Vice President of Client Development

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection; Fort Lauderdale (FL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection seeks a Vice President of Client Development to define and lead a luxury clienteling strategy that deepens relationships with high-potential guests. You will build a scalable model across Sales, Marketing, CRM, and Operations to drive retention, lifetime value, and revenue.

Based in a hybrid, primarily office-based role, you will collaborate with global teams, set governance for guest profiles, and measure performance with KPIs.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in client development and luxury sales.
• Proven success building programs that improve retention and lifetime value.
• Strong CRM, segmentation, customer analytics, personalization, and lifecycle-management experience.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute global client development and clienteling strategy focused on acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.
• Create meaningful client segments and relationship strategies using signals like booking history and engagement.
• Establish a differentiated model for high-value guests with ownership, contact strategy, recognition, and curated experiences.
• Build scalable clienteling practices enabling personalized, timely outreach while preserving luxury discretion.
• Lead Client Relations with clear roles, service expectations, workflows, and performance standards.
• Partner with Direct Sales and Trade Sales to identify and grow high-potential guests and coordinate opportunities.
• Collaborate with Marketing and CRM on lifecycle communications, segmentation, activation, and events.
• Work with Guest Experience and yacht teams to strengthen recognition and continuity across journeys.

Skills

Luxury clienteling

Commercial mindset

Data-driven

Executive presence

Team leadership

Stakeholder influence

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing/Business/Hospitality

Job description

Join the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: Where Every Voyage is a Symphony of Luxury

Embark on an extraordinary journey with the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, an exquisite extension of the renowned Ritz-Carlton brand, dedicated to redefining ultra-luxury hospitality at sea. As a "Lady or Gentleman" of our esteemed team, you'll be entrusted with the art of delivering the impeccable "Gold Standards" that have made the Ritz-Carlton an epitome of excellence across the globe.

The Essence of Excellence: The Gold Standards

The Gold Standards are the bedrock of the Ritz-Carlton experience, setting us apart in the industry and establishing a legacy of unparalleled service. These standards embody the values and culture that define our brand, and serve as the compass guiding our every endeavor.

The Employee Promise

At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies & Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to each other and our guests.

By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity, and commitment, we empower and nurture talent to the benefit of each individual and the company.

The Ritz-Carlton fosters a culture where all are valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and The Ritz-Carlton Mystique is strengthened.

Join us on a journey where every day is a testament to the highest standard of luxury and service. Apply now and be part of an unparalleled legacy in hospitality.

Job Summary

The Vice President of Client Development defines and leads The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s strategy for developing deeper, more valuable relationships with existing, high-potential, and high-value guests. The role builds a luxury clienteling model that uses insight, recognition, personalized outreach, and curated experiences to increase repeat business, retention, lifetime value, referral, and share of travel. Sitting at the intersection of Sales, Marketing, CRM, Guest Experience, Analytics, and Operations, the Senior Director ensures that guest intelligence becomes meaningful action and that priority clients experience a coordinated relationship with the Collection before, between, and after voyages. The role leads Client Relations and establishes the standards, segmentation, tools, and performance measures required to scale personalized relationship management without losing the human connection that defines luxury.

Essential Functions

• Define and execute the global client development and clienteling strategy focused on acquisition of high-potential clients, retention, repeat business, lifetime value, referrals, and reactivation.
• Create meaningful client segments and relationship strategies using booking history, preferences, engagement, value, propensity, and other relevant signals.
• Establish a differentiated model for high-value and ultra-high-value guests, including ownership, contact strategy, recognition, curated experiences, and escalation standards.
• Build scalable clienteling practices that enable personalized, relevant, and timely outreach while maintaining the discretion and authenticity expected in luxury.
• Lead Client Relations and establish clear relationship-manager roles, service expectations, workflows, handoffs, and performance standards.
• Partner with Direct Sales to identify and develop high-potential guests and convert relationship opportunities into incremental revenue.
• Partner with Trade Sales to ensure appropriate coordination and respect for advisor relationships when engaging shared clients.
• Partner with Marketing and CRM teams on lifecycle communications, segmentation, activation, reactivation, events, gifting, and personalized campaigns.
• Partner with Guest Experience and yacht teams to strengthen recognition, preference capture, recovery, and continuity across the pre-voyage, onboard, and post-voyage journey.
• Define governance for guest profiles, preferences, relationship notes, and clienteling data in partnership with Technology, Legal, and Privacy.
• Establish KPIs for retention, repeat rate, rebooking, client development, lifetime value, share of wallet, reactivation, referral, engagement, and incremental revenue.
• Use client analytics and qualitative insight to identify emerging needs, behaviors, and opportunities among luxury travelers.
• Create business cases and ROI frameworks for client-development initiatives, events, experiences, gifting, and partnerships.
• Develop clienteling capability across sales leaders and frontline teams in partnership with Sales Capability.
• Benchmark luxury clienteling practices across hospitality, travel, retail, private aviation, yachting, and other relevant sectors.
• Represent the voice of the client in commercial planning and executive decision making.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Functions, duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competency

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Hospitality, Customer Experience, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.

Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in client development, CRM, loyalty, clienteling, relationship marketing, luxury sales, or customer strategy, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success building programs that improve retention, repeat business, engagement, and lifetime value.
• Strong luxury-sector experience required; luxury hospitality, travel, cruise, retail, private aviation, yachting, or other high-touch relationship businesses preferred.
• Experience working with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients and maintaining appropriate discretion strongly preferred.
• Strong CRM, segmentation, customer analytics, personalization, and lifecycle-management experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Digital/Technology, and Analytics.

Skills:

• Deep understanding of luxury clienteling: recognition, discretion, personalization, emotional intelligence, relationship continuity, and thoughtful surprise.
• Commercial mindset with ability to connect relationship activity to measurable revenue and client value.
• Strong analytical capability and comfort using data to prioritize clients and investments without making the experience feeling transactional.
• Exceptional judgment, diplomacy, written communication, and executive presence.
• Ability to design scalable operating models while protecting personalization and brand exclusivity.
• Strong team leadership, coaching, and stakeholder influence.
• Embodies Candor, Care, Curiosity, and Connection and acts as a steward of guest trust.

Primarily office-based/hybrid role in a professional environment with regular use of computers, collaboration technology, and standard office equipment. The role requires effective collaboration with global shoreside and shipboard teams and may include visits to yacht operations, industry events, partner locations, or other company facilities.

Physical Demands

Requires sitting, standing, walking, bending, and reaching. May require lifting or pushing up to 25 pounds. Requires manual dexterity sufficient to operate standard office machines such as computers, presentation equipment, telephones, and other office equipment.

Expected Hours of Work

The position is full-time and requires flexibility to support priority clients and events. Domestic and international travel, including yacht visits, is expected up to approximately 25%.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is an Equal opportunity, inclusive employer and will consider all applicants for employment with the Company on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.