Concierge Manager | Remote | Luxury Travel Leadership

About Ascend

Ascend helps founders, investors, and executives book international business and first-class flights at unbeatable rates- often 30-80% below retail. We combine proprietary booking methods with 24/7 white-glove concierge service to make premium travel seamless.

We've grown from 12 to 66 people in just over a year, backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, and 5x'd our revenue year-over-year. We're at $22M+ ARR and growing fast. Our mission is to democratize premium travel and make first class accessible to those shaping the world.

Our clients- founders, investors, and executives from venture capital, family offices, private equity, and beyond- expect exceptional service delivered with speed, accuracy, and sophistication.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced luxury service leader who wants to build world-class operations and scale their impact in a fast-growing company.

You'll own shift-level operations across four core functions: Client Service, Ticketing, Trip Fulfillment, and Process Management. You'll lead Team Leads who manage specialists, ensure every client receives five-star treatment, and build systems that make excellence repeatable and scalable.

What you'll do:

Lead and Develop Your Team

• Manage 3-4 Team Leads across all concierge functions
• Provide daily coaching, feedback, and support to develop their judgment and leadership
• Build a culture where ownership, precision, and empathy are balanced with speed and quality
• Conduct regular reviews to support team member growth and performance

Own Shift Operations

• Direct all client-facing operations during your shift with real-time decision-making
• Allocate resources, manage escalations, and resolve complex issues with calm confidence
• Ensure seamless handovers between shifts- nothing falls through the cracks
• Maintain 95%+ SLA adherence and 98%+ data accuracy through effective systems and team management

Deliver Exceptional Client Experiences

• Own the end-to-end client journey for your shift- every request, quote, booking, and follow-up
• Personally handle VIP clients and high-complexity situations requiring senior judgment
• Ensure clients receive timely updates, proactive solutions, and service exceeding expectations
• Turn service recovery moments into opportunities that strengthen client relationships

Drive Process Excellence

• Submit at least 2 documented process improvements per month that increase efficiency or quality
• Spot patterns in client feedback, system inefficiencies, and team performance- then solve them systematically
• Partner with Process Management and other teams to streamline workflows
• Use data to make decisions, validate improvements, and track impact

Collaborate Across Ascend

• Work closely with Product, Operations, and Leadership to implement new systems and scale consistency across shift
• Represent the voice of both clients and your team in strategic discussions
• Contribute insights that shape how we grow globally while maintaining service quality

What You Bring

Must have:

• 4+ years in luxury travel, hospitality, or high-touch service operations - Apply even if you dont have all the experience but are confident in your skillset
• 2+ years in a leadership or management role- you've coached teams, not just managed tasks
• Strong GDS proficiency, ideally Sabre- you're comfortable with fare rules, complex routing, and ticketing
• Data-driven approach- you use metrics to spot trends and improve performance
• Excellent written and verbal communication- you can coach with clarity and write polished client messages
• Calm under pressure- when everything hits at once, you're the steady presence

Nice to have:

• Experience with international business/first-class bookings or award travel programs
• Familiarity with tools like Asana, Periskope, Stripe, or similar workflow/CRM platforms
• Track record of building or improving operational processes, SOPs, or training programs
• Experience managing remote, global teams
• Background in luxury hospitality brands (hotels, premium concierge services)

You don't need to check every box- if you have 80% of the skills and the drive to learn, we want to hear from you.

What Makes You Stand Out

• You've turned around an underperforming team or operation (and can show the metrics)
• You're known as the manager people want to work for because you make them better
• You have a reputation for spotting issues before they become problems
• You think in systems but lead with empathy- process without people is just bureaucracy
• You're comfortable being hands-on when needed while developing others to take ownership

Why Ascend

Clear growth path Your progression: Concierge Manager Senior Concierge Manager Associate Director Director. We promote from within based on demonstrated performance and impact, not politics or tenure.

