Director, Lodging Partner Acquisition

Engine; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 164,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Equity opportunity

Bonus potential

Job summary

Engine is seeking a Director, Lodging Partner Acquisition to source, structure, and close net-new lodging supply partnerships that expand rate content, coverage, and economics on the Engine platform.

This is a full-cycle hunter role spanning aggregators, PMGs, chains, and complex properties, including casinos and resorts. You’ll own the opportunity from first conversation to signed, activated agreements.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in business development, commercial partnerships, or enterprise/strategic sales focusing on net-new business
• Proven hunter track record sourcing, structuring, and closing complex deals
• Executive presence with senior stakeholders and multi-stakeholder negotiations
• Ability to model deal economics, structure terms, and align cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

• Own net-new supply acquisition end-to-end across lodging partners and surfaces
• Build and manage a supply pipeline with a named target list
• Lead executive-level deal-making and structure durable agreements
• Drive deals to activation with Connectivity, Onboarding, Product, and Finance
• Represent Engine at industry events and maintain a rigorous forecast

Skills

Business development

Hunter mindset

Executive presence

Negotiation

Commercial acumen

Deal structuring

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel/hospitality experience

Job description

Engine is the all-in-one travel and spend management platform trusted by 38K+ businesses and groups representing 1.8M+ travelers. We're the retailer and the rails of business travel, the fastest-growing company in travel tech, built on a decade of proprietary technology, supply, and pricing no one else can replicate. Other travel and AI companies run on our infrastructure to book real trips, hold rates, and move payments, without building any of it themselves. We built it, AI-forward at every layer, from how travelers book to how the rails run.

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

Engine is looking for a Director, Lodging Partner Acquisition to source, structure, and close net-new lodging supply partnerships that expand the rate content, coverage, and economics available on the Engine platform.

This is a full-cycle hunter role. You will identify and win new supply partners across supply aggregators and distribution partners, property management groups (PMGs), hotel chains, and large independent and complex properties — including casinos, resorts, and destination properties.

You’ll acquire supply across Engine’s growing set of booking products and distribution surfaces — spanning transient, group, and API-based channels (including Groups and Omni) — matching partners to where they fit best. Each is a distinct surface with its own content, and part of your role is structuring agreements that fit how each partner can best participate.

You will own each opportunity from first conversation through signed, activated agreement: building the pipeline, engaging supplier executives, structuring the commercial deal, and driving it live in partnership with our connectivity, onboarding, product, and Partner Success teams. Once a partner is signed and activated, you hand off ongoing account management and growth to Partner Success and move to the next target.

What You’ll Do

• Own net-new supply acquisition end to end: source, qualify, negotiate, close, and drive to activation new lodging supply partnerships across aggregators and distribution partners, PMGs, chains, and large or complex independent properties.
• Acquire supply across Engine’s surfaces: win supply for the core transient platform, Groups, and Omni (API), treating each as a distinct surface with its own content and structuring agreements accordingly.
• Build and manage a supply pipeline: develop a named target list across supply categories and Engine product lines, tier opportunities by rate-content and net-direct-revenue potential, and self-source with creativity and urgency.
• Lead executive-level deal-making: run complex, multi-stakeholder negotiations with commercial, revenue-management, and distribution leaders at supplier organizations, structuring agreements (direct rates, commissions/overrides, net-rate/contracted content, connectivity terms) that are commercially sound and durable.
• Build commercial and distribution fluency: develop a strong working command of lodging distribution economics, rate/content models, connectivity paths, and supplier incentives, and use it to identify where Engine can unlock differentiated content.
• Drive deals to activation, not just signature: partner with Connectivity, Onboarding, Product, and Finance to ensure signed agreements go live and produce consumed net direct revenue, then hand off cleanly to Partner Success.
• Represent Engine in market: carry Engine’s supply story at industry events and executive forums, building credibility and relationships across the lodging ecosystem.
• Maintain pipeline rigor: keep an accurate, well-organized pipeline and forecast, and communicate progress and risks clearly to leadership.

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years in business development, commercial partnerships, or enterprise/strategic sales, with a demonstrated focus on winning net-new business — not managing an inherited book.
• A proven hunter track record: sourcing, structuring, and closing complex, high-value commercial agreements at meaningful scale. You find the opportunity, build the relationship, and drive it to signed.
• Executive presence and negotiation strength: credibility with senior stakeholders and the ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder negotiations to a durable close.
• Commercial acumen: able to model and defend deal economics, structure creative terms, and align cross-functional partners on terms and execution.
• A builder’s mindset: comfort creating the playbook, operating without a defined script, and turning ambiguity into signed, activated deals.
• Fast learner with commercial curiosity: able to get up to speed quickly on lodging distribution and supplier economics (rate and content models, commissions/overrides, connectivity), even if you haven’t worked in them before.
• Bonus: experience in travel, hospitality, lodging, marketplaces, or other supply/distribution businesses, and existing relationships across chains, PMGs, property groups, or distribution partners.

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

Applications for this role will be accepted through November 10, 2026 or until the role is filled. We encourage you to apply early, as we may begin reviewing applications before the deadline.

Compensation Our compensation packages are based on several factors, including your experience, expertise, and location. In addition to a competitive base salary, total compensation may include equity and/or variable pay (OTE). Your recruiter will share your complete compensation package as you move through the process.

Base Pay Range

$164,000 - $205,000 USD

The Engine Edge: Perks & CompensationWe believe in rewarding great work with great benefits:

• Compensation: Competitive base pay tied to role and experience, with opportunities for bonuses, commissions, and equity.
• 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.