guest Experience in leading team adoption of new initiatives, process improvements, and structural changes.
• Represent the Travel Concierge team in cross-functional meetings and contribute to broader guest experience strategies.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

Essential

• Passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences, consistently going the extra mile and genuinely caring about customer satisfaction.
• Proven experience in a leadership role within a customer service or travel operations environment. Leads by example with energy and empathy, fostering a culture where every team member feels empowered to make a difference.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop individuals and teams, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Skilled in interpreting data and using insights to drive performance and service improvements.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, motivate, and build strong relationships across teams.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
• Confident in using Microsoft Office applications and skilled in interpreting data, identifying trends, and presenting findings clearly to support decision-making and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Experience managing remote or hybrid teams.
• Understanding of travel booking processes, including flights, accommodation, and transfers.

Department: Technology

Reports to: Principal Cloud Architect

Role purpose:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Azure Data Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable data solutions in Microsoft Azure. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to transform complex data into actionable insights, driving business decisions and innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

Data Architecture and Design

• Design, develop, and implement end-to-end data pipelines in Azure.
• Architect data solutions using Azure Data Lake, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Databricks.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, efficient, and aligned with business objectives.

ETL/ELT Processes

• Build and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines using Azure Data Factory (ADF).
• Develop data ingestion processes for structured and unstructured data sources.

Data Modelling and Warehousing

• Design and implement enterprise data models and data warehousing solutions.
• Optimize data models for performance and scalability in Azure environments.

Data Governance and Security

• Implement data governance best practices, ensuring data quality and consistency.
• Enforce security measures, such as role-based access and encryption, in compliance with organizational and regulatory standards.

Collaboration and Leadership

• Lead and mentor data engineers.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, data specialist, and BI teams to gather requirements and deliver data solutions.

Monitoring and Optimization

• Monitor and troubleshoot Azure data services to ensure high availability and performance.
• Optimize costs and performance for Azure services.

Skills, Experience & Competencies:

Required Skills

• Extensive experience in data engineering with Microsoft Azure.
• Proficiency in Azure services such as Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure SQL Database.
• Strong experience with ETL/ELT pipelines, data modelling, and data integration.
• Proficiency in SQL and programming languages like Python, Scala, or PowerShell.
• Knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with machine learning or advanced analytics on Azure platforms.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools like Terraform or Azure DevOps.
• Knowledge of big data frameworks like Spark and Hadoop.
• Education and Experience:
• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, with 3+ years working specifically on Azure.
• Certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate or Azure Solutions Architect are highly desirable. 

Department: Channels Marketing

Reports to: Channels Marketing Manager

Hybrid Role - Minimum 2 days per week in Riviera’s Head Office (Burton-on-Trent)

Role purpose:

As PR & Events Executive (Channels) you will provide essential support to the PR & Events team in their day-to-day operations, assisting with press communications, press release/briefings, supplier management, and press trips, as well as Trade events and exhibitions.

Reporting to the Channels Marketing Manager, with a dotted-line into the Brand, Campaigns & PR Manager, this role is focused on helping to raise Riviera Travel’s (trade) profile, while gaining hands-on experience in a fast-paced and exciting travel business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day support to the PR team; assisting with enquiries (press office), briefing, writing, proofing and submitting (for sign-off) press releases.
• Drafting press materials (briefing templates for 3rd parties) such as media alerts, newsletters, and event-joining instructions/ itineraries and crib sheets.
• Coordinate all aspects of (trade) press travel, including booking travel and accommodation, briefing internal teams, arranging activities, creating media-training packs, sending invitations and post-trip follow-ups. Occasional travel on press trips to accompany journalists may be required at times.
• Support (trade) media interviews/ speaking engagements, with logistics and preparing briefing notes and/ or presentations for key team members.
• Assist in maintaining high-value relationships with journalists and other contacts across trade press with excellent and timely communications at all times.
• Monitoring and tracking press coverage (by reading papers, magazines and reviewing websites daily), as well as preparing and sharing reports as required.
• Support all aspects of event planning, logistics, and on-site coordination for all trade (educationals / incentive) travel and events, and outreach.
• Support with the coordination of industry events such as large-scale travel exhibitions, including venue sourcing, merchandising, staffing, supplier management, etc.
• Manage entry process for (trade) awards nominations/ ceremonies and ensure coverage across all related B2B and Direct marketing channels.
• Other ad-hoc administrative and planning duties as required. 

