Partnership & Commercial Manager

Loyalty; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent loyalty services company in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a highly skilled Partnership & Commercial Manager. This role involves managing the P&L for the Aura loyalty program, developing strategic partnerships, and conducting financial analyses to drive revenue growth. The ideal candidate should have over 6 years of experience in customer-centric roles, strong commercial acumen, and excellent communication skills. Fluency in English is essential, while Arabic is a plus.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in loyalty, finance, or analytics roles.
• Experience in customer-centric partnership environments.
• Strong knowledge of consumer behaviour and market trends.

Responsibilities

• Manage Aura loyalty program's P&L, tracking costs and revenues.
• Develop and maintain relationships with loyalty partners.
• Conduct financial analyses and optimize partnership performance.

Skills

Revenue management

Financial analysis

Communication skills

Commercial acumen

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Multi-tasking

Presentation skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Education

Master's degree in Business, Strategy, Finance

Job description

Role Profile: Partnership & Commercial Manager

Aura Loyalty Program P&L Ownership & Tracking:

• Take primary responsibility for the Aura loyalty program's end-to-end P&L reporting.
• Comprehensively track and manage all program costs, including but not limited to marketing, CRM, operations, IT infrastructure, loyalty partnership, points liability, vendor costs etc.
• Monitor and track all revenue streams generated from various partnerships, ensuring accuracy and reconciliation.
• Maintain detailed monthly financial tracking, ensuring all invoices are sent/received, and payments are made/received according to terms.
• Act as a central point of contact, liaising closely with cross‑functional teams (Finance, Marketing, Operations, IT, Legal) to ensure real‑time accuracy and proactive management of all financial flows.
• Independently manage the overall Aura P&L, and separately track and report on individual partnership costs and revenues.
• Manage the loyalty programme points and discounts budget for cost optimization.

Partnership Strategy & Development:

• Support Head of partnerships to identify, evaluate, and onboard new loyalty partners that align with our brand strategy and member needs, with a particular focus on culturally relevant and engaging entertainment experiences.
• Develop compelling partnership proposals, negotiating favorable terms and agreements to maximize mutual value.
• Establish and nurture strong, long‑term relationships with key external stakeholders and partner organizations.

Commercial Performance & Management:

• Own and optimize the commercial performance of loyalty partnerships, including revenue generation, cost management, and budget adherence.
• Conduct thorough financial analysis, build robust business cases, and track ROI for all partnership initiatives.
• Proactively monitor and analyze partnership performance, identifying opportunities for optimization and growth.

Loyalty Program Enhancement:

• Work closely with the wider Loyalty team to integrate partner offers seamlessly into the overall program structure.
• Contribute to the strategic evolution of the loyalty program, leveraging partner insights to enhance member benefits and drive participation.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate effectively with internal teams including Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Legal to ensure smooth partner integration and campaign execution.
• Serve as the primary commercial point of contact for loyalty partners, ensuring clear communication and alignment.
• Work closely with internal teams to keep track of spends and budget.

Key Performance Areas

• Manage & report the P&L of loyalty programme.
• Monetise the loyalty programme data to grow customer value and increase revenues.
• Build business cases for securing internal buy in and negotiate profitable terms for Alshaya.
• Run and operate partners and new products / services.
• P&L management, loyalty health via a defined KPI/ OKR set, in addition to distribution, management and dilution of loyalty currency and assets, in accordance with brand and member behaviours.
• Work with our analytics, CRM, marketing product and other partner teams to find opportunities to address business challenges and changing customer needs.
• Develop deep understanding of customer behavior, economic outcomes, business feasibility, etc. and identify how we can achieve the best possible outcomes for our members.
• Oversee value driving initiatives through data analysis.
• Maintain records for audit compliance and supply information for vendor onboarding in alignment with company standards.
• Track the P&L for Aura and for Aura internal and external partnerships.
• Keep track of Aura budget, actuals vs projections, marketing, operational, Tech expenses etc for Aura.
• Keep track of the revenue generated from partnerships and expenses incurred for proposition.
• Keep track of invoices due and sent, payments received or pending, reimbursements from partners and vendors, payments to partners and vendors etc.
• Manage all partner and vendor financial flows, including meticulous tracking of accounts receivable (invoices due/sent, payments received/pending) and accounts payable (reimbursements from partners, payments to partners/vendors).
• Budget management including tracking forecast vs actuals for existing and new partnerships.
• Track the financial impact of all loyalty partnerships, including revenue attribution from partnerships propositions and the associated cost of delivery.
• Generate and circulate comprehensive monthly financial reports detailing Aura's overall P&L, along with specific reports on partnership financials, invoicing, and reimbursement status.
• Manage the loyalty programme points and discounts budget for cost optimization.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Experienced in revenue management, loyalty, finance or analytics – consideration to consumer behaviour.
• Ability to utilise metrics/analytics to identify opportunities and measure results.
• Excellent organisation and communication skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Skilled in multi-tasking and supporting several projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage diverse stakeholders (internal and external).
• Strong self-starter.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• High energy and a self-starter looking to make an impact.
• A passion for loyalty programs and the retail industry.
• Good written and spoken English (Arabic a bonus).
• Excellent presenter with the ability to persuade C‑level leadership.
• Create great and compelling presentations.

Experience:

• 6+ years of experience in a customer‑centric, Loyalty commercial and partnership roles.
• Top‑tier Finance, Commercial background or experience in a complex global organization highly desirable.
• Retail experience is a plus.
• Arabic language is a plus.

Education:

• Master's degree in Business, Strategy, Finance.