Senior Manager - Partnerships

Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Qiddiya'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 Qiddiya 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 10 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

Benefits