Director of Cruise Partnerships

Fora•New York City, NY

4d•$160,000 - $210,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Fora is seeking a Director, Cruise Partnerships to lead and scale our cruise partner strategy during a period of meaningful growth. This role will own senior relationships with cruise line partners, define how preferred cruise partnerships are managed across tiers, and build a more strategic, consistent approach to supplier engagement, commercial planning, and partner marketing. This leader will manage a small team across partnerships and marketing, bringing structure, prioritization, and accountability to how Fora engages cruise partners. The role will work closely with cruise operations, advisor support, and marketing to ensure partnerships translate into advisor value, adoption, and revenue growth. This role is central to building a best in class cruise partnerships function and will help shape how the team evolves over time. Location is flexible, with regular travel expected for partner meetings, industry events, and Fora team gatherings.

Requirements

8 to 10+ years of experience in cruise partnerships, supplier relations, national accounts, or business development within the cruise industry.
Direct cruise industry experience is required, with a strong network across cruise lines and relevant travel distribution partners.
Experience managing and developing teams, with the ability to set structure, coach team members, and drive consistent execution.
Proven track record of owning senior external relationships and negotiating commercial partnerships that include revenue opportunities, marketing support, and amenities.
Strong judgment in prioritizing accounts, balancing short term execution with long term relationship building, and introducing structure in a fast growing environment.
Ability to work cross functionally with operations, advisor enablement, and marketing teams and translate partnership strategy into clear internal action.
Excellent communication skills and executive presence, with the ability to build credibility internally and externally.
Willingness to travel regularly for partner meetings, conferences, and team events.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a national accounts, regional sales, or business development role at a cruise line, or in a partnerships role at a host agency or consortia.
Experience managing partnership driven marketing programs, events, or go to market initiatives tied to supplier relationships.
Familiarity with advisor focused travel businesses, including host agency or consortia models.

Responsibilities

Lead Fora’s cruise partnership strategy across key supplier relationships, with a focus on building senior executive level partnerships that drive long term value for advisors and the business.
Manage and develop a small team spanning partnerships and partner marketing, setting clear priorities, operating rhythms, and performance expectations.
Own and grow relationships with preferred cruise partners, including establishing account segmentation, defining partner tiers, and ensuring appropriate coverage and engagement across each segment.
Negotiate commercial agreements, overrides, exclusive opportunities, marketing support, and other partnership terms in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
Create a structured approach to supplier management, including meeting cadence, partner planning, and accountability for outcomes across the team.
Partner closely with cruise operations leadership to ensure supplier strategy aligns with advisor needs, onboarding, training priorities, support trends, and platform adoption.
Collaborate with marketing and cross functional partners to develop and execute partner marketing initiatives, including campaigns, sponsored opportunities, events, and other revenue generating programs.
Act as the primary senior point of contact for cruise line executives, national accounts teams, and business development leaders across key partners.
Represent Fora at key industry events and meetings, including major cruise and travel conferences, partner engagements, and internal company events where cruise presence is critical.
Identify and scale new opportunities across partnerships, including preferred programs, advisor segmentation, HQ or hosted groups, and other cruise specific initiatives.