Skywards Commercial Manager

Job Purpose: JOB PURPOSE Responsible to develop and manage Skywards Airline
Partnerships portfolio - initiation, negotiation, implementation of new
partners and day-to-day management of existing partners in strategic markets
in order to maximise revenue. Accountable for overseeing all aspects of the
airline partnerships including earn and burn proposition, reward inventory,
member experience, marketing, analytics, legal and digitization efforts,
ensuring the business is always evolving to meet members changing needs. JOB
ACCOUNTABILITIES LINKED TO OBJECTIVE AREAS ‎1. Work closely with Manager
Partnerships to explore and source new partnership opportunities in strategic
markets. Fully define reciprocal earn/reward/benefits which are compelling to
members and best deliver upon commercial goals, assisting with project plans,
business cases and structured briefing packs, and any other related
activities. ‎2. Lead the negotiations with prospective partners to secure
additional revenue for Skywards and manage cross-organizational and/or cross-
functional team through contracting and technical set-up, along with any ad-
hoc or recurring marketing or tactical activities. ‎3. Manage all elements of
airline partnerships to deliver on targets and KPIs. This includes the day to
day tasks/activities such as reporting, communications and problem solving and
data exchange, legal tasks, that all help deliver partner revenue and member
engagement. ‎4. Participate in new and existing airline partnership
forecasting, target and budget setting process. Analyse current agreements to
seek opportunities and identify changes to rates to maximize revenue. Monitor
partnership performance to identify shortcomings and potential opportunities.
Drive optimal performance of the partnerships through agreed project
milestones, monthly revenue targets and bi-annual review meetings. ‎5. Develop
and manage relationships with internal departments and be a project lead for
new products and initiatives to benefit the strength of the partnerships.
Track progress on new partner or product implementation and support internal
stakeholders with regular updates. ‎6. Contribute to strategic cross-functional
projects, such as frictionless digital reward automation, refined inventory
approaches, fees & ancillaries, and block chain use cases. C ollaborate
closely with relevant stakeholders and/or vendors for any necessary system
integrations and steer enhancements as required. Actively monitor industry
trends to innovate mutually beneficial partnership offerings. ‎7. Conduct
research and review partnerships and products run by competitors to provide
actionable recommendations and insights. Continually evaluate the competitive
landscape to maintain effective partner relationships with airlines worldwide.
Maintain a comprehensive knowledge base on other airlines and programmes,
monitor industry trends and ensure distribution of the information to internal
stakeholders. ‎8. Collaborate with airline partner teams (as well as Skywards
member engagement, CCMB and regional sales teams) to manage the combined
member portfolio through marketing campaigns, data analysis and reporting to
increase partnership awareness, effectiveness and revenue that aim to maximize
returns and be able to demonstrate marketing campaign ROI & performance. ‎9.
Improve processes and documentation to support operations and update existing
contracts and relevant procedures as necessary. Assist in responding to
partner, sales and operational queries and follow up to ensure the issues are
resolved and completed. ‎10. Manage, coach, develop and motivate team members,
ensuring they understand team and individual objectives and have the necessary
skills to executive their role effectively.
Qualifications & Experience: MINIMUM
QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS Qualifications: Degree or Honours
(‎12+‎3 or equivalent) Commerce/Marketing/Economics or related field Experience:
‎10+ yrs. experience in airline management, loyalty marketing and/or partner
management with minimum of ‎5 years in a senior role Knowledge/skills: ‎1. Track
record of delivering to targets, especially across a partnership portfolio and
comfortable participating in technical conversations ‎2. Exceptional oral and
written communication and negotiation skills. Ability to assimilate, interpret
and communicate information quickly and effectively. ‎3. Relationship
management skills - ability to build and maintain effective relationships,
both internal and external with the ability to work to a high quality standard
in a fast paced environment. ‎4. Strong commercial awareness to build business
cases. Solid analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and results.
‎5. Self-reliant and driven to achieve goals, self-motivated, pro-active and
highly organized. Leadership Role: Yes Safety Sensitive Role: No
Salary & Benefits: Join us in a management role and enjoy an attractive tax-
free salary. On top of our generous travel benefits, including discounted
flights and hotel stays around the world, this managerial role also has an
excellent leave and healthcare package. That's on top of transport benefits,
life insurance and more.