Business Development Lead

Virgin Australia Careers; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Air travel discounts (heavily)

Flexible working

Travel insurance discounts

Lounge membership

Wellness perks

Job summary

Virgin Australia Airlines is seeking a Business Development Lead to bring high-value financial services and loyalty partnerships to life for Virgin Australia Business Flyer (VABF). You will lead negotiations, manage complex partnerships, and collaborate across teams to deliver commercially sound outcomes.

With 7+ years in partnerships or business development, you will engage senior stakeholders, shape deal structures, and drive partnerships from concept to launch within a dynamic, fast-paced

Qualifications

• 7+ years' commercial, partnerships or business development experience.
• Proven experience managing complex strategic partnerships and commercial agreements.
• Strong knowledge of financial services and loyalty ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience leading commercial negotiations and contract processes.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to translate opportunities into outcomes.
• Track record of progressing opportunities from senior engagement to execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive presence with C-suite.
• Strong relationship-building within financial services and/or loyalty.
• Cross-functional collaboration across Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance and Operations.
• Commercially driven, resilient and comfortable operating at pace and ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Lead and progress high-value strategic partnership opportunities across financial services, payments and loyalty, supporting Velocity's growth priorities.
• Manage and advance a portfolio of commercial opportunities, maintaining momentum from senior partner engagement through to execution and launch.
• Develop compelling partner propositions, commercial models and business cases that clearly articulate value for Velocity, VABF and prospective partners.
• Own end-to-end commercial negotiations and contracting, including deal structuring, terms, commercial agreements and contract close, working with Legal, Finance and other teams.
• Build trusted relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, navigating complex environments and aligning around commercial outcomes.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery across Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance and Operations to move partnerships to market.
• Represent Velocity with credibility in external conversations and with senior executives, able to lead meetings independently.

Skills

Partnerships & business dev

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Job description

We're the airline that dares to be different, bold, down-to-earth and built around giving our guests real choice. Safety is our backbone, service is our heartbeat, and our people are our superpower.

At Virgin Australia, we're on a mission to be Australia's most loved airline, for our people, our guests and our owners and we're looking for passionate talent to help take us even higher.

We're vibrant, authentic and unapologetically human. Here, you can bring your whole self, your Virgin Flair and your ambition to a team that champions individuality, innovation and a whole lot of heart. If you're excited by meaningful work, real opportunities to grow, and a culture where you can genuinely make a difference, you'll feel right at home with us

What you'll be doing:

The Business Development Lead will play a key role in bringing high-value financial services and loyalty partnerships to life for Virgin Australia Business Flyer (VABF).

Working alongside the Head of Business Development Head of SME Loyalty, this role requires a commercially experienced relationship leader who can operate confidently with senior and C-suite stakeholders, progress complex opportunities and help deliver strategic products and partnerships to market.

In this role, you will work across an established pipeline as well as new opportunities, taking ownership of commercial discussions, negotiations, contracting and internal delivery to turn partnership opportunities into commercially sound outcomes.

• Lead and progress high-value strategic partnership opportunities across financial services, payments and loyalty, supporting Velocity's growth priorities.
• Manage and advance a portfolio of commercial opportunities, maintaining momentum from senior partner engagement through to execution and launch.
• Develop compelling partner propositions, commercial models and business cases that clearly articulate value for Velocity, VABF and prospective partners.
• Own end-to-end commercial negotiations and contracting, including deal structuring, terms, commercial agreements and contract close, working closely with Legal, Finance and other specialist teams.
• Build trusted relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, confidently navigating complex corporate environments and aligning stakeholders around commercial outcomes.
• Coordinate cross-functional delivery across areas such as Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance and Operations to move agreed partnerships and propositions through to market.
• Represent Velocity with credibility and commercial confidence in senior external conversations and C-suite engagements, with the ability to independently lead meetings and progress discussions.

Please note: This is a 12 month opportunity with potential to extend.

You'll be great in this role if you:

• 7+ years' commercial, partnerships or business development experience, with strong experience in financial services and/or loyalty. Experience across payments, cards, banking or fintech will be highly regarded.
• Proven experience managing complex strategic partnerships and commercial agreements, ideally within large corporate environments and involving significant commercial value.
• Strong knowledge of financial services and loyalty ecosystems, with an understanding of how partners, products, payments and customer value propositions come together.
• Demonstrated experience leading commercial negotiations and contract processes, including shaping deal structures, negotiating terms and working with Legal and internal stakeholders through to execution.
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to understand complex propositions, develop business cases and translate opportunities into clear commercial outcomes.
• A track record of progressing opportunities from senior-level engagement and proposition development through negotiation, contracting, internal delivery and launch.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive presence, with the confidence to engage, influence and independently lead conversations with C-suite executives, senior corporate partners and internal leaders.
• Strong relationship-building capability within financial services and/or loyalty, with the ability to quickly establish credibility and trusted partnerships at senior levels.
• Highly effective at working across cross-functional teams, bringing together Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance and operational stakeholders to keep complex commercial initiatives moving.
• Commercially driven, resilient and comfortable operating at pace and with ambiguity, with the communication skills and ownership mindset to hit the ground running.

What you'll get from us

We're committed to looking after you, with some of the best benefits and conditions in the industry - including (but not limited to):

• Heavily discounted air travel for you and your loved ones (including $1000 worth of travel credits per year)
• Flexible working arrangements (including work hours and work from home)
• Discounts on travel insurance, car hire, accommodation and experiences worldwide
• Discounted Virgin Australia Lounge membership
• Hospitality, retail, technology, beauty services and wellness discounts
• Wellness support, including the Converge digital wellbeing platform
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, which offers confidential coaching and support from qualified professionals for all aspects of life - physical, mental, social and financial
• Dress for Your Day - enjoy the freedom to wear whatever is appropriate for the type of work you do and the day you have ahead of you

Equality rules

We're all individuals. We love that. That's why we encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, people with disability, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, our friends in the LGBTQI+ community, and anyone else who wants to join our family.