Director, Strategic BD - Travel & TMCs

Engine; United States; Hybrid; USD 265,000 - 345,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid-hub model

Bonuses & equity

Job summary

Engine is redefining how businesses manage travel with a hybrid-hub model, offering executive collaboration and strategic partnerships. The Director, Strategic BD – Travel & TMC will own end-to-end partnerships, build a high-value pipeline, and lead negotiations with senior leaders.

You will shape cross-functional deals, drive growth, and mentor a growing BD team in a category-defining travel/fintech platform.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of strategic BD, partnerships, or enterprise sales in Travel & TMC.
• Proven history of sourcing, structuring, and closing high-value B2B partnerships.
• Executive-level relationships with C-suite and VP-level decision-makers.
• Builder’s mindset: create playbooks and momentum in ambiguous environments.
• Leadership experience building or mentoring BD/sales teams.
• Strong commercial acumen for deal economics and structures.
• Experience in travel, fintech, SaaS, or marketplaces is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end Travel & TMC partnerships from outreach to growth.
• Develop a high-value pipeline targeting $50M+ annual volume.
• Lead executive negotiations with C-suite and VP stakeholders.
• Maintain deep market knowledge of Travel & TMC landscape.
• Manage post-close relationships, retention, and expansion.
• Collaborate with Product, Marketing, Revenue Ops, and Finance.
• Represent Engine at industry conferences and events.
• Maintain a disciplined Salesforce pipeline and accurate forecasting.
• Build and scale a BD team as the vertical grows.

Skills

Travel & TMC expertise

Partnership track record

Executive presence

Builder’s mindset

Leadership orientation

Commercial acumen

Industry bonus

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About Engine

At Engine, we’re transforming business travel into something personalized, rewarding, and simple. For too long, managing travel and spend has been overwhelming and fragmented — we’re here to change that. We believe the future of travel should be seamless and powered by technology that delights customers at every step. That’s why we’re building a platform that brings together corporate travel, a powerful charge card, and modern spend management in one place.

To make this vision real, we’re looking for exceptional, mission-driven people to help redefine how businesses manage and experience travel.

More than 30,000 companies already rely on Engine to support over 1 million travelers and billions in annual bookings each year. Cash flow positive with rapid growth, we pair exclusive Engine-only rates, industry-leading rewards, and intelligent automation to help businesses save money while delivering world-class personalization and convenience.

Backed by Telescope Partners, Blackstone, and Permira, Engine has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing travel and fintech platforms in North America, with honors including the Deloitte Fast 500 and Built In’s Best Places to Work.

Your Mission

We value our individuality, and we also understand that together, we thrive. Most importantly, we know we’re not for everyone! Complacency doesn’t live here. We’re focused on finding the right people who are energized by our culture and bring diverse experiences and backgrounds that will help us unlock our full potential.

Engine is redefining how businesses experience travel — and the strategic partnerships that power our growth are central to that mission. As Director, Strategic BD – Travel & TMC, you will own our most consequential Travel & TMC partnerships from first conversation through long-term scale. This is a full-cycle role: you source it, negotiate it, close it, and grow it. You will build deep executive relationships across the Travel & TMC landscape, structure complex high-value deals, and ultimately build and lead a team beneath you as this vertical scales. If you thrive at the intersection of strategic thinking and relentless execution — and you want to build something that matters at a category-defining company — this is your role.

Here’s What You’ll Do

• Full-Cycle Partnership Ownership: Own the end-to-end lifecycle for Travel & TMC partnerships — from initial outreach and qualification through negotiation, close, onboarding, and long-term growth. You bring it in, you scale it.
• Pipeline Development: Identify, qualify, and build a high-value pipeline of Travel & TMC partnerships, each with the potential to reach $50M+ in annual volume. Manage a named account list, tier opportunities strategically, and self-source with creativity and urgency.
• Executive-Level Negotiation: Lead complex, multi-stakeholder deal negotiations with C-suite and VP-level decision-makers at Travel & TMC organizations. Craft compelling partnership structures that drive durable mutual value.
• Vertical Expertise & Market Intelligence: Develop and maintain deep knowledge of the Travel & TMC landscape — key players, buying dynamics, competitive forces, regulatory considerations, and partnership models that unlock distribution or revenue at scale.
• Post-Close Relationship Leadership: Serve as Engine’s primary executive relationship owner for the largest Travel & TMC partners post-close. You decide which accounts to retain and which to pass onto the partner success organization. Drive retention, expansion, and partner satisfaction across your portfolio.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product, Marketing, Revenue Operations, and Finance to craft tailored proposals, support partner onboarding, and ensure Engine’s platform capabilities match Travel & TMC partner needs.
• Industry Representation: Represent Engine at Travel & TMC relevant conferences, industry events, and executive forums. Build Engine’s brand and credibility in the market.
• Pipeline Rigor & Forecasting: Maintain a well-organized, accurate pipeline in Salesforce. Forecast clearly, communicate progress to leadership, and leverage AI & sales tools to drive efficiency.
• Team Building: As the Travel & TMC vertical matures and scales, recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing BD team beneath you. You’re not just a dealmaker — you’re building a business within a business.

What You’ll Bring to Engine

• Travel & TMC Expertise: 10+ years of strategic BD, partnerships, or enterprise sales experience with a demonstrated focus in Travel & TMC. Deep network and established credibility within the Travel & TMC ecosystem.
• Partnership Track Record: Proven history of sourcing, structuring, and closing complex B2B partnerships at significant scale — not just transactional deals. You’ve managed high-value portfolios and know what it takes to win and keep strategic accounts.
• Executive Presence: Strong executive presence with the ability to navigate complex organizations, build trust with senior stakeholders, and lead high-stakes conversations at the C-suite level.
• Builder’s Mindset: You create the playbook as you go. You thrive in environments without a defined script, identify the right path forward independently, and turn ambiguity into momentum.
• Leadership Orientation: Experience building, managing, or mentoring BD or sales teams — and a genuine drive to scale a high-performing team as this vertical grows.
• Commercial Acumen: Ability to model and communicate the commercial value of complex deals. Comfortable with deal economics, partnership structures, and cross-functional alignment on contract terms.
• Industry Bonus: Experience in travel, fintech, SaaS, or marketplace platforms is a strong plus. Familiarity with the corporate travel ecosystem is an advantage.

Applications for this role will be accepted through November 20, 2026 or until the role is filled. We encourage you to apply early, as we may begin reviewing applications before the deadline.

Compensation
In addition to a competitive base salary, our listed compensation range includes the estimated variable target. Your OTE (on-target earnings) are based on several factors including your experience, expertise, and location. Your compensation package may also include equity. Your recruiter will share your complete compensation package as you move through the process.

Total OTE Range (Base Salary + Variable)

$265,000—$345,000 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 opportunities for bonuses, commissions, and equity.
• 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.