Skills, Experience & Competencies:

• Strong organisational skills with a detail-oriented and professional approach to tasks
• A proactive attitude, with the ability to multitask and prioritise effectively
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Interest in travel and leisure trends, with a willingness to learn and grow within the PR & Events (Marketing) field
• Project management skills and ability to take ownership of your projects
• Proficient using Microsoft Office programs (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook)
• A team-player with a collaborative mindset and a positive attitude, able to stay calm in a busy environment
• Previous work experience in PR, marketing or Events is desirable but not essential
• Customer service experience is an advantage
• Flexibility to work on evenings/ weekends and travel as needed.

Department: Technology and Change

Salary: Up to £37,500 per annum

Role purpose:

Operating primarily during the Feasibility and Definition phases of the project lifecycle, the Business Analyst acts as a consultation partner between the Business and IT to ensure that all requirements and business impacts are comprehensively documented and clearly understood by other project performers as well as other areas of the business.

Key Responsibilities:

This role is responsible for:

• Eliciting and prioritising Business Requirements in consultation with the customer and all relevant stakeholders up to and including the sponsor
• Developing System Requirements to a level of detail from which High Level and Detailed Designs can be created
• Documenting and maintaining Business and System Requirements  
• Conducting formal and informal reviews of both Business Requirements and System Requirements documents
• Creating appropriate Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTM) and maintaining those elements of RTMs which relate to Business and System Requirements
• Participating as required in other phases of the SDM lifecycle, including carrying out updates to requirements documents arising from defects found in the Design and Construction phases
• Contributing to formal and informal reviews conducted by other project stakeholders
• Assisting the Project Manager in the following tasks:
• creating and refining project estimates
• ensuring business process impacts are identified and that together with the systems requirements the totality of the Business Requirements are met
• completing Business Continuity Management Assessments
• completing Business Impact Assessments
• Project Planning
• Support selecting software and Application Service Providers (ASPs)  

Skills, Experience & Competencies:

• At least 3 years’ experience of Business Analysis techniques and processes  
• Good knowledge of Solutions Delivery processes  
• Good knowledge of technical infrastructure and its interdependencies
• Good knowledge of application infrastructure and its interdependencies
• Strong knowledge of core business processes
• Demonstrates good interpersonal skills, and is comfortable at all levels of contact and in a wide variety of situations including external vendors
• Possesses a high level of presentation skills with the ability to adapt to all levels of audience
• Creation/knowledge of corporate data models and the warehouse
• Data Transfer
• Awareness of SLA and OLA management
• Ability to assume authority – to enable the influencing of higher tiers
• Strong negotiation skills
• Good communication skills

Department: Business Change

Reports to: Head of Project Delivery

Salary: £45,000 - £60,000

Role purpose:

To plan and oversee projects ensuring they are completed in a timely fashion and within budget. Project managers plan and designate project resources, prepare budgets, monitor progress, and keep stakeholders informed the entire way. This is all done within the confines of the company's goals and vision. The PM will be responsible for projects to drive positive change across all areas of business with the common aim of improving the customer journey and experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Determine and define project scope and objectives
• Predict resources needed to reach objectives and manage resources in an effective and efficient manner
• Prepare budget based on scope of work and resource requirements
• Track project costs in order to meet budget and highlight any areas of concern
• Develop and manage a detailed project schedule and work plan
• Provide project updates on a consistent basis to various stakeholders about strategy, adjustments, and progress
• Manage relationships with internal and Third Parties by assigning tasks and communicating expected deliverables
• Work effectively with relevant stakeholders for efficient project implementation
• Utilise industry best practices, techniques, and standards throughout entire project execution
• Monitor progress and make adjustments as needed, communicating with relevant stakeholders  
• Measure project performance to identify areas for improvement

Skills, Experience & Competencies:

• 5-8 years+ of project management and related experience
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent
• Proven ability to solve technical problems creatively
• Strong familiarity with project management software tools, methodologies, and best practices
• Experience in leading and managing business transformation and technical projects, with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement, change management, and project delivery
• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and extremely resourceful
• Proven ability to complete projects according to outlined scope, budget, and timeline
• Capability to report at a senior level across the organisation
• Skilled in Board pack composition and presentation