Production Specialist

Title: Production Specialist
EF Division: Explore America
Location: Washington, D.C.
Start Date: August 2, 2021

*In accordance with public health guidance, all of our staff are currently working from home. However, our EF culture still runs strong. From virtual happy hours, group workout classes, and collaborative technology, we'll make sure you can stay close to your colleagues - even from home. We hope to get back to the office at some point in September of 2021, and this role will be based in our Washington, D.C. office at that time.*

EF Explore America is a division of EF Education First (“EF”), a diversified global education company that has been in operation for over 55 years.  EF is family-owned, has a staff of nearly 60,000 people, and operates out of 600 offices in over 100 countries around the world.  As a privately held company, EF has the advantage of being flexible and able to make decisions for the long-term success of the company.  We have certainly experienced our share of travel-related obstacles and seemingly impossible situations – but have bounced back stronger each time. 

EF Explore America organizes and leads educational trips for teachers and their students across North America.  At EF Explore America, we believe in one simple truth – that the world is better when people try to understand one another.  Our tours help students expand their knowledge of the world around them, understand new people, places, and cultures, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident and independent.  Following a year that challenged our ability to be out in the world and learning by doing, never have our teachers and their students been more ready to get back to traveling with us.

The Role

When you work in operations at EF, you play a vital role in fulfilling the company’s mission: Opening the World Through Education. As a Production Specialist, you will be responsible for planning and managing the logistics and details of a unique portfolio of tours within North America. To do this, you will work closely with suppliers, tour directors, and other teams across Explore America to ensure our tours are well-built and provide an excellent customer experience. The Production Specialist also liaises with the Sales, Product, and Procurement teams to continuously improve our tours and internal operations.

Responsibilities:

Tour Production

• Produce tour itineraries efficiently at scale that support our strategic business objectives around cost and quality management, itinerary optimization, and tour personalization.
• Collaborate with our Procurement team to identify supplier and contracting needs – such as restaurants, hotels, and attractions – that better serve our customers.
• Support our Sales staff with expert product knowledge to help them prepare our customers before traveling.
• Prepare Tour Directors before tour to better understand our customers and to deliver an excellent on-tour experience.
• Support our groups on tour to problem solve incidents and emergency situations, such as itinerary adjustments, group logistic changes, and minor medical issues.

Process and Product Improvement

• Analyze customer feedback and supplier insights to improve tour production efficiency, optimize itinerary flow, and develop tour personalization at scale.
• Develop and maintain resources that aid in tour production and document standard operation procedures.
• Collaborate with teams across Explore America to develop and deliver product improvements, product testing, and EF exclusive partnerships.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• 1- 2 years professional or internship experience
• Experience managing multiple competing priorities simultaneously
• Able to think critically and creatively to problem solve under pressure
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining awareness of the larger mission
• Great communication skills, both oral and written
• A self-directed, results-oriented, team player
• Proficient with Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Interest in technology, database management, and Lean Methodologies are not required but are a plus

The Perks:
 As if changing teachers’ and students’ lives and making the world a better place isn’t enough, we also offer the opportunity to:

• Live Well
• 25% company match on your 401(k) contributions
• Expand your worldview with paid business travel plus three weeks of paid vacation time to start (and four weeks starting in year two)
• Highly subsidized, market-leading health and dental benefits plan
• Access to Employee Assistance Programs
• Competitive fertility assistance benefits and paid parental leave programs
• Live your Truth:
• We believe our business, like our world, is better when we embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Build your network by joining Explore America’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee
• Join one (or several) of our employee led clubs or affinity (we call them “EF-inity”) groups such as, LGBTQ+ @ EF, Black @ EF, and Latinos @ EF. Don’t see a resource group, affinity group or club that matches your passion? Feel free to create one!
• Live Engaged
• We work in an open environment without cubicles or private offices
• Enjoy comprehensive in-house professional development opportunities with weekly training and workshops
• Keep up that student mentality with free in-house language classes and an annual stipend for continued education.
• Explore the world with discounts on hotels, flights, rental cars, as well as paid travel.

About Us:
EF Explore America, a division of EF Education First, is one of the largest providers of teacher-led student tours in North America. Students and teachers from all across the USA travel with us on tours throughout North America. Tours to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston have been our bread and butter for years, and our travelers also expand their world-view by visiting San Francisco, Puerto Rico, Chicago, Montreal, and beyond. From sales and marketing to operations and finance, our teammates are headquartered in Boston with a regional office in Washington, D.C., and presence in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and throughout Texas.
 

About EF Education First 
At EF we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Since 1965, we have helped millions of people see new places, experience new cultures, and learn new things about the world and about themselves. Our culturally immersive education programs—focused on language, travel, cultural exchange, and academics—turn dreams into international opportunities.

When you join EF, you join a multicultural and diverse community working across more than 600 schools and offices in 50 countries, all with one shared mission of opening the world through education. Whoever you are, whatever you are passionate about—we welcome you and want you to bring that to work every day. EF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to inclusion and belonging across race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, caste, parental status, identity, experience, and everything else that makes you unique.

Founded in Sweden in 1965, EF has schools and offices around the world, including hubs in Boston, London, Mexico City, São Paulo, Shanghai, Stockholm, Zürich, and more. Learn more at https://ef.com.