Jobs at ABTA

We’re  at the heart  of one of the UK’s most dynamic business sectors which touches on nearly everyone’s lives – travel and tourism. ABTA helps it thrive.  

We have an unrivalled presence in the sector, and use our expertise and skills to support our members and represent their interests, and help their customers to travel with confidence.

We do this in a friendly, professional way, always looking to achieve more; and in a work environment in which colleagues are respected, can grow and enjoy their work.

We encourage a culture where colleagues are supportive of each other, working in collaboration and drawing on knowledge from other teams.

Managers lead and bring their teams with them, excellent work is praised and recognised, and two-way discussions are encouraged where everyone can have a genuine say.

We believe happy, motivated, and empowered people provide better services, so we are constantly investing in our colleagues. If you would like to join us at ABTA, have a look at the available opportunities below.

If you’d like to know more, read about Careers at ABTA and take a look at our current opportunities below.

Current Vacancies

Head of Membership


Closing date for applications:  11 October 2024
First round interviews:            14 – 25 October 2024
Start date:                                  ASAP


ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry, and has been a trusted travel brand for over 70 years. Our purpose is to help our members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence.

We’re passionate about the role we play within the industry and are committed to helping each other thrive. We’ve built a culture where amazing people can do their best work and grow as professionals, and individuals. We work in an open plan office, which allows effective collaboration across departments, in the heart of London Bridge right next to Borough Market.

ABTA is currently recruiting for a Head of Membership to join the Membership and Financial Protection department on a permanent contract. The Membership team sits right at the heart of ABTA, engaging with a diverse range of travel businesses (travel agents and tour operators) from the moment they first enquire about joining ABTA and throughout the duration of their membership. The team play a key role in recruiting and onboarding new members, and engaging with existing members, ensuring they understand the benefits and services available to them as ABTA members and helping them to maximise those to run successful businesses.

The purpose of the Head of Membership role is to lead, develop and operationalise ABTA’s new member recruitment, member engagement and retention strategy, through a planned and targeted approach, working with the Senior Leadership Team and colleagues across ABTA to deliver impactful results under the ABTA Plan.

They will line manage the team responsible for supporting the coordination and delivery of key member engagement and new member recruitment activities, to attract new travel businesses into membership and maximise member retention.

The successful candidate will be an ambassador for ABTA, representing ABTA at internal and external events in the UK and overseas. This part of the role involves frequent travel and time away from the office and home.

The ideal candidate should have:

  • Experience of developing and successfully delivering strategic initiatives with impactful business results
  • Strong leadership skills – able to lead, motivate and develop others, with a passion for service excellence 
  • Strong stakeholder relationship management skills 
  • Resilient character with emotional intelligence and a tactful, considered, professional approach to dealing with stakeholders and colleagues, able to understand and adapt to the needs of others while balancing these with the needs of ABTA 
  • Professionalism, discretion and integrity when dealing with sensitive or confidential matters 
  • Commercial acumen and influencing skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to effectively communicate with people at all levels
  • Excellent public-speaking and presentation skills
  • Strong IT skills (Advanced MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, CRM)
  • Strong analytical and report-writing skills – able to analyse complex information and prepare concise insights for various audiences to inform decision-making and devise appropriate strategies 
  • Risk mindset – able to understand the bigger picture, identify risks, manage issues, and propose solutions
  • Experience within the travel industry is essential
  • Business development and/or sales experience within professional organisations is desirable
  • Experience within a membership organisation is desirable

Our values

The successful candidate will demonstrate behaviours which fit with ABTA’s values:

Be There
We are always ready and prepared to help our members, customers and colleagues with a positive attitude. We are encouraged and empowered to make clear, timely and informed decisions, even when faced with the unknown.

Be Trusted
We are proud to be part of an award-winning brand in the travel industry, passionately providing quality support and advice in a fair, equitable and consistent way. We aim to be approachable and reliable, in order to do a consistently good job for the industry and each other.

Be Ambitious
Although we need to be risk-aware, we have the confidence to be bold and visionary, and the insight to make calculated risks to transform the way we work. We encourage each other to push the boundaries and share ‘outside the box’ thinking.


Salary: Competitive dependent on experience, plus company benefits
Location: We’re a hybrid-working organisation, so all colleagues are able to balance working in a collaborative environment from our open-plan office in the heart of London Bridge, along with time working from home.

ABTA offers a supportive work environment alongside other additional benefits such as private health insurance, pension, life insurance, income protection, season ticket loan, Rent Start – rental deposit loan scheme, online GP service, buy/sell leave, an in-depth learning and development framework, as well as retail discounts. ABTA has adopted a hybrid working model which combines the benefits of home working, and office work.

To apply for the post please submit your CV with a covering letter outlining why you are the right person for the role, your salary expectations and notice period, to hr@abta.co.uk. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ABTA, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We are an equal opportunities employer that encourages eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. To ensure that this policy is fully and fairly implemented and monitored, and for no other reason, please fill out our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.