Sr. Vice President, Product

Kensington Tours; Toronto; On-site; CAD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury travel company in Toronto is seeking a Senior Vice President of Product & Services. This role focuses on building a data-driven and cost-competitive travel product array, enhancing the client experience. The ideal candidate has over 15 years of leadership experience in procurement with a strong analytical background. Benefits include competitive executive perks and the opportunity to lead global transformation in luxury travel.

Benefits

Competitive executive benefits

Long-Term Incentive Program (LTIP)

Generous travel credits

Qualifications

• 15+ years of leadership experience in procurement, product, or services—ideally within travel, hospitality, or experience-based industries.
• Proven strength in categorization with structured ranking systems.
• Deep expertise in vendor management and commercial negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Research and categorize Kensington’s global product ecosystem.
• Build a structured, data-driven product array for luxury travel.
• Oversee the Procurement Operations and Booking Operations teams.

Skills

Leadership

Procurement expertise

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Kensington delivers the world’s most personal travel experiences. We bring to life each client’s desire to travel in a way that’s tailored specifically for them, in the company of local private guides who ensure that they enjoy the authentic best of their destination. The result is a unique journey rich in memories that last a lifetime.

We achieve this because of our extraordinary people, experts with deep knowledge of their destinations. For over 120 countries worldwide, and across each of our brands – Tours, Cruises, Villas, Yachts, Jets, and Air.

Kensington is the leader in personalized, privately guided luxury travel. With a commitment to tailor‑made journeys, exceptional service, and unparalleled experiences, we aspire to set the global standard for innovation, design, and excellence in luxury travel. We are on an ambitious growth trajectory and are seeking a transformational product and procurement leader to define and deliver the travel portfolio that will set Kensington apart as the undisputed leader in luxury tours.

We are entering a transformative phase—leveraging data, AI, and global partnerships to redefine what luxury tour operations can be.

To propel this next chapter, we are seeking an accomplished executive to lead our Product, Procurement, Itinerary Design, Client Segmentation, and Client Services functions as we build the most intelligently curated and consistently delivered luxury travel product in the industry.

The Opportunity

The Senior Vice President, Product & Services will research, categorize, procure, transact, and quality control Kensington’s global product ecosystem. This includes identifying the global array of Destination Management Companies (DMC), classifying and prioritizing services (hotel, ground, transport, entertainment), evolution of itineraries (wallet, themes, competitors), client segmentation frameworks, booking efficiency, and client satisfaction.

The core mandate: Build a structured, data‑driven, cost competitive product array, that can be efficiently transacted, to ensure that Kensington delivers exceptional, reliable, differentiated travel experiences every time.

The ideal leader is a world‑class categorizer—able to research, classify, rank, and standardize at scale. They bring a background in procurement and ideally a grounding in the travel industry, with a passion for global product discovery and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Benchmark Kensington’s global product array for cost, transaction efficiency, and competitive difference. Identify cost, quality, and transaction improvements. Optimize team, processes, and systems to close gaps.
• Evolve existing databases and proprietary platform, in conjunction with technology team. For all services (hotel, ground, transport, entertainment, insurance) improve; classification (searchable tags, external description, photo, quality rating), itinerary and sort preference (preferred partner), and merchandising (supplier co‑op prioritization, tourism board prioritization, specials).
• Oversee through matrix reporting structure the Procurement Operations team responsible for data and rate entry, as well as the Booking Operations team responsible for custom service transactions and price confirmation (VPO).
• Improve itineraries by harnessing insights from customer segmentation, competitive benchmarking, technological change (A.I.), and destination expert insights.
• Lead global procurement across DMCs, activities, hotels, restaurants, aviation, transport, and additional services.
• Negotiate commercial terms, rate structures, service‑level expectations, and unique value‑adds.
• Build long‑term supplier partnerships that deliver both competitive commercial benefit and exceptional client experience.

Itinerary Architecture & Content Standards

• Define the “thread” of a Kensington itinerary: structure, thematics, quality benchmarks, pacing, inclusions, and experiential philosophy.
• Ensure itineraries reflect client segmentation insights and align with global product standards.
• Build standardized itinerary templates, guideline libraries, and thematic playbooks to support scalable customization.
• Develop segmentation models informed by booking behavior, spend, travel style, demographics, psychographics, and client feedback.
• Embed client insights into product prioritization, itinerary design, and service delivery.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Data to ensure segmentation translates directly into conversion, retention, and satisfaction improvements.
• Oversee client services operations, ensuring a consistently exceptional pre‑trip, during and post‑trip experience.
• Implement standards, scripts, policies, and service metrics aligned with Kensington’s brand promise.
• Use client feedback loops to continuously enhance product quality, operational performance, and partner accountability.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Innovation

• Partner with Technology on database tools, AI integration, APIs, and research / categorization automation.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, and Finance to align product strategy with revenue, margin, and brand goals.
• Build and lead a high‑performing global team across product, procurement, services, and itinerary disciplines.
• Foster a culture grounded in structure, quality, accountability, and innovation.

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years of leadership experience in procurement, product, or services—ideally within travel, hospitality, or global experience‑based industries.
• Proven strength in categorization: building taxonomies, research frameworks, and structured ranking systems at scale.
• Deep expertise in procurement, vendor management, and commercial negotiations.
• Understanding of global DMC networks, destination logistics, and in‑market supply ecosystems (preferred).
• Experience leading large, multi‑functional teams and driving cross‑functional transformation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and systems‑thinking capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI, data, and technology into product workflows.

The Ideal Candidate

You are both a strategic architect and an operational executor. You thrive on structure: researching, categorizing, ranking, and systematizing complex global information. You understand how to build scalable frameworks that drive consistency without stifling innovation. You’re commercially sharp, globally curious, and motivated by building a product engine that can continuously evolve and outperform.

Why Kensington

At Kensington, you will have the opportunity to define the future of luxury travel on a global scale. You’ll lead the curation of one of the world’s most exclusive product portfolios and shape experiences that inspire and delight discerning travelers. As a senior executive, you will also enjoy:

• Competitive executive benefits designed to support your wellbeing and success.
• Long‑Term Incentive Program (LTIP) that aligns performance with business growth.
• Generous travel credits and exclusive travel perks to experience the world through Kensington’s signature style.
• The chance to join a dynamic, entrepreneurial team during a pivotal stage of global expansion and transformation.

We are committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodation due to a disability at any stage of our hiring process, please advise us when completing your application.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.