quark expeditions

Quark Expeditions is the world leader in polar expedition travel. Headquartered in Toronto, we operate transformative voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic, including Greenland, Northern Canada, and Svalbard, aboard three state‑of‑the‑art expedition vessels: Ultramarine, Ocean Explorer, and World Explorer.

Since 1991, Quark has pioneered many of the industry’s greatest firsts—from the first commercial transit of the Northeast Passage to the first circumnavigation of Antarctica with guests. Today, we continue to push boundaries as part of Travelopia, the world’s leading experiential travel group backed by KKR.

We’re now hiring a Vice President, Operations, to lead the end‑to‑end execution of Quark’s expeditions across our fleet and global destinations.

The Role

This executive position ensures every Quark expedition is delivered safely, reliably, efficiently, and to the highest operational standards, while supporting the scale and complexity of a fast‑growing global business.

As a key member of the executive leadership team and reporting to the President, the VP Operations owns operational excellence across marine, expedition, hotel, aviation, logistics, and shoreside functions. You will translate product intent and guest promise into repeatable, world‑class operational delivery—balancing safety, cost discipline, and quality at scale.

While you’ll partner closely with the VP Product & Planning, your accountability is firmly centred on operational delivery, fleet strategy, staffing models, guest service execution, and enterprise‑level risk management.

What We Offer

• A senior executive role with significant ownership, influence, and enterprise impact
• The opportunity to lead complex, high‑consequence operations in some of the most remote environments on Earth
• High autonomy, trust, and visibility, with direct influence on safety, performance, and cost outcomes
• A collaborative leadership culture across Quark and the wider Travelopia group
• Competitive executive compensation, benefits, and long‑term development opportunities.

What You’ll Do

Expedition, Fleet & Operational Delivery

• Own the safe, compliant, and efficient execution of all Quark expeditions.
• Ensure marine, expedition, hotel, aviation, logistics, and shoreside functions operate as a unified system.
• Translate product designs and itineraries into operationally sound, repeatable delivery plans.
• Lead Quark’s fleet strategy, including vessel selection, charter/ownership models, and long‑term fleet planning.
• Strengthen partnerships with ship owners, technical managers, and critical marine stakeholders.
• Own operational budgets and drive disciplined cost management across all operational functions.

Safety, Risk & Compliance

• Champion Quark’s safety‑first culture across ship‑based and shoreside teams.
• Ensure compliance with all maritime, environmental, and destination‑specific regulations.
• Lead operational risk management, incident response, contingency planning, and crisis decision‑making.
• Partner with Legal and Finance on key operational contracts, insurance, and risk exposure management.

Staffing Models & Field Execution

• Own crewing strategies, staffing models, and execution frameworks across all expedition, marine, hotel, and aviation teams.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a global operations leadership group.
• Ensure robust training, readiness, and performance systems—especially for safety‑critical roles.

Guest Service Operations & Feedback Closure

• Own guest‑facing operational processes onboard and shoreside, ensuring consistent, high‑quality service.
• Lead operational guest‑feedback systems (NPS, Qualtrics, etc.), ensuring effective escalation, resolution, and closed‑loop learning.
• Partner with VP Product & Planning, Commercial, and field leadership to ensure guest insights drive continuous operational improvement.

Product Collaboration

• Provide structured, feasibility‑based operational input into new product concepts and experience initiatives.
• Partner closely with VP Product & Planning to ensure product ambition is grounded in operational reality, while retaining clear accountability for execution and delivery.

What You’ll Bring

Essential

• Extensive executive leadership experience in complex, safety‑critical operational environments (maritime, expedition, aviation, logistics, or similar).
• Proven success leading large, distributed, global operational teams.
• Strong financial acumen with ownership of large‑scale operating budgets.
• Exceptional crisis‑management and decision‑making ability.
• Ability to operate effectively across cultures, geographies, and time zones.

Valuable Extras

• Experience in ship ownership or charter‑based operating models.
• Background in expedition cruising, polar operations, or highly regulated environments.
• Experience working within private‑equity‑backed or multi‑brand organisations.

What Success Looks Like in 12–24 Months

• Expeditions are delivered safely, consistently, and on plan across all destinations.
• Operational performance is predictable, scalable, and cost‑disciplined.
• A clear, future‑ready fleet strategy is in place and aligned to business growth.
• Operational insights strengthen new product development without slowing innovation.
• Teams are aligned, accountable, and high‑performing—even under pressure.

We believe people perform best when they can be their true selves and diverse teams drive better results. We’re committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where everyone can succeed.

Travelopia ensures an inclusive workplace for all. If you need accommodations during the recruitment process, please inform us here: Talent@Travelopia.com

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