Associate, Supplier Relations

About Global Charter Services Inc

Global Charter Services Inc. is the holding company for BusBank, Buster, CorporateShuttle.com and FestDrive. With over 20 years of experience chartering buses and the highest customer retention rate in the business, we are the most reliable partner in bus charter services. All of our brands are focused on making chartering buses easy for our customers. GCS is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in New York City, and staff based in many states in the USA.

GCS is an equal opportunity employer.

About You

The ideal candidate is passionate about the customer and partner (we call them suppliers) experience. You not only want to ensure every customer and supplier has a positive experience, but you are consistently in a “what can we do better” mode. You believe in a “partnership is a two-way street” approach to Partner Management, you’re a self-starter, tech-savvy and you’re looking for the opportunity to drive change.

About the Opportunity

This is a hands-on position, with shifts that may be outside the standard Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM timeframe. You’ll be the primary point of contact for our suppliers during the trip fulfillment phase of a booking, bringing technology into an industry that lags behind the remainder of the travel industry.

Objectives and Responsibilities of Associate, Supplier Relations:

• Trip Fulfillment
  • Procure operators for Platform bookings by facilitating trip delivery and managing acceptance.
  • When necessary, perform proactive communication with operators to get quotes and necessary confirmations.
  • Coordinate with internal Sales and/or SalesOps when necessary.
  • Awareness of confirmed trips in your region; address pricing and inventory concerns

• Platform Management
  • Awareness of and address pricing and/or inventory irregularities
  • Awareness of bugs, enhancement requests and product launches
  • Solicit feedback (from Suppliers), document and provide recommendations on website and/or internal system improvements; participate in system testing
  • Manage/address Supplier Relations team system tasks
  • In-depth knowledge of areas of Platform directly impacting Supplier Management
  • Understand and manage region pricing; Holiday, Peak, Off-Peak surcharges and/or discounts, pricing irregularities
  • Understand and manage regional transportation guidelines and/or restrictions (IE - regional/city/state licensing, road restrictions, permits)

• Specialty Movement Pricing
  • Coordinate pricing for large movements, priority access, and last-minute needs with sales.
  • Lead operator procurement and pricing, coordinating with Sales and Supplier Relations.
  • Assist sales in procurement in “Estimated Markets” with sparse inventory

• Pricing Strategy; With Department Head
  • Analyze platform market pricing trends to ensure competitiveness and parity.
  • Participate in and recommend pricing and revenue management initiatives to maximize booking opportunities and margin.
  • Manage system pricing and inventory dials, including market surcharges, adjusting on a macro or micro level to optimize platform performance.
  • Develop and manage industry pricing intelligence to ensure competitiveness and parity.
  • Provide guidance to internal teams on market pricing trends and events

• Region Liaison / Support for internal teams
  • Customer Experience: Resolving customer-impacting issues, negotiating refunds, understanding areas of improvement for Suppliers
  • Product: Solicit, document and provide recommendations on website and/or internal systems improvements; Participate in system testing and round-tables
  • Finance: Consult, research and assist in resolving Supplier-facing payment and refunds; maintain Supplier relationship and communication throughout (no hand-offs!)
  • Sales: Research, negotiate and provide guidance on group movements; obtain Supplier contracts in line with group contract
  • Supplier Relations: Coordinate operators to steer new business towards; mutually share operator information, feedback and performance; mutually share market intelligence impacting pricing and inventory

Qualifications of Supplier Relations Associate:

• You possess a positive attitude, with a proactive approach to service
• You have strong analytical skills, with extreme attention to detail
• You’re a highly motivated individual with the ability to multitask effectively
• You’re well organized and flexible in a changing and dynamic environment
• You’re able to work well under pressure, in both a team and individual setting, with minimal management support
• You have excellent interpersonal, telephone, writing & customer service skills
• You’re not shy about talking with customers and suppliers alike; embrace a conversation!
• You are internet savvy with strong skills in GSuite (Docs, Sheets, Mail)
• You’re a problem solver, with the ability to identify and implement solutions
• 4-year college degree preferred