MANAGING DIRECTOR – DESTINATION THINK!
Company Information
Legal Company Name: Think X Innovations INC
Head Office: 600-1285 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6H 3X8, CANADA
Company Website: www.destinationthink.com
Years in Business: 7
Number of Employees: 6 (three full time and 3 part time)
Contact: [email protected]
Employment Details
Employment Status: Permanent, Full-Time
Hours of Work: Full-time, 40 hours per week
Work Schedule: Primarily Monday to Friday during regular business hours. Some evening, early morning, or weekend work may be required from time to time to accommodate member/client meetings, events, business travel, deadlines, and international time zones.
Primary Work Location: Revelstoke area, British Columbia, Canada. The position is attached to the employer’s British Columbia operations and may be performed remotely from an approved work location in or near Revelstoke, BC.
Hybrid/Remote Arrangement: Primarily remote/work-from-home. The employee may work from an approved remote location in or near Revelstoke, BC, and must be available during regular business hours for virtual meetings, team coordination, member/client delivery, and operational management. The employee may be required to attend in-person meetings, company activities, member/client engagements, events, and business travel as required.
Reports To: CEO
Direct Reports: 5
Travel Requirement: 5%
Language of Work: English
About the Company
After many years of servicing the Destination Management Organization (DMO) industry our company has an established reputation in the tourism sector and has been investing heavily in the growth of our Collective model.
The Collective has grown steadily to approximately 40 members, recurring annual revenue, strong renewal performance, high member satisfaction, prepaid annual memberships, some multi-year commitments, and visible demand from an active sales pipeline. Members are willing advocates for the model and the business has a visible path to grow to 60 members in 2027 and 100 members by 2029.
We are now seeking a proven operator to lead operational capacity, system scaling, and client retention to ensure continued sustainable growth.
Mission
A successful Managing Director will take a proven platform with visible demand and turn it into an efficient machine. This role exists to ensure the company becomes independent of any individuals and achieves the desired growth path, while improving the quality, scalability, margins, and impact associated with the Collective and related programs.
Success is defined by a business that operates smoothly without requiring the founders to coordinate, approve, manage day-to-day Collective programs, or solve operational problems.
Responsibilities
The Managing Director will be visible and active in leading, directing and evaluating the business operations: driving member growth, owning operational decisions, and accountable for financial performance:
- Lead day-to-day operational management of the business, including the execution of annual strategic plans with related P&L accountability and leading the team and managing HR matters
- Own the delivery and execution of the Collective and member experience including overseeing the production of member-facing content outputs, and supporting the development and leading the operational aspects of programs that drive member value
- Systematize the operating model to ensure it can effectively and efficiently support 100 members
- improve administrative and operational systems, processes, reporting, and accountability
- track organizational performance and impact and ensure member value remains exceptional as the Collective grows
- improve operating leverage and margins
- remove dependence on any individuals on the team
- Lead the mid-funnel new member sales process including discovery conversations, proposal development, and closing with CEO and team involvement on strategic relationship-sourced leads
- Develop and execute annual operating plans in collaboration with the CEO.
- Prepare and control budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting within the approved annual budget.
- Direct corporate governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, and internal control processes, escalating material issues to the CEO.
- Recruit, hire, coach, evaluate, and manage employees and contractors, subject to approved budgets and CEO approval for new full-time roles or compensation changes.
- Develop and implement policies, procedures, workflows, and operating standards.
- Negotiate contracts and manage vendors, subject to approval limits for material commitments.
- Oversee CRM, technology, reporting, and operational systems.
- Support compliance with applicable employment, privacy, occupational health and safety, and contractual requirements.
- Represent the organization with members, prospective members, government, industry partners, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Report regularly to the CEO on operations, team performance, financial performance, risks, systems, and execution.
Decision-making authority:
The Managing Director has authority to make day-to-day operational, staffing, vendor, systems, member-delivery, and budget-management decisions within the approved company strategy, annual operating plan, and budget. The role will plan, organize, direct, control, and evaluate the operations of departments. The role may direct and advise employees and contractors, assign work, implement approved policies and procedures, oversee CRM and reporting systems, coordinate member delivery, negotiate routine vendor terms, and approve routine operating expenses. CEO approval is required for new full-time hires, compensation changes, material contracts, major budget changes, pricing changes, legal commitments, borrowing, ownership matters, strategic partnerships, and commitments outside the approved operating plan or budget.
Outcomes:
The business exists to increase the tangible impacts within the destinations that members represent, and the group’s combined positive impact on the world. The result of the Managing Director’s work is to ensure this purpose continues within a professionally operated, founder-resilient membership platform capable of scaling efficiently while maintaining exceptional member value and increasingly generating strong margins for the company.
