Product & Commercial Director

dnata; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading B2B travel company in the UK is looking for a Product & Commercial Director to spearhead the strategy and growth of its product offerings. The role requires a dynamic leader to develop pricing strategies, drive profitability, and collaborate across various teams for optimal performance. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in product development and leadership, with proven skills in managing strategic commercial growth and excellent stakeholder relationships. The position entails travel, both within the UK and internationally.

Qualifications

• Proven senior leadership experience within product, commercial, or trading roles.
• Strong track record in designing and delivering commercial growth strategies.
• Expertise in pricing, yield management, and margin optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead product and commercial function for business growth.
• Drive profitability through effective product and pricing strategies.
• Collaborate across departments to achieve strategic goals.

Skills

Leadership experience

Pricing expertise

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Collaborative

Commercially astute

Job description

dnata Travel Group B2B is the UK’s biggest B2B-only tour operator with 5 brands (Gold Medal, Cruise Plus, Pure Luxury, Incredible Journeys, GM Wholesale)

We have an exciting opportunity for a Product & Commercial Director to lead our Product & Commercial function and play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic and commercial success of Gold Medal Travel Group.

In this senior leadership role, you’ll be responsible for developing and delivering growth plans, driving profitability through effective product and pricing strategies, and ensuring we have market-leading propositions across all brands. This role is dynamic, complex and requires someone with the ability to prioritise opportunities and execute at pace.

Our ground and aviation purchasing is centralised at dnata, so you’ll be fostering collaboration across the wider dnata Travel Group, adopting an collegiate mindset to achieve goals.

This is a highly visible internally to our teams, within the travel industry and as a key ambassador for our business. Excellent relationship management and high degree of professionalism is essential.

UK and overseas travel will be required.

Key Tasks

Strategic Leadership & Growth Support the Managing Director – B2B in the design, delivery and execution of growth planning, forecasting and targets.

Maintain focus on trading results, directing pricing strategies to maximise margin and market share while leveraging brand strength.

Provide accurate commercial insight and management information to support our SLT decision making.

Be an active participant in our SLT, supporting or challenging peers as appropriate.

Team Leadership & Development Build a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Ensure clear communication of goals, strategies, and progress across all teams.

Ensure our home-based colleagues contribute as effectively as those in the office.

Ensure people feel they can “belong” in their teams and with our wider business community. Be a champion of our shared values and culture.

Product & Pricing Strategy Design and implement the Product & Commercial function to deliver efficient, consistent processes and enhanced productivity.

Drive the development of new products and destinations, supported by market research, competitor insight, and robust business cases.

Ensure product portfolios align with brand strategy and deliver accurate representation across all distribution channels.

Lead land product pricing strategy to optimise profitability through yield management, dynamic pricing, and data‑led decision‑making.

Ensure the directly contracted Cruise, Touring and ancillary portfolio meets the needs of our customers and that best practice is followed in all areas of compliance.

Commercial Excellence & Market Competitiveness Conduct regular competitor and market analysis to identify opportunities for differentiation, exclusive offers, and innovation.

Collaborate closely with Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing teams to ensure product briefs and pricing strategies deliver market‑leading propositions.

Develop and manage supplier relationships (e.g., hoteliers, DMCs, Cruise Lines, Airlines, Touring & Adventure suppliers) to optimise commercial advantage and service levels.

Operational Performance & Continuous Improvement Define and monitor internal SLAs to ensure a department that is well integrated with sales, market, IT etc.

Review and refine operational processes to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and departmental performance.

Identify enhancement opportunities from technology and align with Digital Product as we expand on our robotics, automation and AI integrations.

Model all PRDs for Digital Product team to forecast ROI on investment and support prioritisation process.

Customer & Data Focus Embed a strong customer‑centric approach in all product and commercial activities.

Work with Trade Partnerships to ensure all incentive schemes are fully costed and align our interests with our customers.

Use analytical insights to identify trends, inform pricing and product decisions, and improve communication strategies.

Ensure decisions reflect brand values and deliver measurable improvements in customer satisfaction.

To be considered for this role, you need to have the following skills, qualifications & experience :

• Proven senior leadership experience within product, commercial, or trading roles—ideally in travel or a related sector.
• A strong track record in designing and delivering commercial growth strategies.
• Demonstrable expertise in pricing, yield management, and margin optimisation.
• Experience managing a multi-location department and developing high‑performing teams.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated success in product development, supplier management, and contract negotiation.
• Commercially astute with a strategic mindset and operational discipline.
• An inspiring leader with strong influencing skills and emotional intelligence.
• Highly commercial, results‑oriented, and analytically minded.
• Innovative and forward‑thinking, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Collaborative and inclusive, with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Resilient and adaptable in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment.