Job Description

As the VP of Tourism for our client, a leading online booking platform in Riyadh, KSA, you will play a pivotal role in driving the growth of Saudi Arabia's tourism industries. With a focus on enhancing travel experiences and aligning with the nation's tourism ambitions, you will lead strategic initiatives to promote tourism services and optimise sales revenues. Collaborating with internal teams and external partners, you will ensure the development of attractive and marketable tourism packages while fostering strong relationships within the tourism sector. Your leadership will extend to overseeing the operations of various divisions and driving continuous growth through the identification of market opportunities and new products. If you are a Saudi National with a strong commercial acumen, extensive experience in managing government contracts, and a passion for driving business growth in the tourism industry, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategies to promote tourism services and optimize sales revenues.
• Ensure the alignment of tourism products with market demand and preferences by facilitating collaboration with product development teams to create attractive and marketable tourism packages.
• Foster relationships between the organization and its strategic partners within the tourism sector, ensuring proper presentation of the organization's business interests.
• Oversee the operations of the Leisure, Religious, and MICE divisions, ensuring that quality standards and customer expectations are met.
• Monitor sales performance and implement initiatives to achieve revenue targets per product segment.
• Monitor financial performance and advise on process improvement initiatives to enable cost reduction or revenue enhancement.
• Oversee budgets and planning for tourism activities, leading the identification of asset acquisition.
• Enable the continuous growth of the organization's tourism sector by identifying growth opportunities within the market and new products.

Accountabilities

• Participate as a member of the executive management team in developing and refining the organization's overall strategy, contributing to organizational management and decision-making processes to ensure the organization achieves its desired purpose and vision.
• Translate the overall organizational strategy into annual operational business plans for the sector and monitor performance to ensure alignment with the overall strategy.
• Provide overall direction to effectively achieve organizational objectives through strong leadership and setting divisional objectives.
• Offer overall direction and guidance to mentor, coach, motivate, and challenge direct reports and their teams, providing opportunities for growth and development.
• Direct the preparation and consolidation of the Sector’s budget, monitoring financial performance versus the budget to identify areas of unsatisfactory performance and capitalize on potential performance improvement opportunities.
• Direct the development and oversee the implementation of Sector policies, systems, processes, procedures, and controls, ensuring compliance with relevant procedural/legislative requirements while delivering a quality, cost-effective service consistently.
• Direct and guide the management of change within the Sector, continuously improving systems, processes, and practices considering leading standards and changes in the regulatory environment.
• Ensure all Sector reports are completed in a timely manner and comply with organizational policies and standards.
• Direct the preparation of periodic management reports and progress reports to keep management informed about the progress of various initiatives and facilitate decision-making.

Requirements

• Only Saudi National candidates will be considered.
• Fluency in both English and Arabic is required.
• Demonstrated strong commercial acumen, with a proven track record of driving revenue and profitability in a commercial-driven environment.
• Extensive experience in managing large contracts with government entities and ministries in Saudi Arabia, with a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape.
• In-depth knowledge of the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries, with a keen awareness of industry trends, competitive landscape, and customer preferences.
• Proven experience in leading and managing ecommerce business units, with a focus on driving online sales and optimising the customer experience.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to effectively lead and inspire cross-functional teams to achieve strategic objectives.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with internal stakeholders, external partners, and government officials.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop and execute long-term business strategies to drive growth and market expansion.
• Proven ability to analyse data and market insights to inform decision-making and drive business performance.
• Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and effectively manage competing priorities.
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in senior leadership roles within the tourism, travel, or hospitality industries, with a track record of success in driving business growth and profitability.

Thank you for your application. Only suitable Saudi National candidates will be contacted.

Please note that by applying to this role, your profile will be searchable in our database. Our Recruiters will contact you should another suitable role become available.