Manager, Experience Development

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd•Miami, FL

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our incredible team of employees at Royal Caribbean Group. We are proud to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world. We are proud to be the vacation-industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests. Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises Team has an exciting career opportunity for a full time Manager, Experience Development reporting to the Director, Experience Development. This position will be working onsite from Miami. Position Summary: The Manager, Experience Development, for Celebrity Cruises is responsible for managing a team of people and cross-functional teams that ideate, plan, and deliver high quality products and experiences for Celebrity Cruise guests. This position champions the product vision and strategy to every stakeholder and partner, ensuring the Celebrity Cruise experience is manifested through detailed guest journey mapping, product playbooks and integrated planning throughout Hotel Operations. This Experience Development Manager will manage a team responsible for the implementation and execution of all new concepts, experiences, activities, dedicated spaces, and programming for Celebrity Cruises. This person will manage various strategic rollout efforts on new ships, modernization efforts for existing fleet, shore and ship experiences and private destinations. This role will lead all the elements of the guest experience, from guest experience brief, through design and execution ensuring that concepts are brought to life in line with the strategic goals and with a full understanding of feasibility (operational). To be successful, the Product Manager must work collaboratively with other teams including Product Strategy, Consumer Insights, Brand Marketing, Operations, Newbuild, Design, Marketing, Digital, Sales, Risk Management and Revenue Management. This position also evaluates existing destination tours and experiences offered in a port of call or homeport to determine strengths and opportunities; as well as make recommendations for product differentiation to achieve the brand’s long-term guest satisfaction and revenue-driven ambitions. This Manager will identify short- and long-term opportunities that include pre/post-cruise travel and land vacation experiences, as well as possible overnight stays by the ships by further developing our tour options, and hotel and transfer options. The opportunities may also extend into shopping experiences while in port; and destination related onboard experiences as well as bringing the destination on board.

Requirements

Minimum 8 years in a product, design or other similar role developing experiences for consumers. Product owner experience required.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Experience in leading teams/organizations in bringing high quality products to market.
Ability to effectively provide overall vision and leadership across a large ecosystem of partners and builders, that spans product definition, design and construction
Experience in recommending and developing strategy and executive-level product or business recommendations.
Ability to travel up to 40% of the time.
Very collaborative and an exemplary communicator in speech and writing.
Highly organized. Methodical in research, order, prioritization, and implementation. Strong attention to detail and process management.
Proven ability to collaborate with and achieve actionable results through others, plus the ability to build strong and sustainable relationships along with the capability to interact with all levels of the organization.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree a plus.
Past Experience working with Architects/Designers/Creative & Innovation Consultants a plus.
Experience in the travel industry a plus
Experience in a project management, consumer insights or strategy-focused role highly preferred.
The ideal candidate will possess a combination of creative thinking and executional skills, able to problem solve in the moment with creative solutions that keep everyone focused on the vision.

Responsibilities

Product definition: Provides direct management, direction and collaboration with all partners and stakeholders ensuring that the products being created for Celebrity Cruises are viable, feasible and desirable for our guests. In addition, the Manager must foster and develop a highly collaborative team dynamic and approach that connects various disciplines from the brand, operations, and all partners to ensure a successful product.
Product definition: Ensure that concepts are marketable, drive guest satisfaction and ultimately drive revenue.
Product definition: Create stories (in the form of presentations) outlining the business environment, current product positioning, competitive landscape, insights, and data findings to share recommendations and updates with senior management as well as partners and stakeholders.
Product delivery: Accountable for the products and experiences that are developed for Celebrity Cruises and is ultimately responsible for the final delivery of the product realizing the strategic vision and bringing to life the desired experience for our guests.
Product delivery: Work with Operations, Newbuild, Marketing and senior leadership to ensure proper awareness, collaboration, approvals, and planning is not only in place, but seamlessly integrated into a repeatable process.
Product delivery: Work closely with operations and design teams on lead run of show events to showcase programming and ensure the guest experience will be delivered on strategy/vision.
Product delivery: Establish startup plans and training materials to ensure each concept/experience is flawlessly executed.
Product delivery: Work with creative partners to name, create visual identity and craft narratives to bring the concepts to life.
Product delivery: Work closely with creative agencies and other vendors or contractors to bring the product vision to life.
Product delivery: Work closely with the Marketing Communications team, Public Relations, Creative Agencies and Revenue Management to ensure the latest information is being accurately depicted in the brands communication and systems.
Product delivery: Align on key product differentiators with the Go to Market teams to ensure buy-in and future marketability of new concepts and experiences.
Product standards: Leads the collaborative effort of establishing, evolving, and maintaining our Celebrity Cruises brand essence, ensuring the Experience Development standards, practices and experience design guidelines are consistent across all products, projects, and teams.
Product standards: own and manage the product and experience audit and post-delivery success monitoring of new products and experiences.
Product standards: manages the travelling shipboard Experience Development program to ensure onboard product delivery is consistent with the vision and playbooks of new products as well as shore experiences. Schedule reviews as needed. Present feedback and audit results to leadership.
Product Standards: Establish and maintain design experience guidelines to ensure Creative Agencies, Operations and Newbuild teams (along with new hires within the team) have the needed information to develop proper branding, customer centric programming and are able to design and build venues that deliver against the desired guest experience.
Product roadmap: Works in close collaboration with Product Strategy, Brand Strategy and Newbuild to develop annual operating plans for Experience Development, including advocating for the appropriate funding as necessary to meet the proper design quality standards while ensure the aspiration for each product is delivered.
Identify clear short and long-term goals for the team and effectively project manage complex timelines and deliverables.
Operational Excellence: Managing the program and governance for all guest facing product changes that are identified by product owners or key stakeholders in the business. Ensuring that all product changes are thoughtfully considered and a full operational and guest facing plan is developed prior to any change taking into effect.
Personnel management: Responsible for all aspects of personnel management (e.g., hiring, training and development, etc.) of her/his direct reports.
Personnel management: Enhance and evolve the Experience Development team direct reports by coaching and developing required skills, roles and responsibilities needed to concept and execute experiences for the brand.