Product Development Lead

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation & benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

About Us

Royal Caribbean Group is the world’s largest cruise line, having a record-breaking year and launching not one but TWO brand new ships in 2024, including a brand-new class of ship in Icon of the Seas! It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join a global business that is blazing a trail in the travel industry right now.

With our 3 brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises & Silversea we have ships in South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and several North American markets beyond our headquarters in Miami, FL. We cover the globe. No matter where our guests want to go, Royal Caribbean Group has a ship that can deliver a world-class vacation.

At Royal Caribbean Group we never rest on our laurels; we constantly strive to improve our work and be at the forefront of the industry. The work that we do is exciting, challenging, and innovative. You get to work both independently and as part of a collaborative and dynamic international team. We are passionate, we are innovative, and we are unstoppable.

This role is based remotely in Basel, Switzerland (ideally around the Steiger Klybeckquai area).

The Lead, Product Development of Shore Excursions and Port of Call Experiences is responsible for developing the tour experiences, pre and post packages, independent experiences and other port of call experiences that guests cruising with Celebrity Cruises can purchase to add on to their cruise vacation. The Lead develops a product recommendation and product brief with a forward outlook of 12 to 18 months prior to the season or ship itinerary.

This position also evaluates existing tours and experiences offered in a port of call or homeport to determine strengths and opportunities; as well as make recommendations for product differentiation to achieve the brand’s long-term guest satisfaction and revenue-driven ambitions. The Lead is accountable for having an understanding of the cruise and land competitive landscape and also identifying future trends.

This position will identify short and long-term opportunities that include pre/post-cruise travel and land vacation experiences by further developing our tour options, and hotel and transfer options. The opportunities may also extend into shopping experiences while in port; and destination related onboard experiences.

Responsibilities & Ownership

• Lead the development and strategic planning of shore excursions, pre/post-cruise packages, and port experiences across 200+ destinations, using research, site visits, and guest insights to identify innovative and differentiated offerings.
• Define regional product strategies by analysing itineraries, customer segments, and market trends, producing actionable recommendations and long-term roadmaps.
• Create and present product briefs—including guest experience goals, success criteria, go-to-market, pricing, and sales strategies—to secure alignment across leadership and operational teams.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams (e.g. Revenue, Deployment, Destination Development, Marketing, Hotel Ops) and external partners to ensure timely, seamless implementation of new experiences.
• Identify, engage, and negotiate with new tour operators, hotels, transfer providers, and travel partners; manage RFPs and contracting processes to support strategic expansion.
• Conduct competitive analysis, trend research, and SWOT assessments to inform product planning, risk evaluation, and the integration of destination experiences into onboard programming.
• Act as a brand ambassador in internal and external forums, driving projects forward with limited direction while navigating complex, fast-paced, and often ambiguous environments.

Financial Responsibilities

Develop product initiatives related to specific regions, itineraries or customer profiles that will be responsible for revenue generating results between $5M and $50M.

Monitor the profit margins for this business are aligned with the profitability goals of the brand.

This position may support and be involved with other areas of onboard revenue which are $600M and growing for the brand.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline or equivalent, directly related experience. Master’s degree or higher would be a plus.
• 3-5 years or more of experience in cruise or travel industry, tour operator related business, or experience in destination product development or strategy. Longer tenure with this type of experience would be a plus.
• Proven track record of success in fast-paced environment with demanding timelines.
• Experience in working within high-performing strategic teams.
• Experience in a project management, consumer insights or strategy-focused role highly preferred.
• Experience in recommending and developing strategy and executive-level product or business recommendations.
• Ability to travel up to 25-30% of the time.

Knowledge and Skills

• Very collaborative and an exemplary great communicator in speech and writing.
• Highly Analytical. Ability to convert raw information into applicable strategies.
• Proactive, demonstrate outstanding problem-solving skills and successful in a group setting.
• Exemplary leader who inspires and motivates team & stakeholder performance.
• Highly organised. Methodical in research, order, prioritisation and implementation.
• Strong attention to detail and process management.
• Exceptional project management skills with ability to drive consensus in cross functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and frame new and complex issues.
• Exceptionally good storyteller who can flex across technical and business, and influence people across all levels.
• Must be disciplined and comfortable with ambiguity, possessing the maturity and capability to interact and influence across multiple levels and a global matrixed organisation.
• This role requires of course the right to live and work in Switzerland.

Work Environment:

The environment includes work inside/outside the office, travel to other offices, as well as domestic, international, and shipboard travel. A high noise level is possible if visiting shipboard or offsite locations. This position requires the ability to work in both an office and marine (ship) environment. As mentioned before, this position requires an office space where private conversations can take place in order to protect the confidentiality of our patients.

What we Offer

At Royal Caribbean Group, we are client-centric but put people first. We have a culture where everyone is trusted and valued in equal measure, whatever your role in the company. We are propelled by people. Our employees and crew are the driving force behind our success. Our aim is to recruit, develop and retain world class people, who come to Royal Caribbean to do the best work of their careers.

We are committed to employee development, and you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced people in the business. We regularly reward and promote success, encouraging staff to take on new challenges and responsibilities to aid progression.

Our remuneration package includes our competitive pension, private healthcare, life assurance cover to name a few. In addition, every permanent member of staff that works at Royal Caribbean is eligible for our cruise request program and friends & family cruise discounts.

Come join the team - Journey with us, succeed with us, grow with us.

We know there's a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance, and more relevant details to answer any additional questions.

Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We'll hope to see you onboard soon.

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.