Build, don't just maintain We're implementing our concierge framework and career systems right now. You're not inheriting a rigid legacy system- you're helping shape how Ascend operations scale globally. Your insights will directly influence how we work.

Real support

• We hire proficient people- you won't be carrying underperformers
• Regular reviews with clear metrics and feedback
• Head of People who understands operations and partners with you
• Process Management team dedicated to making your job easier

Work-life balance

• Predictable scheduling- you'll know your shift in advance
• Proper handovers- the next manager gets everything they need
• Global team- talented colleagues across continents
• Merit-based performance incentives.This is made up of a base salary of $1,800 - $2,000/month, plus a profit share - you would be eligible to receive a 3% company profit share distributed equally across the team. When Ascend has a strong month, this can add $250 - $500 (or more) to your monthly take-home

Learn while you lead

• Advanced travel optimization strategies used by elite professionals
• How to lead global teams with shared metrics and real-time decision-making
• Cross-functional collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Operations
• Operational leadership at a venture-backed company growing 5x year-over-year

What Success Looks Like

First 90 days: Learn our systems and tools (Sabre, Asana, Periskope, booking platforms), lead shifts independently with 95%+ SLA adherence, begin coaching Team Leads effectively, and identify your first improvement opportunities.

Within 6-12 months: Consistently deliver 95%+ SLA and 98%+ accuracy, achieve strong team sentiment scores (8/10+), lead at least one initiative that measurably improves client satisfaction or efficiency, and develop strong relationships with frequent travelers.

Our Values

Customer Obsession - We win when our customers win
Urgency with Impact - Clients expect answers in minutes, not hours
Radical Candor - Honest, direct, respectful feedback builds trust
Ownership - If something breaks, we fix it
Relentless Excellence - Good enough is never enough

Should You Apply?

If you're thinking "I'm not sure I have all the experience listed"- apply anyway. We're looking for people with 80% of the skills and 100% of the drive to learn.

What we care about most:

• Have you led teams or operations in a high-touch service environment?
• Do you have a track record of meeting or exceeding operational targets?
• Can you coach, give feedback, and develop others?
• Are you excited about building something excellent from the ground up?

If yes, we want to hear from you.

Why You'll Love This Role

This is perfect for someone who:

• Wants to work directly with founders, investors, and global business leaders
• Sees themselves at Ascend for years, building toward senior leadership
• Takes pride in building something excellent
• Values both high performance and sustainable work practices
• Wants to lead a high-performing team that thrives on excellence and accountability

Engagement Structure, Compensation, Shifts, and Benefits

Ascend is a remote-first, global team. This role is structured as a direct independent contractor engagement, with compensation paid as a consolidated monthly amount in USD.

As this is an independent contractor engagement, the compensation will not follow a traditional local payroll structure or salary breakup. This means statutory deductions or components such as PF, PT, gratuity, bonus, or other local payroll-linked benefits are not applicable unless specifically required under the terms of engagement or communicated in writing by Ascend. Contractors are responsible for managing any applicable taxes, filings, and compliance requirements in their own location.

This role is part of Ascend's 24/7 client service operations and involves rotating shifts to support clients across different time zones. This may include overnight shifts, weekends, or public holidays depending on business and team scheduling needs. Weekly offs and shift schedules are planned in advance wherever possible and managed fairly across the team.

The consolidated monthly compensation is designed to account for the nature of the role, including rotating shifts and operational coverage requirements. Separate allowances for night shifts, weekends, holidays, overtime, or additional hours are not applicable unless specifically communicated otherwise for a particular role.

At this stage, Ascend does not provide medical insurance, mediclaim, or similar statutory benefits for this role. Further details on leaves, schedules, contractor terms, and applicable policies will be shared during the offer and onboarding process.

Ascend values work-life balance and aims to distribute schedules thoughtfully. At the same time, because this is a client-facing operational role, some flexibility and responsiveness may be required from time to time.

Ascend is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.