We love what we do here. And we want you to join us.
Thrifty Traveler is a spirited and nimble small business based here in the Twin Cities, brimming with passionate travelers dedicated to one simple (but essential) goal: helping people travel more for less. If you're looking to blend your love for travel with a dynamic startup vibe, Thrifty Traveler is the place for you.
Don't see any positions open here? Check back later, subscribe to our free daily newsletter for announcements, or shoot us an email: help (at) thriftytraveler (dot) com
Open Positions
Community Marketing Manager
Application deadline: Sunday, Feb. 1
Thrifty Traveler is seeking an experienced Community Marketing Manager to join our team. Our ideal candidate is a deeply passionate traveler based in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a proven track record of building and fostering communities online and in person.
This employee will develop and execute a long-term strategy to grow and engage our communities across online platforms, in-person events, partnerships, advocacy, and in-person experiences. This role blends community management, experiential marketing, ambassador development, partnership coordination, and brand stewardship.
To begin the application process, fill out this form!
Key Responsibilities
Community Development & Engagement
- Build a community engagement strategy across online channels, including Reddit, Facebook (public & Premium-only), Slack/Discord (new), and other channels
- Develop guidelines and etiquette for communities to keep them helpful, inclusive, and aligned with our values
- Monitor conversations, answer questions, and proactively join discussions in ways that highlight Thrifty Traveler’s expertise
- Identify recurring community needs, questions, or frustrations and turn them into insights for marketing, product, and content teams
- Track community health KPIs: engagement, sentiment, membership growth, churn risk indicators, and referral program performance
Events & Experiences
- Pitch, plan and execute Thrifty Traveler meetups in key cities
- Organize live podcast recordings and community Q&As
- Lead logistics for Thrifty Traveler events, from concept to execution (venue, AV, staffing, attendee experience)
- Recruit and train “event ambassadors” from our membership base
- Pitch, organize, and manage travel conference attendance (speaking engagements, panels, booth presence, etc.)
Customer Engagement
- Design, manage, and grow a Thrifty Traveler Premium referral program
- Build a free newsletter referral flow that drives word-of-mouth awareness
- Create incentive structures, gamification elements, and recognition programs
- Manage Thrifty Traveler gear store (for purchase)
- Oversee surprise & delight gifting campaigns (new Premium members, milestone achievements, contest winners, community leaders)
- Coordinate shipping, inventory, and vendor relationships
- Partner with the social & editorial teams to amplify community stories, wins, and travel hacks
- Help collect testimonials and success stories for marketing
What Success Looks Like
In the first year, you will:
- Launch and grow a thriving Slack/Discord/similar community
- Reduce subscriber churn by improving engagement and connection
- Grow Thrifty Traveler event attendance and create a consistent event cadence
- Increase community-driven referrals for Premium and the free newsletter
- Improve sentiment and engagement in Reddit + Facebook forums
Qualifications
Required
- 3–6 years of experience in community management, experiential marketing, or audience engagement
- Proven track record of building and nurturing online communities
- Experience in planning and executing events (small and large scale)
- Strong communication skills: professional, concise, empathetic
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of working independently without needing step-by-step supervision
- Comfortable taking direction from leadership and collaborating with multiple teams
- A passion for travel and Thrifty Traveler’s mission
Preferred
- Experience launching referral programs or ambassador programs
- Familiarity with Reddit community norms
- Basic data analysis skills to report KPIs
- Experience with ActiveCampaign or equivalent engagement tools
- A background in content creation, social media, or influencer partnerships
Salary & Benefits
- Base salary: $70,000 – $85,000, depending upon experience and event/community background
- Hybrid work environment (with access to an on-site gym)
- 401k matching up to 5%
- Company-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance
- 15 days of vacation to start
- Paid parental leave
- A growing, values-driven team of people who are passionate about travel
Applications for this position close Sunday, Jan. 25 – apply now!
Product Designer
Part time, fully remote
Application deadline: Sunday, Feb. 15
Thrifty Traveler is looking to hire a creative and strategic Product Designer to help us reach and assist even more travelers in this fully remote, part-time position.
In this role, you'll bring design thinking, user experience expertise, and visual design skills to oversee and grow our digital products, affiliate platforms, and user interfaces. You'll be responsible for designing intuitive user experiences across our web and mobile platforms, and internal tools, while maintaining brand consistency and driving user engagement.
To begin the application process, fill out this form!
Responsibilities & Duties
- Design seamless user experiences across all digital platforms — including website, customer portal, mobile experiences, affiliate systems, internal admin tools, and marketing channels
- Champion mobile-first, responsive UX/UI design, with an eye toward potential future app development
- Maintain brand consistency and create visual assets for web, email, social media, and marketing
- Develop high-converting landing pages and acquisition funnels, using A/B testing and optimization
- Design intuitive admin tools for managing users, content, campaigns, analytics, and operations
- Create wireframes, user flows, and prototypes to communicate ideas and test user interactions
- Collaborate cross-functionally with developers, product managers, and stakeholders to execute user-centered solutions
- Present design work, gather feedback, and iterate quickly
- Oversee design handoff to developers ensuring pixel-perfect implementation and maintaining design integrity
- Stay current with design trends and best practices while ensuring accessibility and usability standards are met
Qualifications & Skills
- 5+ years of experience in product design with a portfolio of web and responsive, mobile-first work
- Experience designing internal tools and dashboards with complex data/user roles
- Proficiency in design tools including Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Jira
Strong understanding of user-centered design principles, user research and usability testing - Experience designing complex SaaS or platform-based applications
- Strong visual design and branding skills, including typography, layout, and identity systems
- Data-driven design approach informed by analytics and testing
- Knowledge of landing page optimization and A/B testing strategies
- Strong communication skills and experience presenting design concepts to stakeholders
- Familiarity with front-end development fundamentals (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to effectively collaborate with developers
- Ability to work in fast-paced environments and manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Bonus: Experience with mobile app or native design (iOS/Android)
Hours, Commitment & Pay
This position requires an average of 20 hours per week, with flexibility for project deadlines and campaign launches, and varies based on product needs. Some evening or weekend work may be required during major product launches or campaign periods.
This position will pay between $85 to $115 per hour, depending upon experience.
To begin the application process, fill out this form!