Business Development Manager (Cruise)

Port of Dover; Dover; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

5 weeks annual leave + bank holidays

Birthday leave

Generous pension scheme

Discretionary annual bonus scheme

Private Health Care

Life assurance

Employee assistance programme

Cycle to work scheme

Free Parking

Job summary

Port of Dover is looking for a commercially driven Business Development Manager (Cruise) to grow our cruise business with cruise lines, agents and partners. You will strengthen relationships, identify opportunities and support the delivery of our long-term commercial strategy.

In this role you will manage day-to-day client relationships, develop account plans, pursue new opportunities, assist in proposals and tenders, and coordinate cross-functional inputs to drive international growth for the

Qualifications

• Experience in cruise, maritime, travel or tourism sectors required.
• Experience in business development, account management or commercially focused roles.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation and networking abilities.
• Commercially astute with ability to identify growth opportunities.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day relationships with cruise line customers, ensuring high quality service.
• Develop and maintain account management plans to support retention and growth.
• Build relationships with cruise operators, port agents, shore excursion providers and ground handlers.
• Identify customer needs, service improvements and commercial opportunities.
• Support customer onboarding and coordinate operational requirements across the business.
• Identify, qualify and pursue new business opportunities within the cruise sector.
• Support preparation of commercial proposals, presentations and tender submissions.
• Assist in developing business cases through market, operational and financial analysis.
• Contribute to development of the Port’s cruise proposition.
• Support commercial negotiations and coordinate stakeholder inputs.
• Work with Operations, Engineering, Finance to deliver customer requirements.
• Monitor service performance and resolve operational issues.
• Support tariff and rate changes communication.
• Plan and deliver sales missions.
• Attend trade exhibitions and industry events.
• Generate and follow up new business leads.
• Gather market intelligence and identify trends.
• Represent the Port of Dover in domestic and international markets.

Skills

Cruise/maritime experience

Business development

Relationship management

Commercial proposals/tenders

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Full UK driving licence

Willingness to travel internationally

Stakeholder management

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Port of Dover is a world-leading gateway for trade, travel and tourism, welcoming cruise lines and passengers from around the globe. We are looking for a commercially driven and customer-focused Business Development Manager (Cruise) to play a key role in developing and growing our cruise business. Working closely with cruise operators, agents, tourism partners and internal stakeholders, you will help strengthen existing customer relationships, identify new business opportunities and support the delivery of our long-term commercial strategy. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong relationship management and business development skills who enjoys working in a fast-paced, international environment and wants to contribute to the continued success of one of the UK's most iconic ports.

What You’ll Be Doing

Customer Relationship Management

• Manage day to day relationships with our cruise line customers, ensuring we provide them with a consistently high level of service.
• Develop and maintain account management plans to support customer retention and growth.
• Build strong relationships with cruise operators, port agents, shore excursion providers and ground handlers.
• Identify customer needs, service improvements and commercial opportunities.
• Support customer onboarding and coordinate operational requirements across the business.

Business Development

• Identify, qualify and pursue new business opportunities within the cruise sector.
• Support the preparation of commercial proposals, presentations and tender submissions.
• Assist in developing business cases through market, operational and financial analysis.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of the Port’s cruise proposition.
• Support commercial negotiations and coordinate inputs from relevant stakeholders.

Operational Delivery

• Work closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance and other departments to ensure customer requirements are delivered effectively.
• Monitor service performance and support the resolution of operational issues.
• Support the implementation and communication of tariff and rate changes.

Market Development & Industry Engagement

• Plan and deliver sales missions.
• Support and attend trade exhibitions, industry conferences and networking events.
• Generate and follow up new business leads.
• Gather market intelligence and identify emerging trends, opportunities and competitive activity.
• Represent the Port of Dover professionally across domestic and international markets.

Reporting & Commercial Support

• Maintain accurate CRM records and customer data.
• Produce market reports, customer performance summaries and business development updates.
• Prepare presentations, briefing papers and reports for internal and external meetings.
• Support commercial projects and strategic growth initiatives.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• Experience within the cruise, maritime, travel or tourism sectors.
• Experience in business development, account management or commercially focused roles.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation and networking abilities.
• Commercially astute with the ability to identify growth opportunities.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Competent in Microsoft Office applications.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Willingness to travel nationally and internationally as required.
• Knowledge of the cruise industry and its key stakeholders.
• Experience supporting bids, tenders and commercial proposals.
• Experience using CRM systems and analysing commercial data

About You

Are you a motivated and proactive commercial professional who enjoys building strong relationships and delivering results.

You’ll also be:

• Customer-focused and passionate about delivering exceptional service.
• Confident engaging with senior leaders and external stakeholders.
• Resilient and comfortable working towards commercial targets.
• An effective negotiator with strong influencing skills.
• A proactive problem-solver who thrives in a changing environment.
• A confident ambassador who can represent the Port at industry events and customer meetings.
• Collaborative in your approach and able to work effectively across multiple teams.

Why Join the Port of Dover?

The Port of Dover is a unique and dynamic organisation at the heart of international trade and travel. We offer the opportunity to work with global customers, develop meaningful commercial relationships and contribute to the future growth of one of the UK's most important transport and tourism hubs. If you’re looking for a role where you can make a real impact, travel internationally, develop strategic customer relationships and help shape the future of cruise operations at the Port of Dover, we’d love to hear from you.

Hours of work: Monday - Friday 37.5 per week

Salary: Up to £52,500 DOE

• 5 weeks annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata)
• Birthday leave
• Generous contributory pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Private Health Care
• Life assurance
• Employee assistance programme
• 3rd party discounts
• Cycle to work scheme
• Benefits and reward platform
• Free Parking

All offers of employment are subject to us obtaining satisfactory references (covering all education, training, employment and unemployment in the preceding 7 years) and there will be a pre-employment medical including a Drug and Alcohol test. We need to satisfy your Right to Work in the UK.

Please be aware that all employees will be subject to background security checks in order to obtain a Dock Pass.

We value the unique differences that each of our colleagues bring to work every day and are committed to creating an environment where everyone is looking after each other and respected, included and able to perform at their best.

All applications are reviewed by our team - we do not use AI for screening.

Closing date: 13 November 2026 at 5pm