OUTCOME 1: Founder independence
Reduce the operational involvement of founders in the business and Collective delivery to approximately 5–10 hours per week by the end of Q1 2027. Baseline to be documented at role commencement; target assumes MD start in January, 2027.
OUTCOME 2: Enable continued quality as the business grows
Successfully onboard, retain and deliver value to a 60 member Collective in 2027 while maintaining quality and improving margins. Then, set up the business to be able to increase margins and diversify membership as it grows to 80 members in 2028 and 100 members in 2029.
Renewals should continue at 90+% renewal unless there’s a strategic reason for evolving memberships and they’re replaced by members with higher levels of ambition and engagement and stronger brand profile. to ensure membership goals are met.
OUTCOME 3: Ensure operating leverage
Ensure that overhead and staffing growth is significantly slower than revenue growth as membership grows from 40 to 100 members. Simplify the way value is created, define processes, systems and introduce technology.
Core KPIs:
2027, 2028, 2029
Total number of members (revenue) 60 (1.5m), 80 (2m), 100 (2.5m)
Annual profit (margin) 500k (33%), 800k (40%), 1.25m (50%)
Additional performance indicators (KPI)
● strong member satisfaction (member growth)
● team satisfaction (eNPS)
● completion of functioning and improved operating systems and management processes milestones
● margin improvement attributable to operational efficiency gains, with supporting evidence of process, reporting, and accountability systems implemented
● meaningful reduction in founder operational involvement to the agreed target range (time used)
Competencies & Qualifications
This next phase requires a proven operator who is excited by understanding the current state of the company and Collective in order to optimize and create systems that will enable scale, protect member value, improve margins, and remove risk and any founder dependence as the platform scales.
Core Competencies:
● Strategic planning
● Financial management
● Organizational leadership
● Change management
● Stakeholder management
● Technology proficiency: high level of competency in Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Office Suite
● Data analysis and reporting
Candidates must have:
● 10+ years of progressive senior leadership experience in destination marketing, destination management, destination development, tourism, visitor economy, place strategy, economic development, and public-sector advisory.
● Demonstrated understanding of the destination sector, including the role of DMOs, tourism boards, destination stewardship, visitor economy strategy, resident and stakeholder expectations, and the relationship between tourism, community, government, civil society and development assistance.
● Proven experience leading business operations in a small or mid-sized organization, including responsibility for revenue, profitability, team performance, delivery quality, client/member retention, and organizational execution.
● Experience leading, operating, growing, or advising a recurring-revenue, relationship-based B2B business model, such as a membership-based organization, executive network, peer-learning community or high-value professional services community.
● Demonstrated ability to translate founder/CEO vision and business strategies into operating plans and systems, annual priorities, accountability rhythms, and measurable execution.
● Experience working with and fostering collaboration between senior executives, boards, elected officials, public-sector leaders, tourism organizations, community stakeholders, and other tourism industry partners.
● Strong commercial judgment, including experience with sales pipeline management, renewals, pricing, client/member value, partnerships, or growth planning.
● Experience managing cross-functional teams and contractors across sales, client/member success, delivery, operations, finance, communications, and/or marketing.
● Demonstrated experience developing and managing annual operating plans, budgets, KPIs, team accountability systems, and performance management rhythms in a senior leadership role.
● Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
● Ability to work full-time from British Columbia, with hybrid/remote flexibility as required by the company.
● Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required for client/member meetings, conferences, and company events.
Preference may be given to candidates with:
● Experience at a professional level in business administration, finance or administrative services.
● Direct experience in managing a destination marketing organization, destination management organization, tourism board, municipality, regional tourism organization, economic development agency, or government-funded tourism entity.
● Experience in tourism policy, public policy, destination stewardship, sustainable tourism, economic development policy, government relations, advocacy, or public-sector strategy.
● Experience supporting founder-led companies through a growth, succession, or operational scale-up phase.
● Experience working across Canada, the United States, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, and or other international destination markets.
● Familiarity with CRM systems, project management systems, financial dashboards, sales reporting, and operating scorecards.
● Bachelor’s degree in business, tourism, communications, public administration, economics, policy, or a related field, or equivalent senior leadership experience.
● Willing to relocate to British Columbia, with preference for close proximity to Revelstoke
Compensation
Base compensation is expected to be in the range of $100,000–$140,000 CAD for a full time role, plus paid vacation and benefits. Additional annual performance bonus negotiable based on performance against approved annual operating plan
Employment Equity / Accommodation Statement
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities. Accommodations are available upon request throughout the recruitment process in accordance with applicable human rights legislation.
How to apply
Please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Pay: $100,000.00-$140,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
- Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Revelstoke, BC
