Director, Air & Car Rental Partnerships

Engine; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity for all employees

Bonus opportunities

Hybrid-hub work model

Office or remote options

Job summary

Engine, the AI-native platform for intelligent travel, seeks a Director, Airline & Car Rental Partnerships to lead strategy and execution across air and car rental supply.

You will own senior relationships, shape supplier connectivity, and work with product, pricing, and operations to drive growth and profitability, with a hybrid work model and competitive equity-based compensation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in airline distribution, partnerships, or related roles.
• Proven executive-level relationship management with airlines/car rental brands.
• Strong understanding of distribution models (GDS, NDC) and ancillaries.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and execution for air and car rental supply aligned to 2026 priorities.
• Manage senior relationships with airlines and car rental partners at executive level.
• Identify, negotiate, and activate direct supplier agreements.
• Shape connectivity and partnership approach by carrier and market.
• Develop and maintain a strategic supplier coverage roadmap.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Pricing, and Operations to deliver outcomes.
• Provide clear tradeoff recommendations on customer experience, coverage, and margins.
• Track air supply KPIs and report progress.
• Monitor industry dynamics to inform long-term positioning.

Skills

Airline distribution

Partnership development

Executive relations

Strategic planning

Negotiation skills

Cross-functional

Data-driven

Market analysis

Pricing alignment

Communication skills

Job description

About Engine

Engine is the AI-native platform for intelligent travel. For a decade, Engine has built the proprietary technology and supply behind modern business travel, serving over 40,000 customers and nearly 2 million travelers, along with leading travel and AI companies that build on Engine's infrastructure. One system powers business travel, group travel, human agents, and AI agents.

About Engine

Engine is the AI-native platform for intelligent travel. For a decade, Engine has built the proprietary technology and supply behind modern business travel, serving over 40,000 customers and nearly 2 million travelers, along with leading travel and AI companies that build on Engine's infrastructure. One system powers business travel, group travel, human agents, and AI agents.

That work has earned recognition as one of Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators (2025), TravelTech's Reservation Platform of the Year (2026), and one of Built In's Best Places to Work (2020–2026).

We're looking for bold, ambitious people to help redefine how businesses manage and experience travel. Working here, you can expect exponential growth, an ambitious pace, full ownership, and high-caliber colleagues who push you to do the best work of your career. Every hire raises the bar.

Come outpace the ordinary and build the future of travel with us.

About the Role

As Director, Airline & Car Rental Partnerships, you will lead Engine's strategy and execution across air and car rental supply — owning senior relationships with airlines and car rental partners and shaping how these suppliers are integrated into Engine's platform.

This role serves as the senior external face of Engine to airline and car rental partners and is responsible for securing, growing, and evolving strategic partnerships that improve customer experience, coverage, and long-term economics. You will bring deep industry credibility, existing executive relationships, and strong judgment to help Engine scale Flights and Cars as core capabilities.

This is a senior role operating at the intersection of supply strategy, product, commercial, and pricing. You will act as the single-threaded owner for air supply initiatives, driving clear recommendations, execution, and outcomes across airline partnerships, connectivity models, and commercial alignment.

This role provides deep airline domain expertise, structured judgment, and execution leadership to inform and support those decisions as flights continue to scale as a core Engine capability.

What You'll Do

• Lead the strategy and execution for Engine's air and car rental supply ecosystem aligned to 2026 priorities
• Lead and deepen senior relationships with airlines and car rental partners, serving as a trusted executive counterpart
• Identify, negotiate, and activate direct supplier agreements in partnership with executive leadership
• Shape Engine's preferred connectivity and partnership approach by carrier, rental brand, and market
• Develop and maintain a strategic roadmap for supplier coverage, connectivity, and commercial alignment
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Pricing, and Operations to translate strategy into delivered outcomes
• Provide clear recommendations on tradeoffs across customer experience, coverage, performance, and margin
• Track and report on air supply KPIs to measure progress against strategy
• Monitor industry dynamics across airline commercial, distribution technology, regulatory, and competitive landscapes to inform Engine's long-term positioning

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of experience in airline distribution, supply strategy, partnerships, or commercial roles
• Deep existing relationships with airlines (and ideally car rental brands), with demonstrated ability to engage credibly at the executive level
• Strong understanding of airline distribution models (GDS, NDC, ancillaries, fare structures) and car rental commercial constructs
• Proven track record negotiating and scaling complex supplier partnerships with meaningful commercial impact
• Strong strategic judgment with the ability to balance experience, coverage, performance, and economics
• Clear, executive-level written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and making tradeoff-driven decisions

Nice to Have

• Experience at an airline, OTA, GDS, aggregator, or travel platform
• Familiarity with ARC settlement and airline commercial constructs
• Experience working with API-based distribution or airline connectivity platforms

We accept applications for this role on an ongoing basis. We review applications as they are received and encourage interested candidates to apply early.

Compensation

Our compensation packages are based on several factors, including your experience, expertise, and location. In addition to a competitive base salary, all roles receive equity. Depending on the role, total compensation may also include an annual bonus. Your recruiter will share your complete compensation package as you move through the process.

Base Pay Range

$173,000—$240,000 USD

The Engine Edge: Perks & Compensation

We believe in rewarding great work with great benefits:

• Compensation: Competitive base pay tied to role and experience, with equity for all employees. Some roles are also eligible for bonuses or commissions.
• Benefits: Check out our full list at engine.com/culture
• Environments for Success: Different roles have different needs in terms of the environments that drive success which is why we have a hybrid-hub model. Whether you are in one of our amazing offices or fully remote, we'll make sure you have what you need to succeed.

Perks and benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and more