Manager Strategic Partnerships

Avis Budget Group; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Company vehicle

Employee discounts

EAP program

Leadership development

Global career paths

Job summary

Avis Budget Group is seeking a Partnerships Manager to drive growth through strategic airline and OTA partnerships. You will own key relationships, negotiate complex agreements, and coordinate with sales, marketing, and operations to execute joint plans.

This role focuses on expanding international reach while strengthening domestic performance, leveraging ABG’s global network and data insights to optimise pricing, distribution, and customer engagement.

Qualifications

• Experience in airline or digital distribution partnerships.
• Strong strategic and operational capabilities.
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth through partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage partnerships with Qantas, Qantas Loyalty, Jetstar, and Booking.com.
• Develop joint business plans to drive revenue and market share.
• Lead commercial negotiations, contract renewals, and partnerships.
• Identify and implement new distribution, marketing, and acquisition opportunities.
• Analyze performance and market trends to inform strategy.
• Collaborate with internal teams to execute partnership initiatives.

Skills

Account management

Commercial acumen

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Job description

As a strategic Partnerships Manager you will play a critical role in driving Avis Budget Group’s growth within the travel and digital distribution ecosystem. You will be responsible for the end-to-end management of key national and global partnerships, including Qantas, Qantas Loyalty, Jetstar, and Booking.com, ensuring strong commercial performance and long-term strategic alignment.

Acting as the primary relationship owner, you will focus on building deep, value-driven partnerships that enhance customer acquisition, brand visibility, and revenue generation across airline and online travel agency (OTA) channels. A key strategic focus is to strengthen domestic and inbound performance while accelerating outbound global growth by broadening partner reach, boosting international customer acquisition, and fully leveraging ABG’s global network. You will develop and execute joint business plans with partners, aligning on shared objectives, marketing initiatives, and customer engagement strategies.

You will need a strong commercial mindset, with accountability for negotiating complex agreements, optimising pricing and distribution strategies, and identifying new opportunities for growth across digital and loyalty channels. This includes leveraging data and insights to improve conversion, maximise yield, and enhance the end-to-end customer journey.

Working cross-functionally, you will collaborate closely with internal teams across sales, revenue management, marketing, and operations to ensure seamless execution of partnership initiatives and delivery of partner commitments. You also play a key part in influencing internal strategy by providing market intelligence, competitor insights, and performance analysis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and manage strategic partnerships with Qantas, Qantas Loyalty, Jetstar, and Booking.com
• Develop and execute joint business plans to drive revenue growth and market share
• Lead commercial negotiations, contract renewals, and partnership agreements
• Identify and implement new distribution, marketing, and customer acquisition opportunities
• Analyse account performance, market trends, and competitor activity to inform strategy
• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver partner initiatives (pricing, campaigns, integrations)
• Drive optimisation of digital channels, including OTA performance and airline booking paths
• Build strong senior-level relationships with key stakeholders across partner organisations
• Monitor KPIs and deliver regular performance reporting and insights
• Identify and execute opportunities to grow outbound international business through airline and OTA partnerships, while continuing to optimise inbound and domestic performance
• Ensure alignment with global and regional strategic objectives

What We’re Looking For

Success in this role requires the ability to operate at both a strategic and operational level, balancing high-level relationship management with hands‑on execution, while navigating a fast‑paced, matrixed environment. Ideally suited to a commercially driven professional with a strong background in airline and digital distribution partnerships, who excels at delivering measurable results and building impactful, long‑term relationships.

In other words bring your Account Management experience in managing multi-level relationships preferably in the travel industry working with Airlines or digital distribution and we will put it to good use.

• Competitive salary with a market leading performance-based bonus structure
• Hybrid working arrangement — flexibility to work from home and in the office
• Fully maintained company vehicle, including petrol, insurance & maintenance
• Access to exclusive discounts with leading retailers, fitness providers, entertainment venues, and more
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for mental health and wellbeing support
• Employee discounts on car rentals across Avis Budget Group
• Structured leadership development and access to global career pathways within a NASDAQ-listed organisation