Destination Services Procurement Lead

Kuoni Tumlare; Lazio; In loco; EUR 70.000 - 110.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

International environment

Learning opportunities

Travel industry focus

Descrizione del lavoro

Kuoni Tumlare in Italy seeks a Destination Services Procurement Lead to source, contract and manage services across destinations, ensuring capacity, high quality and competitive pricing. You will lead a team of three procurement professionals, align with Operations, Planning and Sales, and optimize contracts and supplier portfolio to support both series and ad hoc business.

The role requires strong negotiation, stakeholder management and knowledge of destination services, with travel industry

Competenze

• 5+ years in contracting, procurement, operations or supplier management in travel.
• Solid knowledge of destination services and supplier networks.
• Proven negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Mansioni

• Contract services in line with market plans and deadlines.
• Develop and maintain a reliable supplier network with coverage by destination.
• Ensure capacity and availability for series and ad hoc business.
• Lead and coach a team of three DS Procurement professionals.
• Monitor supplier performance and implement corrective actions.

Conoscenze

Negotiation skills

Supplier management

Team leadership

Procurement experience

Travel industry knowledge

English proficiency

Descrizione del lavoro

At Kuoni Tumlare , we deliver truly inspiring and innovative solutions and experiences that create value both for our Partners and Society at large. Our wide portfolio of products and solutions is built on 100+ years of destination management experience.

Our solutions include series tours, technical visits, educational tours, Japanspecialist travel consulting, as well as meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Our product portfolio includes MyBus excursions at destinations as well as guaranteed departure tours devised and delivered by our Seat-in-Coach specialists, Europamundo (EMV) and MyBus Landcruise.

We cater to a wide range of customer needs in close collaboration with our trusted suppliers and powered by our team of destinations experts - enabling us to make a real difference to the world.

About the Business

Our Destination Management services form the core of our business. Together with our destination experts, our sales and account management teams generate business by partnering with our customers (Tour Operators, Travel Agencies) to shape exciting itineraries suited to their traveler’s needs. We take care of everything from ground support, hotel bookings, sightseeing, restaurants, and local guides; all while providing 24/7 customer support so that travelers from over 50 countries can enjoy memorable travel experiences worry free.

About the Role

The Destination Services Procurement Lead is responsible for sourcing, contracting and managing services across assigned destinations, ensuring adequate capacity, high quality standards, competitive pricing and operational reliability. The role also provides direct people leadership to a team of three DS Procurement professionals, ensuring clear priorities, workload allocation, performance management and team development.

The role owns the commercial relationship with suppliers and partners and contributes to the achievement of company targets by optimizing costs and contractual conditions, securing access to critical services and developing a reliable and competitive supplier portfolio aligned with business and market requirements.

Key activities:

Contract services in line with market plans, contracting guidelines and agreed timelines

Develop and maintain a reliable network of suppliers and local service providers, ensuring adequate coverage by destination, language and market requirements

Ensure sufficient capacity and availability to support both series and ad hoc business, proactively identifying gaps and alternative solutions

Manage procurement and contractual arrangements for all services, ensuring alignment with booking procedures, operational requirements and supplier conditions

Ensure accuracy, completeness, competitiveness and compliance of all contracted services and related information in company systems

Monitor supplier performance, proactively addressing quality issues and implementing corrective actions in cooperation with Operations and Customer Service

Regularly review contract utilization, supplier allocation and non-contracted service usage, identifying opportunities to improve portfolio coverage and cost efficiency

Negotiate competitive rates, payment terms, cancellation conditions, supplements and other commercial conditions, supporting margin optimization and company targets

Identify and develop alternative suppliers and contingency solutions for destinations or services with limited availability or operational risk

Collaborate closely with Operations and Planning on supplier allocation, capacity planning and entrance requirements, ensuring alignment between the contracted portfolio and operational demand

Support Sales and internal stakeholders with destination and supplier expertise, identifying solutions for specific market or client requirements

Build and maintain effective relationships with suppliers and local partners, fostering long-term cooperation and continuous improvement

Contribute to the development of new products and opportunities related to cultural attractions, guided services and destination experiences

Lead, coach and develop a team of three DS Procurement professionals, setting clear objectives and supporting individual development

Plan and allocate team workload and priorities, ensuring contracting deadlines, operational requirements and business priorities are met

Monitor team performance through regular one-to-ones, feedback and performance reviews, fostering accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement

Ensure consistent procurement standards, processes and ways of working across the team, acting as escalation point for complex supplier, operational or commercial matters

Complexity:

Management of categories characterized by limited capacity, seasonal demand and high operational dependency

Management of a broad and diverse network of individual guides, associations, attractions, transports, restaurants and local suppliers across multiple destinations

Need to anticipate capacity shortages and secure alternative solutions, particularly in high-demand destinations and peak periods

Management of critical entrances subject to availability constraints, booking windows, cancellation policies and changing supplier procedures

Balancing commercial objectives with operational reliability, quality requirements and market-specific needs

High level of coordination with Operations, Planning, Sales and Customer Service

Requires solid destination knowledge and the ability to react quickly to operational or supplier-related issues

People management responsibility for a team of three DS Procurement professionals, balancing team development with category and operational priorities

Availability to travel up to 25%

Knowledge , Skills , Personal Characteristics:

5 years of experience in contracting, procurement, operations, product management or supplier management in the travel industry

Solid knowledge of destination services; experience with guide services, attractions or entrance management is an advantage

Proven negotiation and supplier management skills, with the ability to build agreement with stakeholders at all levels

Ability to manage capacity, availability and operational constraints across multiple destinations

Well-developed analytical skills, covering supplier performance, contract utilization and cost analysis

Ability to identify operational risks and develop alternative sourcing solutions

Well-developed organizational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills in English (additional languages are a plus)

Ability to work effectively across Procurement, Operations, Planning, Sales and Customer Service

Previous people management or team leadership experience, with the ability to coach, develop and motivate team members

Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office, relevant operational and contracting systems, AI tools and BI/reporting tools

Focus on results, with a proactive and solution-oriented approach

Clear and effective communicator

Approachable and collaborative

Commercially minded

Highly organized

Motivated and proactive

Accountability for own area of responsibility

Pragmatic and solution-oriented

Flexible and adaptable

Ability to anticipate issues and identify alternatives

Able to work autonomously and to manage concurrent deadlines

Works collaboratively with others

Passion for travel and destination

What We Offer:

Opportunity to work in an international environment.

Diverse & Inclusive culture.

Learning and training opportunities for growth.

Dedicated Employee Engagement Activities.