Title:  COUNTRY MANAGER

Openings:            1

Location:   (Washington D.C)

JOB PURPOSE:

Provide leadership on a strategic and commercial level for all sales and airport operations within area of responsibility.  To strategically develop and deliver revenue for the airline, maximizing the return from existing market while identifying and penetrating new markets where appropriate within the region.  Oversee the customer experience at Newark and Dulles airports in the Eastern region.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

• Support the development of sales targets for the area.Recommend the annual revenue budget and sales strategy for the region and implement agreed budget
• Manages sales team including recruitment, training, coaching, and development with performance measurement and management against clear revenue targets
• Accountable for strategic direction of sales strategy in the region and defining the optimal way to increase sales by recommendations for routes, timing, and aircraft type
• Ensure sales teams have monthly sales data to analyze to seek out incremental revenue opportunities and recommend Agency incentives and/or corporate deals in the market place within the area of responsibility
• Coordinates and oversee advertising and promotional campaigns for the area within set budgets.  Ensure company has optimal presence in sales campaigns and public events, gathering market intelligence and sales leads for distribution to relevant departments and stations
• Supervises Airport Managers on a daily basis, manages vendors, airport lounge, facilities and other relationships at the airports 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Responsible for delivering set revenue targets for area
• Responsible for the production of short/mid-term local sales and channel plan including revenue targets as a part of the integrated sales strategy
• Accountable for strategic direction of corporate dealing policy and Sales and Marketing Agreements
• Responsible for developing and implementing initiatives that help build the airline’s global brand, increase industry esteem and preference and establish ownership of the market place
• Formulates and implements area sales strategy to maximize short and long term revenue opportunities, reduce cost of sales and generate channel shift where appropriate
• Be a customer champion, through sales activity and influence of customer service to deliver best customer experience.  Maximize sales opportunities through value added (hotels, car hire) partners
• Monitor and provide feedback on competitor pricing and promotional activity
• Responsible for the implementation of marketing plan for area
• Manages marketing funds and other expenditures; budgets to ensure maximum value
• Management of other airlines, trade body relationships, government and civil aviation authorities of regions and general public
• Support the product development, identification of new business opportunities and the development of marketing strategies
• Effective performance management of team and recruitment as required
• Performs other related functions, as assigned, for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the work unit
• Responsible for customer satisfaction at the airport and ensure that Airport Managers and vendors have continued focus on making the customer experience a positive one 

Requirements:

• At least 7 years proven understanding of the travel industry and airline marketing, and airport operations
• Strong sales ability (at least 5 years) and management of international airport operations
• A proven ability to negotiate and work within a multi-national and multi-cultural environment with good leadership skills
• Experience in selling of airline, tour operators, or hotel products, together with good knowledge of the geographic areas within your scope of coverage
• Extensive people management experience at high level
• Track record of delivery of significant change
• Budgetary and planning experience 

Skills/Expertise:

• Leadership and interpersonal skills
• Excellent relationship building skills
• Proven commercial skills and business acumen
• Strong people management and coaching skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills
• Good budgetary control skills
• Systematic and logical approach to problem solving and a capability of working around problems.  Good creative and lateral thinking.  A strong team player capable of seeing and understanding the bigger picture and actually contributing to the result. 
• Self motivated, highly organized, pro-active and flexible
• PC literate with knowledge of Word/PowerPoint/Excel 

Educational Qualifications:

Minimum 4-year college degree or at least 15 years experience in the field