Sales Manager

Explora Journeys; Lombardia; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal vouchers

Health Insurance

Productivity award

Learning opportunities

Flexible working hours

Employee Assistance

Job summary

Explora Journeys, a European luxury travel brand, is seeking a seasoned Business Development & Sales professional to lead strategic accounts and grow market share in Italy.

You will develop partnerships, manage Go-to-Market activities, travel up to 50% of the time, collaborate across teams, and uphold brand integrity. The perman ent role offers a gross annual salary of 60,000–67,000 EUR paid in 14 installments along with meal vouchers and welfare benefits.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of sales experience in Luxury Travel or Hospitality is required, luxury cruise experience is highly sought.
• Excellent sales network and reputation with a strong base of trade partners / key accounts in Italy, with focus in Northern Italy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Power BI.
• Fluent in Italian and English, written and spoken.
• Collaborative mindset with ability to build strong relationships externally and internally.
• Outstanding negotiation, presentation and organizational skills.
• Experience with reservation and CRM platforms; knowledge of booking and sales systems is advantageous.
• Ability to travel at least 50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage the Go-to-Market strategy for the assigned region and partner accounts.
• Develop best-in-class relationships to grow partner loyalty through targeted communication.
• Collaborate with teams to leverage distribution networks and marketing platforms while ensuring brand consistency.
• Lead business reviews and use performance data to support revenue goals (gross and net).
• Oversee cooperative marketing plans, ROI, and quarterly partner reviews; lead Pay-for-Performance initiatives.
• Promote group, incentive, and charter business from assigned accounts.
• Manage budget and forecast processes with understanding of channel mix and acquisition costs.
• Maintain brand visibility by participating in trade events and educational visits.
• Identify and engage new trade accounts to generate bookings.
• Define target accounts and plan weekly activities; present proposals to Commercial Director.

Skills

10+ years sales

Strong network

Power BI

Italian & English

Collaborative

Negotiation

CRM platforms

Travel 50%

Tools

Power BI

CRM platforms

Job description

Where passion meets opportunity

Discover your journey into the extraordinary.

Job Purpose

Explora Journeys is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, European luxury brand, imagined in the heart of Swiss hospitality in Geneva. Leveraging our parent company MSC Group's hundreds of years of maritime expertise, our fleet of six luxury ships (four are currently in the pipeline) are being built and designed in a totally different and unique way that will transform and redefine the cruise experience, creating a category of its own, appealing to the next generation of luxury travellers.

An exciting opportunity exists for a talented Business Development & Sales professional to join our newly created luxury travel brand Explora Journeys and lead specific assigned strategic accounts to grow market share, create bias and brand loyalty, identify new business development opportunities and grow the brands visibility in Italy.

Qualifications (skills, competencies, experience)

• A minimum of 10 years of sales experience in the territory in Luxury Travel or Hospitality is required. Luxury cruise experience is a highly sought.
• Excellent sales network and reputation. Known contact base and high knowledge of trade partners / key accounts in Italy with a strong focus in Northern Italy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, especially Power BI.
• Fluent in oral and written Italian and English is a must, any other language is a plus.
• You work collaboratively and establish constructive professional relationships externally with partners and within the organization.
• Outstanding negotiation, presentation and organization skills.
• Ideally technically capable of using reservation and CRM platforms; experience with relevant booking and sales systems is considered an advantage.
• Ability to travel minimum 50% of the time.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the defined Go-to-Market strategy for assigned region in terms of partner accounts and business development initiatives.
• Develop best in class relationships that shift, share and grow partner loyalty through a focused communication plan.
• Collaborate with peers and colleagues to leverage sales distribution networks and marketing platforms ensuring brand consistency, policy and pricing integrity.
• Execute business review meetings and leverage performance data to support revenue generation while achieving gross and net revenue goals.
• Contribute to the management of all cooperative marketing plans, ROI and regular partner performance reviews QBRs against targets. Lead any Pay for Performance plans with partners.
• Promote group, incentive and charter business from assigned accounts.
• Manage assigned budget and Forecast Process with an expert understanding of channel mix and acquisition cost impact.
• Maintains brand and product visibility by participating in the appropriate trade partner events. Embrace and professionally execute educational visits.
• Proactively identify and engage new trade accounts that are not yet connected to the brand but have strong potential to generate booking volume, leveraging an already established network in the assigned territory.
• Select target accounts and define weekly commercial activities such as agency visits and events, submitting proposals for approval to the Commercial Director; this role is expected to create business proactively in the assigned territory and build new partnerships, not only execute a centrally defined strategy.

Visa Requirements (if any)

• Right to work in Italy.

What we offer

In compliance with the applicable pay transparency legislation, the following information is provided regarding the initial compensation foreseen for the position.

Contract

• Type of contract: Permanent
• Applicable Collective Labour Agreement (CCNL): “Addetti agli uffici ed ai terminals delle società di navigazione che esercitano l’armamento privato” – sez. personale di terra
• Gross annual salary (RAL): between € 60.000 and 67.000 gross per year, paid over 14 monthly installments
• Meal vouchers: worth €8 per on-site working day

The offer in terms of salary will be determined based on the candidate’s professional experience, technical competencies, and the level of autonomy and responsibility assigned to the role.

Welfare&Wellbeing

We offer a range of Welfare&Wellbeing Initiatives as well as benefits including Productivity award, Health Insurance, Learning opportunities, flexible working hours, Employee Assistance Programme, Discounts & Partnerships within the MSC group.

At Explora Journeys, we are redefining luxury ocean travel — where discovery, well-being, and a deep respect for the seas come together in harmony. We seek passionate professionals who share our vision of a more immersive, transformative way to discover the world’s most inspiring destinations by sea. Are you ready to turn your passion into something extraordinary? Join us at Explora Journeys, where an ocean of opportunities awaits. Your journey to the Ocean State of Mind starts here.