dnata Travel Leisure Manager

Job Purpose

• dnata is more than a global air and travel services provider.
• We connect people with possibilities and opportunities across 130+ airports in 34 countries through ground handling, cargo, travel, and catering & retail services.
• Our purpose is clear: to deliver on the promises our customers make.
• We are powered by a bold vision to be the world’s most admired air and travel services provider, which guides our strategy, culture, and every role across our teams.
• Our core values fuel everything we do: we are safe, we play to win, we respect everyone and work together as a team, and we are future thinking.
• At dnata, we foster diversity, nurture ambition, and celebrate achievement.
• If you're inspired by purpose and motivated to be part of a global team shaping the future of aviation and travel, we’d love to have you onboard.
• As the **dnata Travel Leisure Manager** you will manage all aspects of an assigned business or portfolio of businesses, including defining strategy and implementation plans to deliver key business objectives. The role is responsible for leading the creation of the value proposition across key stakeholders and customer segments, and for continuously developing the business to achieve commercial and financial targets, regulatory compliance, efficient operations, and a customer focused service in line with dnata’s corporate values.
• In this role, you will:
• Establish medium to long-term plans and contingency measures to secure the business’ long-term positioning, profitability, and brand value, based on thorough evaluation of market conditions, competitors, customers, suppliers, and external influences with full accountability for core Total Transaction Value (TTV) and revenue performance within the leisure portfolio.
• Define business objectives with a focus on return to profitability, achievement of sales targets, and overall growth in line with the agreed strategy.
• Monitor changing market conditions and competitor activity, continuously adapting business strategy, processes, and systems to support future growth and evolving market needs.
• Oversee market research, client/prospect insights, and travel trends to support and strengthen sales strategies across the assigned business or portfolio.
• Ensure the business is prepared to deliver against objectives, with appropriately skilled and trained teams, effective operational interfaces, and clearly defined KPIs to drive efficiency and reduce operating costs, operating within a large, fast-paced and operationally complex environment requiring a high degree of agility.
• Take accountability for the annual budget across manpower, revenue, and expenditure, ensuring cost effectiveness through efficient resource utilisation and implementation of best practices.
• Lead and manage colleagues across the assigned business or portfolio, including oversight of a multi-channel operation spanning 15 retail locations across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, as well as contact centre, social media, and business development teams, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, service excellence, and respect within a diverse environment.
• Act as a role model for dnata’s vision, mission, and values, ensuring these are embedded consistently across all levels of the business.
• Provide direction to operational and sales teams to achieve revenue and profitability targets through efficient and effective working practices.
• Build, manage, and develop relationships with key clients, airlines, suppliers, vendors, government authorities, and service providers, while representing dnata Travel at internal and external forums and industry events.
• Identify new business opportunities and drive the delivery of sales, product, and marketing initiatives, while setting and monitoring performance objectives to ensure alignment with overall business goals, including supporting the execution of regional expansion plans across markets such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Qualification

• To be considered for the role, you must meet the below requirements:
• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Business, Travel and Tourism).
• Minimum 8 years’ experience in Travel / Tourism / Commercial, including at least 5 years in a management capacity.
• Strong general management and leadership experience with well-developed commercial acumen.
• Experience or awareness of the Middle East & India (MEI) travel or aviation market is advantageous, as is exposure to start-ups or mergers and acquisitions.
• You will have an edge if you have:
• Excellent people management capability.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Proven experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and delivery.
• Fluency in Arabic would be advantageous.
• dnata, part of Emirates Group, is an international organisation with employees from over 170 nationalities, we encourage applications from across the globe.
• Your application journey begins by applying via the Emirates Group Careers website.
• Please ensure your CV is up to date for our talent acquisition team to review your profile.
• If you meet the criteria of the role, you will then be invited to complete a HireVue video interview, to share more about your experience and your career aspirations.
• If you are shortlisted, you will then be invited to interview with our hiring managers.
• If you are successful, your recruiter will reach out to you with an offer and then our Onboarding team will ensure a smooth transition to your new role at Emirates Group

Salary & Benefits