Product & Commercial Director
13 hours ago
Southampton
dnata Travel Group B2B is the UK’s biggest B2B-only tour operator with 5 brands (Gold Medal, Cruise Plus, Pure Luxury, Incredible Journeys, GM Wholesale) We have an exciting opportunity for a Product & Commercial Director to lead our Product & Commercial function and play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic and commercial success of Gold Medal Travel Group. In this senior leadership role, you’ll be responsible for developing and delivering growth plans, driving profitability through effective product and pricing strategies, and ensuring we have market-leading propositions across all brands. This role is dynamic, complex and requires someone with the ability to prioritise opportunities and execute at pace. Our ground and aviation purchasing is centralised at dnata, so you’ll be fostering collaboration across the wider dnata Travel Group, adopting a collegiate mindset to achieve goals. This is a highly visible internally to our teams, within the travel industry and as key ambassador for our business. Excellent relationship management and high degree of professionalism is essential. UK and overseas travel will be required. Key Tasks: Strategic Leadership & Growth • Support the Managing Director – B2B in the design, delivery and execution of growth planning, forecasting and targets., • Maintain focus on trading results, directing pricing strategies to maximise margin and market share while leveraging brand strength., • Provide accurate commercial insight and management information to support our SLT decision making., • Be an active participant in our SLT, supporting or challenging peers as appropriate. Team Leadership & Development • Build a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement., • Ensure clear communication of goals, strategies, and progress across all teams., • Ensure our home-based colleagues contribute as effectively as those in the office., • Ensure people feel they can ‘belong’ in their teams and with our wider business community., • Be a champion of our shared values and culture. Product & Pricing Strategy • Design and implement the Product & Commercial function to deliver efficient, consistent processes and enhanced productivity., • Drive the development of new products and destinations, supported by market research, competitor insight, and robust business cases., • Ensure product portfolios align with brand strategy and deliver accurate representation across all distribution channels., • Lead land product pricing strategy to optimise profitability through yield management, dynamic pricing, and data-led decision-making., • Ensure the directly contracted Cruise, Touring and ancillary portfolio meets the needs of our customers and that best practise is followed in all areas of compliance. Commercial Excellence & Market Competitiveness • Conduct regular competitor and market analysis to identify opportunities for differentiation, exclusive offers, and innovation., • Collaborate closely with Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing teams to ensure product briefs and pricing strategies deliver market-leading propositions., • Develop and manage supplier relationships (e.g., hoteliers, DMCs, Cruise Lines, Airlines, Touring & Adventure suppliers) to optimise commercial advantage and service levels. Operational Performance & Continuous Improvement • Define and monitor internal SLAs to ensure a department that is well integrated with sales, market, IT et al, • Review and refine operational processes to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and departmental performance., • Identify enhancement opportunities from technology and align with Digital Product as we expand on our robotics, automation and AI integrations., • Model all PRDs for Digital Product team to forecast ROI on investment and support prioritisation process. Customer & Data Focus • Embed a strong customer-centric approach in all product and commercial activities., • Work with Trade Partnerships to ensure all incentive schemes are fully costed and align our interests with our customers., • Use analytical insights to identify trends, inform pricing and product decisions, and improve communication strategies., • Ensure decisions reflect brand values and deliver measurable improvements in customer satisfaction. To be considered for this role, you need to have the following skills, qualifications & experience: • Proven senior leadership experience within product, commercial, or trading roles—ideally in travel or a related sector., • A strong track record in designing and delivering commercial growth strategies., • Demonstrable expertise in pricing, yield management, and margin optimisation., • Experience managing a multi-location department and developing high-performing teams., • Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into actionable strategies., • Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills., • Demonstrated success in product development, supplier management, and contract negotiation., • Commercially astute with a strategic mindset and operational discipline., • An inspiring leader with strong influencing skills and emotional intelligence., • Highly commercial, results-oriented, and analytically minded., • Innovative and forward-thinking, with a continuous improvement mindset., • Collaborative and inclusive, with strong interpersonal and communication skills., • Resilient and adaptable in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. This role is based at our Leyland office, a minimum of 4 days per week. The office is just 10 minutes from junctions 28 & 29 of the M6 with free parking available. We have some fantastic benefits, making us a great place to work: • 25 days annual leave, increasing to 28 days after 5 full years of service (+ bank holidays), • Additional annual leave purchase scheme, • Company pension scheme, • Life assurance, • Private medical cover, • Employee Assistance programme, • Mental Health First Aiders, • Ongoing development – we have an in-house People Development Team, • Travel discounts – we have a dedicated Staff Travel Team to source the best deals for our people, • Industry/social events – including supplier events, office socials & parties and pop-up shops, • Cycle to work scheme, • Reward & recognition programme, • Belong programme - Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that play a crucial role in implementing our DEI strategy, • Volunteer days – one day’s paid leave each year to volunteer with a registered charity, • dnata4good – supporting the local communities we work, live and thrive in, • Refer a friend scheme, • Free eye care tests, • Free Taste Card membership– offering discounts on dining out, movies, attractions, takeaways and online shopping, • Casual dress code in the office, • Free tea and coffee, subsidised on-site restaurant with free Wi-Fi and free car parking