Senior Director, Destination Partnerships & Distribution

Qiddiya | القدية

Riyadh

On-site

SAR 650,000 - 950,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Qiddiya is seeking a Senior Director - Commercial Partnerships & Distribution to shape and run the ecosystem of partnerships and distribution that drives sustainable revenue for the destination. You will lead strategic partnerships with travel trade, online and offline channels, and coordinate with stakeholders across Marketing, Finance, Legal, and Product to ensure performance, governance, and scale.

This role demands deep leadership, negotiation, and a track record of building commercial

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, or a related field.
Master's degree or MBA in a relevant discipline is strongly preferred.
Professional certifications in tourism, destination management, or commercial management, such as CDME or CTA, are advantageous.
Minimum of 12 years of progressive commercial experience within tourism, hospitality, destination management, travel trade, or a related industry.
At least five years of experience in a senior leadership position

Responsibilities

Develop and lead the commercial partnerships and distribution strategy in alignment with Qiddiya's objectives, national tourism priorities, and Vision 2030.
Identify, negotiate, and secure high-value partnerships with travel agencies, tour operators, online travel agencies, airlines, hospitality groups, and corporate travel partners.
Oversee partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding, and commercial contracts.
Establish a structured partner lifecycle covering identification, evaluation, onboarding, activation, performance monitoring, renewal, and closure.
Maintain senior-level relationships with executives and decision-makers at key partner organizations.
Ensure partnership agreements deliver measurable commercial, visitor, and brand value.
Lead the development and optimization of Qiddiya's business-to-business and business-to-consumer distribution network.
Oversee relationships and connectivity with online travel agencies and global distribution systems such as Amadeus, Sabre, and Galileo.
Develop channel pricing, inventory management, rate parity, and commission policies across distribution channels.
Lead the development of a trade partner portal offering booking tools, live inventory, marketing materials, and commission tracking.
Evaluate and introduce suitable booking engines, central reservation systems, channel managers, and distribution technologies.
Collaborate with Digital and Technology teams to improve customer journeys and conversion across digital distribution channels.
Ensure distribution platforms and processes are scalable and integrated with Qiddiya's operational systems.
Manage the commercial revenue and budget for the Partnerships and Distribution function.
Establish commercial dashboards to monitor partnership pipeline value, deal progress, conversion rates, channel performance, and revenue against targets.
Implement structured pipeline governance and regular commercial deal reviews.
Work with Product and Finance teams to develop pricing and yield-management approaches across peak and off-peak periods.
Monitor the commercial performance of individual partners, channels, products, and market segments.
Conduct market and competitor benchmarking against comparable destinations.
Identify revenue risks, performance gaps, and new commercial opportunities and recommend appropriate actions.