HOTEL CONTRACTING & PURCHASING MANAGER - GROUP TRAVEL

Format: Salaried, Full Time

Based: Remote, preferred time zones between GMT-6 and GMT+2

Start date: ASAP

JOB SUMMARY

The Hotel Contracting & Purchasing Manager - Group Travel will be responsible for growing and managing hotel supply at DHARMA for the diverse roster of influencers, bloggers, creators, leaders, and iconic brands that host DHARMA trips. The selected candidate will identify, negotiate, contract, and purchase room blocks of 5 to 500 worldwide for accessibly priced group trips and large-scale events across diverse passion categories. The successful candidate will hit the ground running on day 1, meeting short term needs by procuring hotel supply for trips already in our sales pipeline while developing a longer term purchasing strategy that supports the powerful growth of the business and ensures continued access to high-quality, well-priced hotel room supply. This would be an excellent role for a seasoned travel industry professional who is well networked, passionate about hotel partnerships/procurement, and experienced with the unique needs of group contracting including risk and cancellation management and payment schedule planning. This manager-level role will be tasked with promoting DHARMA’s core values and fostering a culture of passion, ownership, and above & beyond. Fluent professional English, both written and spoken, is required for this role with additional foreign languages beneficial. Experience with HubSpot, Monday.com, Google Drive, and Slack preferred.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hit the ground running on day one, proactively sourcing and contracting demand driven hotel supply for the trips already in our pipeline
• Develop and efficiently action a comprehensive purchasing strategy that supports in achieving business objectives in the short, medium, and long term
• Source, negotiate, manage risk, and contract hotel room blocks worldwide ensuring contracted properties meet brand standards at most competitive rates
• Hold full accountability for the management of cancellation and payment deadlines
• Preemptively expand the DHARMA hotels database by identifying new purchasing opportunities, analyzing hotel markets in new destinations, and leveraging existing relationships to grow network of supplier partnerships worldwide
• Build, develop, strengthen, and maintain strong business relationships with key hotel suppliers while securing DHARMA-exclusive perks
• Recruit, manage, and inspire a world-class team and take responsibility for setting clear objectives and promoting a culture of learning and development that supports in the achievement of individual and team KPIs
• Drive efficiency by streamlining the hotel quoting processes
• Oversee the implementation of a profitable ancillaries program including hotel upgrades, pre & post night stays, add-on activities, etc.
• Hold accountability for hotel payments and work with Finance to ensure consistent margin and revenue reporting
• Identify opportunities to drive revenue growth
• Negotiate FOC spots for FAMs and PR /Trade trips
• Review relevant trip feedback and ensure suppliers take remedial action where necessary

SKILLS

• At least 4+ years’ experience as a product, commercial, or hotel room supply purchasing/procurement manager within a group tour operator or ​​Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE)
• Extensive worldwide hotel and contracting knowledge with significant expertise in contracting in North America and EMEA
• Leadership experience, solid business acumen, demonstrable negotiation skills, and suitability for the responsibility, management and strategic direction of the hotel contracting team
• Commercially astute with high degree of numeracy, analytical skill, financial management skills and strong strategic decision making
• Passion and drive for delivering outstanding quality and service at competitive rates combined with a hands-on approach and can-do attitude
• Ultra proactive, self-motivated, and tenacious, possessing of an entrepreneurial spirit, ability to take bold initiative, and desire to exceed expectations
• Strong interpersonal skills, experience managing cross-cultural and geographically dispersed teams, and possessing a strong ability to motivate others
• Extensive knowledge of regions and countries worldwide
• Understanding of hotel landscape worldwide and a passion for keeping abreast of trends, developments, and new opportunities
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and fluent professional English, both written and spoken
• Available to travel internationally with full driving license
• Experience in a remote, fast-paced, dynamic start-up environment preferred
• Experience with HubSpot, Monday.com, Google Drive, and Slack preferred
• Candidates with foreign language skills preferred - Spanish, French and Italian