Specialist - Destination Partnerships

The Specialist – Partnerships supports the Senior Manager in the day-to-day execution of Qiddiya DMO's partnership acquisition, onboarding, activation, and account management activities. This is a high-impact, execution-focused role responsible for managing a portfolio of Tier 2 and Tier 3 partners, coordinating FAM trips and trade events, maintaining the partnerships CRM, and producing partner-facing collateral and reporting. The role serves as a key operational link between the Senior Manager and the wider Commercial, Marketing, and Legal teams.

1. Partnership Pipeline & CRM Management

• Maintain the partnerships CRM (Salesforce or equivalent) as the single source of truth, ensuring all partner records, deal stages, activity logs, and revenue projections are accurate and current.

• Conduct prospect research to identify new partnership targets across travel agencies, tour operators, DMCs, and corporate travel buyers for priority source markets.

• Prepare partnership pitch decks, capability presentations, and business case documents for the Senior Manager and Senior Director.

• Track and manage the partnership pipeline through all deal stages — prospect, approach, proposal, negotiation, contracting, and onboarding.

• Manage the preparation and coordination of partnership agreements, MOUs, and contract documentation in collaboration with Legal.

2. Partner Onboarding & Activation

• Lead the end-to-end onboarding process for newly signed partners — including account setup, Trade Portal access provisioning, product briefings, and introductory training.

• Develop and maintain the Qiddiya Partnership Welcome Pack and onboarding toolkit for new partners.

• Coordinate and conduct partner product training sessions (virtual and in-person), ensuring agents have the knowledge and confidence to sell Qiddiya.

• Monitor partner activation metrics — tracking time-to-first-booking, booking frequency, and early-stage revenue contribution for all newly onboarded partners.

• Address partner onboarding queries, technical setup issues, and initial concerns in a timely and professional manner.

3. Account Management – Tier 2 & Tier 3 Partners

• Manage an active portfolio of Tier 2 and Tier 3 partnership accounts with regular structured check-ins, performance reviews, and co-marketing coordination.

• Track partner booking performance against contracted targets and proactively identify underperforming accounts requiring support or re-engagement.

• Develop and share monthly performance reports with each managed partner, highlighting booking trends, upcoming opportunities, and recommended actions.

• Escalate significant account issues or commercial risks to the Senior Manager for resolution.

• Build strong day-to-day working relationships with partner contacts to ensure Qiddiya remains front-of-mind in their sales activity.

4. FAM Trips & Trade Event Coordination

• Plan and execute Qiddiya's FAM trip calendar — handling agent selection, itinerary design, logistics, accommodation, on-site experience facilitation, and post-FAM follow-up.

• Coordinate Qiddiya's presence and participation at domestic and international travel trade events including booth setup, agent meeting scheduling, and collateral preparation.

• Track FAM trip outcomes — monitoring post-FAM booking conversion, agent advocacy activity, and social media amplification.

• Manage event budgets and produce post-event ROI reports for the Senior Manager.

5. Reporting, Content & Administration

• Produce weekly partnership pipeline and performance reports for the Senior Manager.

• Create and update partner-facing content including rate sheets, product guides, destination factsheets, and booking instruction documents.

• Support the development of the Qiddiya Specialist Certification Programme, including content preparation, agent enrollment tracking, and certification issuance.

• Maintain an accurate and up-to-date register of all active partnership agreements, renewal dates, and key commercial terms.

• Support the Senior Manager in preparing Quarterly Business Review (QBR) materials for Tier 1 partners.

Qualifications

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in commercial partnerships, travel trade sales support, or tourism account management.

• Hands-on experience managing CRM platforms for pipeline and account tracking (Salesforce preferred).

• Experience coordinating FAM trips, trade events, or destination roadshows.

• Background in preparing commercial presentations, partner reports, and sales collateral.

• Knowledge of the GCC / Saudi Arabia tourism market and travel trade landscape is preferred.

Core Competencies & Skills

• Strong CRM management skills — data discipline, pipeline tracking, and reporting.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic is a strong advantage.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and collaborative platforms (Teams, SharePoint).

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple partner accounts and deadlines simultaneously.

• Customer-service orientation with a proactive, solutions-focused approach.

• Familiarity with travel trade booking processes, GDS platforms, and OTA ecosystems.