Travelport is a place of opportunity. It’s our incredible team that makes our company great – our people drive our winning culture.
What’s Travelport?
Travelport is a worldwide travel retail platform. Our next-generation marketplace connects buyers and sellers that share our passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences. Unconflicted and independent, we are reinventing a simpler future for travel’s complex ecosystem.
What does a great Senior Commercial Manager – Middle East do?
In this role, you will be responsible for managing relationships with airline partners across the Middle East and North Africa. These airlines are at the forefront of transformation in distribution, both commercially and technically, and you will play a pivotal role in this evolving landscape.
Your focus will be on building strong, meaningful connections with the airline partners while supporting Travelport agency teams as they navigate this change.
You will be part of our EMEA team, collectively overseeing relationships with our airline partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Responsibilities:
Job Dimensions
- Reports to the Commercial Director within the region, as part of the Middle East team
- Responsibility for the revenue and yield performance of a defined portfolio of Middle East and North Africa Airlines
- Responsibility for the day-to-day management of a portfolio of Middle East and North Africa airlines
- Manages the key Middle East and North Africa airlines/airline groups, ranging from 2m segment p.a. to 18m+ segments p.a.
- Primary point of contact for the Airline, represents the organization to the customer and the customer to the organization
- Owns and delivers an Enterprise view of the Airline, ensuring engagement of all Travelport products and services to fully meet and exceed customer needs
- Creates, implements, measures, and reviews a strategic and operational plan that drives the achievement of business goals within their portfolio
- Maintains excellent relationships with key, high ranking individuals within their customers
- Egypt (Cairo) based with international/ Middle East and North Africa travel (c. 25%)
Summary Job Description
- Develop significant strategic partnerships with assigned Airlines to drive commercial advantage for Travelport in distribution, access rate and commercial positioning.
- Contribute to key commercial negotiations – relating to EDIFACT and/or NDC contracts and/or contract changes.
- Represent and implement the Travelport NDC strategy
- Promote the airline(s) in internal and agency forums to support the airline NDC go-to-market strategy
- Identifies customer needs, then matches those needs to Travelport solutions that enhance Travelport's value proposition and revenue growth through upselling and cross-selling
- Ensure that the requirements of the airline(s) are captured in key internal forums
- Responsible for expanding and retaining the account while ensuring ongoing excellent customer service
- Maintains complete and up-to-date Account Development Plans as necessary, achieving buy-in for plans with the customer and utilizing SEISMIC
- Effectively engages and leverages resources as required, in addition to building co-operative and effective relationships with internal teams, primarily with the relevant Agency colleagues across all regions/streams as necessary
- Initiate, gather data, interpret and make recommendations for business cases in order to deliver sustainable growth in line with the corporate plan
- Enhancing participation with a target of the highest level of functionality
- Work with internal teams to ensure that appropriate NDC functionality is delivered
- Direct ongoing rates and terms within numerous contract negotiations undertaken by the team - ensure adherence to dealing principles, guidelines and systems
- Achieves forecast accuracy in line with + or - 15%
- Understand current pricing methodology and its impact on yield, and be able to communicate it
- Maintain understanding of industry, governmental and regulatory issues that can impact our business in the territory
- Ensure that effective reporting is completed using CRM, enabling the tracking of performance, opportunities, and delivery against targets
- Proficient in CRM navigation, ensuring it is always up to date and accurate - prepare regular pipeline reports and analyses of new business achievements, opportunities, and planned activities
- Keep the SMO and Operators fully appraised of airline activities and current negotiations, and their potential impact on the market. Build strong relationships with key members of the Travelport agency team and work together to achieve the account objectives
What The Role Doesn’t Do
- Deal with Operational issues – these will be dealt with by the Shared Services team
- Internal admin and follow-up - these will be dealt with by the Shared Services team
High Level KPI’s
- Revenue and Yield
- Account Development Plan
- Regular QBR / ABR
- Product Cross-Sell
- Renewal (individually tailored to each portfolio to account for variances)
- NPS / Customer satisfaction
- Understanding of the defined portfolio
- Quality, breadth and depth of relationship
- Strategic selling (measured against the template of Elite practices)
What we look for/who would prosper in this role?
Key Qualities:
Language Skills: Must be fluent in Arabic; French is a plus.
Negotiation Expertise: Proven track record in successful negotiations.
Industry Knowledge: Strong understanding of airline distribution landscape and market dynamics.
Relationship Building: Exceptional ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders.
Conflict Management: Skilled in managing conflicting objectives and finding common ground.
Adaptability: Capable of navigating a fast-paced and evolving environment.
As we evolve and grow as a business, so will you.
You will thrive within an inclusive and diverse workplace where you are encouraged to think differently, and have the courage, confidence & ambition to challenge what’s been done before, and be bold to win!
These are just a few of our employee’s favourite benefits/perks…
Hybrid Work Model: Enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid work environment that promotes work-life balance.
Competitive Compensation Package: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package that recognizes and rewards your contributions.
Company Growth Culture: We foster a culture of continuous learning and development, encouraging employees to grow their skills and advance their careers.
Interested? We’d love for you to get in touch!*
*Please note that if your application is progressed, you may be asked to complete a self-recorded video interview, at a time that works best for you. This is your chance to bring your skills & experience to life in your own words and style. Ensure you keep an eye on your junk folder just in case our invitation finds its way there.
We are an equal opportunities employer and will consider all qualified applicants purely on their skills and abilities. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation, if needed.
