Job Vacancy - Tours and Bike Rental Supervisor

2024: March - November

Here at Hike and Bike the Sierras, we are committed to providing brilliant biking and hiking experiences in our beautiful corner of Spain. We are now looking for an outgoing, organised and confident host for our day tour, multi-day tour and bike rental business. You will be based in Ronda, working directly with us (Heather and Wayne) and our clients, making sure that every holiday, day tour and bike rental runs smoothly, and that all our customers have a fantastic time whilst being responsible for maintaining our fleet of bikes.

ABOUT US

We started our biking and hiking business near Ronda in southern Spain in 2012. We came here on holiday ourselves earlier the same year, excited to explore the region, but found there was a distinct lack of services or information for hikers and bikers including reliable bike rental companies … After some deliberation, we decided to try and fill the gap and provide these much-needed services ourselves. Over the years, we have sought out the hidden trails and built our business to encompass MTB, leisure cycling, e-biking, road cycling and walking. We offer centre-based holidays (guided and self-guided), self-guided place-to-place tours, day tours guided and self-guided and bike hire. We ride and walk extensively in the countryside around Ronda and our tours traverse most of western Andalucia, from Granada to Cádiz and from Malaga to Seville; no other company offers such a wide range of disciplines and routes in this area.

We are proud to have built our business from the ground up and created a recognised brand in the local area and online. We recently featured in the UK's Channel 4’ TV programme 'A New Life in the Sun' (series 7, 2022), showing how we ensured our business survived the enforced lockdowns and ongoing impacts of COVID-19. We are now working on the next phase of our business development. Our emphasis on guided tours has slowly reduced over the past couple of years and we have found that many of the tourists visiting this region are happy to self-guide, especially with assurances of us providing local backup if needed and easy access to the latest navigation devices and applications.

THE ROLE

Up to now, we have run everything ourselves, with occasional support from other guides, bike mechanics and drivers. Now we are looking for someone to work closely with us on the physical execution of our activities. You will also ‘hold the fort’ when we are away from Ronda, developing new tours, guiding tours or promoting the business elsewhere. We will continue to manage enquiries, bookings, and website development throughout the year.

LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN

We run Hike and Bike as a married couple and enjoy sharing the different responsibilities, working through busy seasonal times and enjoying the quieter months in beautiful Andalucia. We believe the role we are offering is a great opportunity for a couple to live and work in Spain, particularly if one works remotely and can maintain their income whilst living in Spain. In this digital age, we meet more and more couples who come to Spain whilst one of them continues to work remotely and the other takes on a role locally.

RESPONSIBILITIES & TASKS

Bike maintenance – Safety checks, cleaning and preparing bikes for day tours, holidays and bike hire. Monitor equipment and workshop stores, and ensure sufficient spare parts inventory for 50 bikes. Our bike fleet includes MTBs, Hybrids, Trekking Bikes and differnent variations of Electric Bikes.
Briefings & bike Setup – Meet and greet clients for tours, and provide advice on the route, operation of the bikes and bike setup. Ensure clients have everything they need for their self-guided tours.
Maps & GPS preparation – Prepare maps for self-guided rides and walks. We provide a copy of the route to clients alongside the use of a GPS device or Smartphone app. Most of our tours are from predesigned routes chosen from the website.
Driving – Drop off and pick up clients and/or bikes. Some of our tours require transportation to the start point or pick-up at the endpoint. Most of our multi-day tours require bike collection at the end of the tour from towns further afield i.e. Granada, Malaga, Sevilla, Cadiz. Occasional airport transfers and maintaining vehicle cleanliness.
Occasional assistance with cycling guiding – Support the main guide with larger groups of bikers.
Guiding walks - We offer different levels on our walking day tours and centre-based holidays. Our customers range from young families, occasional walkers and competent hikers. We pride ourselves in the way we welcome everyone, whatever their age, gender, ability or fitness and our ability to customise tours to suit customer's requirements.
Local liaison - During busier times we work with local drivers who support us with bike collection/deliveries and luggage transfers, you will be tasked with organising this extra help when needed.
Social Media - Occasional posting of photos and a few comments from rides and walks with customers.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

Enthusiastic interest in discovering this amazing area and love of the outdoors.
European EU resident or hold a valid work visa for Spain.
Fluent in English and a good level of Spanish. All of our clients are English-speaking but some liaison is required with local Spanish providers. We do not expect fluency but some Spanish knowledge and confidence to engage with local people is advantageous.
Bike maintenance experience – pride in your work and bike presentation.
Full clean driving licence and confident driving a 9-seat minibus with a trailer. (Training will be given for driving with a trailer)
People skills – friendly personality with a good sense of humour, patience and understanding. Experience of dealing with the public in a hospitality, tourism or customer service role.
Love of the outdoors and local ‘colour’ – your interest/knowledge of the local landscape and culture helps our clients to enjoy their experiences more.
Leadership skills – confident to handle things on your own, particularly when we are not local. Self-motivated, with proven ability to act on your initiative and take responsibility seriously.
Flexible, adaptable and able to think on your feet, cope under pressure and adapt to changing situations with clients, weather conditions, trail conditions and a thousand other things that can happen when you and customers are out and about.
Not expecting a ‘9 to 5’ job. Our days are varied and not set in stone; some days start early and can extend into the evenings, whilst other days require a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon or early evening. Given the nature of tourism, there are peaks and troughs, giving plenty of free time during quieter times.

LOCATION

Ronda.

REWARDS

This position is a seasonal, renewable contract (Mid February to Mid November (excl. August) 9 months), including Social Security contributions. Monthly remuneration + tips + potential for extra earnings. Remuneration is open for negotiation dependent upon the applicant's experience.

INTERESTED?

Please e-mail us your CV, with a cover letter explaining briefly why you think you are right for this role. Please title your e-mail ‘Job Application - Guide & Bike Mechanic’. Please do not apply for this position if you do not have supporting visas or status to be able to work legally in Spain.