Business Development, Manager North America - Lodging, Ground & Sea   

This is a strategic and global role within Sabre LGS (Lodging, Ground & Sea) organization responsible for generating demand for our portfolio of products which include: hotel, cars, ground, and rail segments and other ancillary products.  

The lodging segment is a key focus area at Sabre and is one of the six growth areas identified across the company. The role will work closely with our commercial teams to increase sales within North America (NAM) and globally.  We’re building the leading B2B Lodging Platform. Our customers and partners are the biggest names in travel around the world; together, we make travel happen. At Sabre we offer excellent benefits, provide development opportunities, and support strong network of interest groups, communities of practice, and resource groups to foster diversity, inclusivity, and growth. 

What you will do. 

The role will be customer facing working with senior executives of current and prospective customers at the largest global TMCs, OBTs and regional travel agencies.  Its success will depend on close collaboration with Sabre’s agency sales team.  In addition, the successful candidate will focus on Business Development in NAM focused on LGS products (especially Hotels) and will provide strategic direction and tactical delivery to achieve the business targets.  

This role will require a deep commercial understanding of the travel ecosystem, and will require technical aptitude and knowledge of how to sell and grow Online Booking tools and API services to our travel agencies, TMCs, third party partners and other distribution channels.  An understanding of the technology stacks being used at all touch points and segments including Corporate, Leisure, OTAs as well as understanding back-office systems at travel agencies will be preferred.  This role requires strong business acumen;  it will use self-service data repositories to build and provide strategic direction rooted on analytical insights. In addition to having responsibility for achieving revenue and booking targets, this role will be responsible for providing input from our largest customers to our Product Strategy team on how to enhance current offerings and prioritizing future roadmap items for the Sabre LGS business segments.   

This role will work closely with our NAM agency customers, agency sales teams, product strategy, supply teams and the onboarding / delivery teams. It will identify key pain points and areas of opportunity for Sabre to deliver further value to our customers.  We are looking for someone who can amplify the value Sabre provides to our customers, help our clients align their goals with Sabre, and establish the demand team as a trusted advisor and strategic partner.   

Key responsibilities:   

• Able to drive demand across our agency partners in order to deliver / exceed on plan numbers. Work collaboratively with Sabre Agency Sales executives to develop sales strategies to meet and exceed sales targets.  

• Be the customer advocate within Sabre and help drive product requirements, delivery and adoption across demand (agency) partners. Work directly with the delivery and onboarding team to ensure product adoption for new enhancements. Establish yourself as a key leader at Sabre to effectively collaborate across Sales, Product, Technology, HR, Marketing, Finance and Operations teams to ensure that customer needs are appropriately met and prioritized.  

• Develop strategies that can deliver value and growth for our partners with a lens towards how Sabre can become a leading B2B travel platform for hotel, car, ground and rail.   

• Grow and maintain senior level relationships within NAM and the appropriate counterparts in agencies and API / OTB clients (especially product and strategy)  

• Understand market dynamics in travel distribution and emerging business models in order to grow our market share and adoption of products.  

• Client Stewardship – work with demand partners and commercial teams in a consultative role identifying trends and providing Sabre solutions to identified challenges.  

• Play a key part in the building the customer value proposition for new Online Booking tool and working with matrix teams to operationalize, grow and expand current offering and develop sales and go to market strategies with our marketing and sales enablement teams.     

Qualifications:   

Strong domain experience preferred in travel distribution, travel supplier management, or lodging revenue management industry.   

• Thorough understanding of technology solutions being used in the travel ecosystem with good knowledge of data flow and parameters important for APIs.  

• 10+ years of relevant experience out of which 5 + years should be in leading projects in technical sales, sales enablement or solution consultants, preferably in travel or lodging solutions and services.     

• Understanding of Online Booking Tools in the travel industry as well as knowledge of building detailed product requirements, agency set up, back office and reporting needs  

• Ability to work with a large commercial organization in a fast paced, matrix driven global organization.   

• Significant business experience and demonstrated success in achieving business targets.  

• Proven business analytical skills collating, manipulating, and synthesizing business data 

• Exceptional communications skills and executive presence  

• Has inherent curiosity, is passionate for the travel industry, and wants to take partnerships to the next level. 

• Has a strategic mindset and solution orientation.  

Skills: 

• Corporate Strategy, Leisure Strategy,  Senior Relationship Management & Executive presence, Business Development, Business Analysis, Account Management Technology, Distribution, Travel, Hospitality, Online Booking Tools