Head of Positive Impact

About the Role

At Jacada Travel, we have a responsibility to make the travel we provide an uplifting experience for all concerned, from our travellers to the places they visit and the people they meet along the way. We believe travel has the power to be immensely positive for everyone if it’s conducted responsibly. As a proud brand within the Wilderness Group, Jacada plays a key role in promoting responsible travel with a positive impact on conservation and community.

Positive impact has been part of Jacada’s vision since our early years, which we’ve continued to strengthen and build on. We are seeking an inspiring, operationally strong Head of Positive Impact to lead our efforts, drive new projects and build on the solid foundations we already have.

Reporting directly to the Founder & MD, you will join our SLT+ Strategy & Alignment Team. This is a senior cross-functional role for an individual who is highly skilled in project execution and stakeholder management. You must be deeply strategic yet retain the humility to roll up your sleeves, working across all departments to make positive impact the most natural and rewarding path for our guests, our partners, and our internal teams.

Key Responsibilities

Your core focus will be to design, embed, measure, and communicate Jacada's Positive Impact strategy. Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Strengthening PI in all of our operations. This includes advising on DMC tendering frameworks, introducing positive impact to new-hires onboarding alongside L&D. You’ll also work to help educate and enable our sales teams to sell positive impact more effectively.

• Client Journey & Decision Making: Facilitate high-quality, positive impact as an integral and effortless part of the decision-making process for our clients, creating meaningful connections between our travellers and the local community or conservation efforts.

• Management of our current PI Projects : Scope, track, and successfully deliver quarterly and annual positive impact initiatives (e.g., hotel data auditing and guest impact initiatives) on time, to budget, and in alignment with our 2030 objectives.

• Stakeholder Management: Proactively manage a complex network of internal and external relationships—with regional SLT, Regional Travel Design Heads, marketing leads, external sustainability auditors, in-country DMCs, and non-profit partners.

• Partner Sourcing & Sustainability Audits: Partner with our Product and contracting teams to investigate the impact of our key accommodation partners. You will champion our hotel auditing processes (using Hotel Resilient) and oversee the creation of clear 'key positive impact' breakdowns to be displayed prominently on our website and client-facing materials.

• Internal Governance & Quality Control: Safeguard the integrity of Jacada’s Positive Impact Principles across all product, partner, and operational decisions. Manage continuous improvement mechanics, including the internal PI flag review process, updating operational guidelines,

• Wilderness Group Connection: Work closely with counterparts at the Wilderness Group to align, measure, and communicate Jacada's contribution to broader Wilderness projects, helping our internal teams deeply understand and feel connected to ongoing ground-level conservation work.

• Industry Change & Competitor Collaboration: Represent Jacada within key networks (including the Conscious Travel Foundation and Hotel Resilient). Actively work together across the industry to share insights, accelerate supply chain data collection, and help suppliers to elevate industry impact standards.

• Marketing, PR & Communications: Collaborate closely with our Marketing and Content teams to produce regular, authentic communications for our company and travellers, sharing our impact stories with absolute transparency and avoiding greenwashing.

• Thought leadership and industry powerhouse for Jacada: Comfortable speaking to media, happy to be on camera and be Jacada’s face of positive impact

Skills for Success

We are looking for someone who balances deep Positive Impact expertise with robust project leadership, clear stakeholder management, and the heartfelt passion that defines Jacada's culture:

• PI expertise: Minimum of 3–5 years' experience in a sustainability/impact-focused role, with clear project management and leadership experience (preferably within travel, hospitality, or the luxury sector). Deep understanding of Positive impact and sustainability issues within the travel industry.

• Robust Project Management: Proven ability to manage multi-departmental projects from concept to completion, managing timelines, coordinating resources, identifying roadblocks, and bringing stakeholders along with you.

• Collaborative Stakeholder Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills with a natural ability to consult, influence, and manage expectations across a diverse, global network—including remote local suppliers, internal department heads, and the Senior leadership team.

• A 'Big Picture' Mindset: An appreciation of your position within Jacada and the broader Wilderness Group—viewing our business as a collective of different teams working together towards shared goals. Finding ways for impact and commercial success to feed each other.

• Driven to Lead & Innovate and creativity: Strong work ethic and passion for responsible travel, with the determination to push boundaries, inspire others, and bring fresh, creative ideas to the table to ensure we remain leaders in our industry, in line with our core value Be Passionately Curious

• Communication & Trust: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. You operate in a fair, honest, and open manner with colleagues, press, and suppliers. You should be comfortable giving interviews and being a more public face of PI at Jacada.

• Empathy & Self-Awareness: The ability to actively listen, show genuine empathy, and operate with humility, welcoming feedback and leaving ego at the door. Align with our company values, which drive all the work we do.

• Hands-on Flexibility: A readiness to adapt and embrace change; a willingness to roll up your sleeves to support colleagues and handle the operational details alongside high-level strategy.

Timeline & Logistics

Recruitment Process

• 1st Stage: A formal virtual interview hosted by the Founder & Managing Director, and a member of our Senior Leadership Team.

• 2nd Stage: A task stage with more information to follow.

Key Information

• Reporting to: Founder & Managing Director (Alex Malcolm)

• Location: London (Hybrid - typically 3 days in office, 2 days WFH)

• Salary: £58,000

• Start Date: September (Exact date TBC)

• Closing Date: 10th July 2026 (subject to application volume)