Senior Tour Guide - Ottawa
Are you a great storyteller and wonderful with people? This Tour Guide is responsible for delivering engaging, informative, and high-quality tours while ensuring exceptional guest experiences. This role requires strong storytelling ability, customer service excellence, and a passion for showcasing Ottawa.
As a Senior Tour Guide, you will have additional responsibility supporting operational leadership, team development, and administrative functions within the Ottawa market.
Tour Delivery & Customer Experience
- You will provide exceptional customer service and maintain strong knowledge of local tourism, attractions, and current events.
- You create a fun, engaging, and personalized experience tailored to guests’ interests and preferences.
- You deliver tours in alignment with company standards and policies, providing insight into route selections and stories.
- You confidently deliver recommendations, directions, and travel advice to guests.
- By acting as a brand ambassador, you promote tours and related experiences to customers and prospective clients.
Tour Preparation, operations and partnerships
- By building and maintaining positive relationships with local partners (e.g., craft breweries, attractions, and vendors), you are always prepared for upcoming scheduled and private tours. Coordinating with partners to ensure all aspects of tour setup are complete.
- You are an excellent brand ambassador for Toonie Tours, representing the company professionally within the local tourism community.
- Arriving at least 15 or more minutes early, ensures a successful and well-planned tour for greeting and checking in guests and keeping the tour on schedule.
- Handling company property responsibly and maintaining equipment in good condition.
Professional Standards
Being the professional you are, you stay informed on local news and developments relevant to the tour you’re delivering while:
- Maintaining a professional appearance, including adherence to dress code and hygiene standards.
- Ensuring a safe environment for all guests, while prioritizing health and safety and being physically and mentally fit to guide tours safely and effectively.
- You’ve conducted ongoing research to enhance tour content, stories and recommendations and incorporated guest feedback and frequently asked questions for maximum effect.
- Maintaining a strictly non-political approach when delivering tour content.
Administrative Duties
- You complete all administrative tasks promptly, including scheduling, reporting, invoicing, and communication.
- Accurately handling and submitting tip revenues when applicable.
- Collaborating with the team by sharing updates, ideas, and improvements.
In addition to offering a great tour, as the Senior Tour Guide you support day-to-day operations and coordination of tours in Ottawa. Assisting with scheduling for smooth delivery of all tour activities, including:
- Optimizing operations to enhance guest experience while managing costs effectively.
- Working with the sales team to plan and execute private and custom tours.
- Ensuring operational readiness, including equipment preparation and logistics coordination.
- Balancing guiding and administrative responsibilities based on seasonal demand:
- Peak season: focus primarily on tour delivery
- Shoulder/low seasons: increased leadership and operational responsibilities
- Acting as a primary full-time team member, maintaining consistent availability year-round.
- Reducing customer service concerns by proactively resolving challenges during tours.
As the Senior Tour Guide, you get to lead other fabulous guides through recruitment, interviewing and hiring of new Tour Guides. Overseeing onboarding and training, ensuring new guides are properly mentored and scheduled for shadowing with top performers.
By providing supportive performance management, you foster a positive, collaborative team environment through effective communication, meetings, and engagement initiatives. Setting a high standard for professionalism and team culture.
Core Competencies
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills
- Strong customer service orientation
- Leadership and team-building abilities
- Time management and organizational skills
- Adaptable and a real problem-solver
- Knowledge of Ottawa tourism and culture.
Summary
This role is ideal for an outgoing, knowledgeable, and reliable individual who enjoys engaging with people and representing Ottawa. The Senior Tour Guide role offers additional leadership opportunities and is key to maintaining high standards across operations and guest experience.
Pay: $18.50-$30.00 per hour
Application question(s):
- How do you get involved in your community?
Experience:
- Team management: 3 years (required)
- Store management: 3 years (preferred)
- Tour Guiding: 3 years (preferred)
Language:
- Spanish (preferred)
- French (preferred)
Location:
Work Location: In person
