Educational Travel Coordinator

Small World Journeys is a female-owned educational tour operator creating unforgettable school adventures across Tropical North Queensland. We connect students with the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest through hands-on learning, sustainability and meaningful travel experiences.

We're looking for a highly organised, proactive and confident Groups Coordinator to join our Cairns team. This isn't your typical administration role. You'll take ownership of your own school groups, coordinating everything from accommodation and activities to transport, guides and teacher communications.

Why join Small World Journeys?

• Full-time stability: 38 hours per week, primarily Monday to Friday
• Flexible start times: Enjoy some flexibility in how you structure your working day
• Performance bonuses: Receive a bonus when one of your school groups rebooks
• Monthly wellbeing allowance: A stipend to spend on products or services that support your mental health and wellbeing
• Community involvement: Time to volunteer and give back to the community
• Unique experiences: Opportunities to join our tours, explore new locations and experience the activities we offer students
• Meaningful work: Be part of a business committed to sustainability, education and responsible tourism

As a Groups Coordinator, you'll be responsible for planning and coordinating multiple school tours, ensuring every detail is organised and each group has a fantastic experience. Your responsibilities will include:

• Tour planning and logistics: Coordinate accommodation, transport, activities, guides and suppliers for multi-day school tours.
• Client communication: Be the main point of contact for teachers, providing professional, accurate and timely information throughout the planning process.
• Tour preparation: Manage bookings, schedules, documentation, equipment and operational requirements to ensure everything is ready for each group's arrival.
• Administration and finances: Maintain accurate records, update our CRM, process supplier invoices and monitor tour budgets.
• Problem-solving and follow-up: Proactively manage changes, resolve logistical challenges, gather feedback and contribute to improving our programs and processes.

No two days are quite the same. You'll need to balance competing priorities, think ahead and be comfortable making decisions to keep things running smoothly.

We're looking for someone who takes pride in their work, enjoys responsibility and can confidently manage their own workload. You'll be a great fit if you:

• Are exceptionally organised and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage many moving parts without losing sight of the finer details
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong spelling, grammar and a professional approach to emails and phone calls
• Are confident with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (including formulas), Word and Outlook
• Are proactive and solutions-focused, comfortable making independent decisions and finding practical solutions to challenges
• Take ownership and accountability for your work, following tasks through to completion and learning from mistakes
• Are resilient and adaptable, remaining calm and focused when priorities shift or unexpected challenges arise
• Are confident and assertive when needed, able to communicate expectations, set boundaries and have professional conversations
• Enjoy being part of a team, contributing ideas, offering constructive feedback and supporting colleagues

Experience in travel coordination, tourism, education, event management or a similar logistics-focused role would be highly regarded. Knowledge of Cairns and Tropical North Queensland, along with an interest in sustainability and environmental education, would also be an advantage.

A few practical requirements:

• Have Australian working rights that allow ongoing, long-term employment
• Be based in Cairns or willing to relocate
• Have reliable transport and an open driver's licence
• Hold, or be willing to obtain, a Queensland Driver's Authority (DA)
• Be available for occasional weekend work when required to support group arrivals and operations

The details:

• Location: Cairns North, Queensland
• Employment: Full-time, 38 hours per week
• Hours: Primarily Monday to Friday, with flexibility in daily start times and occasional weekend work as operationally required
• Award: Clerks – Private Sector Award 2020, Level 4 (subject to confirmation)
• Pay: Starting pay ranges from $31 - $32 per hour
• Start date: Negotiable for the right candidate