Director Leisure Group Department

Direct Travel • Remote,

2d • Remote

About The Position

The Director leisure group department position supports a busy and fast pace North American group travel department at a leading Virtuoso agency. We are looking for a candidate with excellent business acumen and organization, as well as people skills; clear and concise internal /external communication skills, an ability to adapt to changing business conditions, strong working knowledge of Office Suite and CVent and competent in utilizing web technology. This is a remote position and does require some travel ~30%.

Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years working in the Leisure Travel Industry with specific groups management experience
• Experience with Cvent group management tool
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Excellent individual and team time management and organizational skills
• Proven track record of group profitability (ROI); groups fulfillment (prospecting to completion); and Department management experience
• Excellent communication and customer relations skills
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Hospitality, Tourism, or related field; equivalent work experience accepted.
• 7+ years of experience in the travel industry, with at least 3 years in a leadership role focused on leisure or group travel.
• Demonstrated success in managing large and small group travel programs, both domestic and international.
• Strong knowledge of GDS systems (e.g., Sabre, Amadeus), travel CRM tools, and back-office systems.
• Exceptional organizational, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Experience managing vendor and supplier relationships and negotiating contracts.

Nice To Haves

• Destination specialist certifications or affiliation with travel industry organizations (e.g., ASTA, Virtuoso, Ensemble).
• Familiarity with incentive group travel or meetings & events crossover.
• Multilingual skills and international travel experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Directs a team of program managers to assure excellence in delivery of group travel arrangements, supplier selection, and project profitability
• Identifies and secures new group prospects (pied pipers) and delivers group proposals (RFP)
• Directs team schedules and optimizes team performance (i.e., deliveries, deadlines, launch dates etc.)
• Reporting responsibility to senior leadership team on group performance; ROI; profit margins etc.
• Organize and supervise group promotional events (virtual and in-person) in collaboration with Marketing
• Responsible for revenue generation of $2m annually (contribution margin)
• Secures favorable pricing for blocks and/or charters with DT strategic suppliers in support of overall leisure revenue optimization
• Leads 3-year strategic group business planning cycle
• Measures success of group marketing tactics in support of revenue goal achievement
• Directs group program managers to assure group recall dates & supplier timelines for utilization/cancellations are met

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• employee rewards and recognitions program
• Total Rewards Package which includes Wellness, Sustainability, DE&I initiatives, and Mental Health Support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director