Manager - Partnerships

Job description

The Manager - Partnerships at the employer will play a critical role in driving the growth and development of the employer DMO’s commercial partnership ecosystem. This role is responsible for identifying, securing, and managing strategic partnerships with travel trade organizations, tourism entities, corporate partners, airlines, hospitality brands, and destination co-marketing partners to enhance the employer’s visibility, commercial performance, and market reach. The role involves leading partnership strategy and activation initiatives, managing key partner relationships, and delivering joint commercial programs that support bookings, brand equity, and destination growth. The Manager - Partnerships will work closely with internal stakeholders across Marketing, Events, Commercial, and Operations functions while managing and mentoring the Partnerships team. Key Responsibilities • Lead the development and execution of the employer’s partnership strategy across travel trade, tourism boards, airlines, hospitality, corporate, and institutional partners to support overall destination objectives. • Develop and manage structured partnership programs, including tiered partnership models, commercial frameworks, and co-marketing initiatives that enhance partner engagement and commercial value. • Identify, evaluate, and secure new partnership opportunities across domestic and international markets through proactive business development and strategic relationship management. • Lead end-to-end partnership negotiations including proposal development, commercial structuring, contract execution, and activation planning. • Build and maintain a robust partnership pipeline utilizing CRM systems to track opportunities, deal stages, partner performance, and revenue contribution. • Manage strategic relationships with Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners, ensuring alignment on commercial objectives, marketing activations, booking targets, and long-term collaboration opportunities. • Collaborate closely with Marketing and Events teams to execute joint campaigns, destination showcases, co-branded initiatives, and trade activations that drive awareness and bookings. • Oversee the development and execution of Familiarization (FAM) programs, partner training initiatives, and trade education platforms to strengthen partner advocacy and destination knowledge. • Represent the employer at international travel trade exhibitions, tourism events, and industry forums to strengthen market presence and expand partnership networks. • Monitor and analyze partnership performance metrics, commercial ROI, and pipeline progress, providing regular reports, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership. • Drive continuous improvement initiatives across partnership management processes, governance frameworks, and commercial activation models. • Manage, mentor, and develop team members within the Partnerships function to ensure high performance and professional growth

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Tourism, Hospitality, or a related field
• MBA or postgraduate qualification preferred.
• At least 6+ years of relevant experience in commercial partnerships, travel trade sales, business development, or destination marketing within tourism, hospitality, or entertainment sectors.
• Proven experience in sourcing, negotiating, and managing strategic partnerships with travel agencies, tour operators, DMCs, airlines, hospitality partners, or tourism organizations.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrated ability to structure partnership business cases, negotiate commercial agreements, and track performance against revenue and marketing objectives.
• Experience managing partner engagement programs, trade activations, FAM programs, and co-marketing initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management, relationship-building, negotiation, and communication skills with the ability to influence at all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated leadership capability with experience managing teams and cross-functional collaboration initiatives.
• Proficiency in CRM systems and partnership pipeline

Skills