Senior Business Development Manager

Tour Operator Travel Advisor Relations Program Leader

This is a new role for a Tour Operator who wants someone who could lead and scale their first-ever Travel Advisor Relations Program. This role requires setting the strategy, building the trade channel from the ground up, and executing the day-to-day work of turning relationships into revenue. The ideal candidate would be someone who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and dive in, not only as a Business Development Manager, but someone who has the foresight to build a team while taking ownership of a brand new growth channel.

Responsibilities

• Design and growing the travel advisor and trade partner program
• Define the structure for advisor incentives, commission arrangements, preferred partner agreements and educational programs
• Set KPIs to track program performance
• Proactively identify, prospect, and secure partnerships with independent travel advisors, host agencies, and consortia
• Partner with internal teams (marketing, product) to develop advisor-facing collateral, sales toolkits, and communications
• Maintain rigorous CRM discipline to track leads, pipeline, and advisor performance
• Represent the company at trade shows, conferences and industry events.

Job Requirements

• 8+ years' business development, sales, or account management experience
• Possess a well-established network of travel advisors and trade relationships to hit the ground running
• Self-starter who thrives on building something from the ground up with minimal oversight
• Experience leading/managing teams
• Excellent sales, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Comfortable with CRM systems
• Willingness to travel for advisor visits, trade shows, and industry events (estimated 25% travel)

The "ideal candidate" is someone who:

• Possesses a genuine enthusiasm for the travel industry
• Is flexible, patient, and kind
• Is service-oriented
• Possesses good interpersonal skills and a desire to help grow a respected family business into its next chapter