Trading Director

Awaze; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Holiday discounts across Awaze brands

Career growth opportunities

International exposure

Job summary

Awaze, Europe’s leading holiday rentals business, is seeking a Trading Director to shape the commercial trading strategy across brands, markets and booking corridors, owning end-to-end planning and performance.

You will lead a team and align Pricing, Marketing, CRM, Finance, Supply and Distribution, using data-driven insights to maximise occupancy, pricing and ancillary revenue while delivering measurable results.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership in Trading/Commercial or Revenue Management in travel/hospitality or consumer sectors.
• Proven go-to-market planning, promotions and contingency strategies with measurable outcomes.
• Expert in booking curves, occupancy, pricing and yield, incl. direct vs OTA economics.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to decide with partial data.
• Ability to translate complex data into clear narratives and actions.
• Senior stakeholder management and Director-level communication.
• Experience building and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience across multiple brands, markets or international contexts.
• Collaborative, proactive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual and quarterly go-to-market planning across brands, markets and corridors.
• Own the promotional calendar to improve booking pace, occupancy and revenue.
• Lead weekly trading reviews with senior stakeholders and clear actions.
• Develop and improve the Trading Toolkit with frameworks and scenarios.
• Monitor market trends using data tools and insights.
• Own and optimise KPIs: occupancy, booking curve, rate and channel mix.
• Define corridor priorities and ensure cross-team execution.
• Coach and develop the Trading Lead for high performance.
• Grow ancillary revenue through flexible cancellation and add-ons.
• Partner with Pricing, Marketing, CRM, Finance, Supply and Partnerships.
• Champion AI and automation in trading analysis and reporting.

Skills

Trading leadership

Commercial strategy

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Job description

Lead the commercial trading strategy that drives growth across Europe's leading holiday rentals business.

As Trading Director, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping how Awaze optimises demand, occupancy and commercial performance across our brands, source markets and destinations. Working at the centre of our Growth function, you'll combine commercial insight with strategic leadership to influence senior stakeholders, challenge thinking and ensure the business responds quickly to market opportunities.

Your mission

As our new Trading Director, your mission is to define and execute the trading strategy across Awaze's brands, markets and booking corridors to maximise commercial performance. You'll own the end-to-end trading cycle, from annual and quarterly planning through weekly trading performance and short-term commercial interventions, ensuring we optimise occupancy, pricing, booking mix, direct channel performance and ancillary revenue.

Leading our Trading Lead and collaborating across Pricing, Marketing, CRM, Finance, Supply, Distribution, Contact Centre and Partnerships, you'll translate complex performance insights into clear commercial priorities and decisive action that delivers measurable business results.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead annual and quarterly go-to-market planning across brands, source markets, destinations and booking corridors.
• Own the promotional calendar, developing insight-led campaigns that improve booking pace, occupancy and revenue.
• Lead weekly trading reviews, turning performance data into clear commercial actions, priorities and accountability across senior stakeholders.
• Build and continuously improve the Trading Toolkit, including decision frameworks, scenario planning, trigger points and contingency plans.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity and customer demand using Keydata, Google Analytics/Insights and other intelligence tools.
• Own and optimise key trading KPIs including occupancy, booking curve, rate, direct channel mix and distribution effectiveness.
• Define corridor-level trading priorities and ensure coordinated execution across commercial teams.
• Lead, coach and develop the Trading Lead, fostering a commercially rigorous and high-performing team environment.
• Drive the development and optimisation of ancillary revenue products including flexible cancellation, pet fees, damage waiver and travel extras.
• Partner closely with Pricing, Marketing, CRM, Finance, Supply, Distribution and Partnerships to maximize commercial performance and customer value.
• Champion the responsible adoption of AI and automation across trading analysis, reporting, dashboards, competitor monitoring and promotional effectiveness.
• Act as a trusted commercial leader, influencing senior decision-making and constructively challenging assumptions to improve business outcomes.

Who We're Looking For

You’ll thrive in this role if you're a commercially minded leader who enjoys solving complex business challenges through data, collaboration and decisive action. You're comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment where priorities evolve quickly, and you know how to influence across a matrix organisation without relying on direct authority.

We're Looking For Someone Who Brings

• Significant senior-level experience in Trading, Commercial or Revenue Management within travel, hospitality, retail, leisure, e-commerce or another demand-led consumer business.
• A proven track record of developing successful go-to-market plans, promotional strategies and commercial contingency plans that deliver measurable results.
• Strong understanding of booking curves, occupancy management, pricing strategy, yield optimisation and direct versus OTA channel economics.
• Excellent commercial judgement with the confidence to make informed decisions, even when information is incomplete.
• The ability to transform complex data into compelling commercial narratives, priorities and actions.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and communication skills, with credibility at Director level.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience working across multiple brands, markets or international environments.
• A collaborative, proactive and commercially curious approach to leadership.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Experience with Keydata, Google Analytics/Insights or comparable commercial intelligence platforms.
• Experience developing ancillary revenue products and customer propositions.
• Practical experience implementing AI and automation within commercial analysis or reporting.
• Knowledge of holiday rentals, travel distribution, owner partnerships or supply economics.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Shape and deliver the trading strategy that drives occupancy, revenue growth and commercial performance across Awaze.
• Create agile, insight-led trading plans that enable the business to respond rapidly to changing market conditions.
• Strengthen commercial decision-making by introducing robust trading frameworks, governance and performance management.
• Increase ancillary revenue while protecting customer experience and conversion.
• Improve collaboration and accountability across commercial functions through clear priorities and aligned execution.
• Embed smarter ways of working by leveraging AI, automation and data-driven decision-making.
• Develop a high-performing trading capability that supports Awaze's long‑term commercial ambitions.

Why you'll want to work at Awaze

We offer a versatile position in a strong professional and social environment—one you'll have the opportunity to influence and help shape. You'll be part of an international company that invests in the future, joining a dynamic, fast‑paced business with skilled and committed colleagues who support each other.

We're a people‑first business—and we know that our success starts with our teams.

Here’s a Glimpse Of What You’ll Enjoy

• Generous discounts on holidays across our brands.
• Flexible hybrid working, giving you the autonomy to work how you work best.
• Real opportunities to grow, learn and shape both your role and your career through cross‑functional and international development opportunities.
• The opportunity to make a visible commercial impact within Europe's leading holiday rentals business.

About Awaze

Our mission is clear - to create amazing holidays with Europe’s widest choice of holiday homes.

With more than 110,000 properties across Europe, we are the largest managed vacation rentals business in the region. Our ambition is not only to be the biggest, but the best provider of holiday homes in Europe.

As travel continues to evolve, we are focused on what comes next. We will keep strengthening our relationships with guests and homeowners, continuously improving the way we work, and delivering strong performance. By making things simpler and smarter, we are building a business that is ready for what’s next - powered by proud, passionate and inclusive people.

Worth knowing

We offer the best of both worlds: the energy of the office and the freedom of home, with hybrid working that lets you have a mix of office and remote work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.

What's next

We're committed to running an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. All applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, and if you have any specific requirements or adjustments needed for the interview, just let us know when you accept your invitation—we're happy to accommodate.