Responsibilities:

Commercial Strategy

• Develop and implement the South African commercial strategy aligned with global objectives.
• Identify new revenue opportunities and market expansion initiatives.
• Drive passenger growth and revenue performance.
• Analyse market trends, competitor activity and customer behaviour.
• Develop annual commercial business plans and budgets.
• Monitor performance against commercial KPIs.

Revenue Growth

• Drive annual revenue and profitability targets.
• Maximise passenger yield across all itineraries.
• Develop pricing and promotional strategies.
• Oversee forecasting and demand planning.
• Work closely with global Revenue Management teams.
• Monitor booking trends and implement corrective actions.

Sales Leadership
Lead the national Sales division including:

• Trade Sales
• Key Account Management
• Corporate Sales
• Groups & Incentives
• Leisure Sales
• Business Development

Responsibilities include:

• Developing sales strategies
• Setting annual sales budgets
• Managing sales performance
• Growing travel trade partnerships
• Identifying new distribution opportunities
• Negotiating strategic commercial agreements
• Leading national sales campaigns

 
Marketing Leadership
Provide strategic oversight of:

• Brand positioning
• Consumer marketing
• Digital marketing
• Social media
• PR and Communications
• Advertising campaigns
• Product launches
• Partnership marketing
• Customer acquisition initiatives
• Ensure all campaigns deliver measurable ROI.

 
Travel Trade Relationships
Develop and strengthen relationships with:

• Major travel agencies
• Independent travel consultants
• Tour operators
• Wholesale travel companies
• Corporate travel management companies
• Airline partners
• Tourism organisations

Represent our client at:

• Industry events
• Trade shows
• Conferences
• Partner events
• Media launches

 
Customer Experience
Partner with Customer Services and Operations to:

• Improve guest satisfaction.
• Increase Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
• Enhance the customer journey.
• Improve customer retention.
• Reduce customer complaints.
• Deliver exceptional service standards.

 
Commercial Analytics
Analyse:

• Sales performance
• Revenue performance
• Booking trends
• Market share
• Customer demographics
• Campaign ROI
• Competitive activity
• Forecast accuracy
• Provide monthly commercial reports to Executive Management.

 
Leadership

• Lead and inspire a high-performing commercial team by:
• Coaching and mentoring staff.
• Building leadership capability.
• Managing performance.
• Developing succession plans.
• Encouraging innovation.
• Driving accountability.
• Promoting collaboration.

 
Stakeholder Management
Develop strong relationships with:

• Global Commercial Teams
• Managing Director
• Executive Leadership Team
• Finance
• Operations
• Contact Centre
• Customer Care
• International Offices
• Travel Industry Partners
• Corporate Clients

 
Key Performance Indicatosr (KPIs):
The Commercial Director will be measured against:

• Revenue growth
• Passenger growth
• Market share
• Gross profit
• EBITDA contribution
• Occupancy performance
• Yield optimisation
• Sales target achievement
• Travel trade growth
• Customer satisfaction
• Marketing ROI
• Digital conversion rates
• Employee engagement
• Team performance
• Budget management

 
Requirements:

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in:
  • Business Management
  • Commerce
  • Marketing
  • Economics
  • Tourism Management
  • Hospitality Management

A postgraduate qualification (MBA, MCom or equivalent) would be highly advantageous.
 
Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years' commercial leadership experience.
• At least 5 years in a senior executive commercial role.
• Proven experience leading large commercial teams.
• Strong strategic planning experience.
• Demonstrated success in driving revenue growth.
• Experience managing multimillion-rand budgets.
• Strong stakeholder management capability.

 Industry Experience
Highly preferred experience within:

• Cruise Industry
• Travel & Tourism
• Hospitality
• Airlines
• Luxury Travel
• Leisure
• Destination Management
• Online Travel
• International Consumer Brands

Technical Competencies
Strong knowledge of:

• Commercial Strategy
• Revenue Management
• Sales Leadership
• Marketing Strategy
• CRM
• Digital Marketing
• Pricing Strategy
• Forecasting
• Business Intelligence
• Financial Analysis
• Market Research
• Contract Negotiation
• Customer Experience Management

Advanced proficiency in:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Power BI
• CRM platforms
• ERP systems
• Sales Analytics tools
• Microsoft Office 365

Leadership Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking
• Commercial acumen
• Executive presence
• Inspirational leadership
• Negotiation skills
• Decision-making ability
• Customer-centric mindset
• Financial acumen
• Innovation
• Change leadership
• Relationship building
• Emotional intelligence
• High integrity
• Resilience
• Results orientation

Personal Attributes

• The ideal candidate will be:
• Highly driven and commercially focused.
• Analytical and data-driven.
• An exceptional communicator.
• Confident engaging with executive stakeholders.
• Passionate about customer experience.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced international environment.
• Able to influence without authority.
• Highly organised with exceptional attention to detail.

Travel Requirements

• National travel throughout South Africa.
• International travel to our clients regional and global offices.
• Attendance at trade events and conferences.