Director, Licensing & Partnerships

As the Director, Licensing and Partnerships you will act as a visionary leader for our brand licensing business and strategic partnerships. This includes leading the Licensing and Partnership team, ensuring that business plans, strategies and activities align with the business vision and that business goals and objectives are achieved. The role encompasses:

• Account management for existing brand licensing relationships including NGE Expedition Cruise (Lindblad), NGE Group Land (G Adventures and TUI) and distribution partnerships
• New business development to source and develop any new brand license relationships and strategic partnerships including Private Jet.
• Collaboration with multiple functional partners.

The role is responsible for the hiring and leadership of employees including the quality of external and internal guest service delivery, preferred vendor maximization and operational technology implementation and optimization. The role will maintain consistent high standards and detailed specifications for all itineraries. The role will intimately understand and anticipate the expectations of the travelers and focus on achieving the highest level satisfaction as a leader in the travel industry.

This position is located in Celebration, FL and reports to the SVP, Adventures & Expeditions.

You Will:

• Lead and manage the Licensing and Partnerships team to develop strategies and oversee high quality execution of multiple products. Ensure that they are on task, producing accurate work, meeting deadlines and meeting goals. Coach, mentor and develop the team. Manage departmental budget. Monitor business performance. Create plans to address needs and opportunities. Drive long-term business planning at the executive level. Lead highly visible large scale projects.
• Set the strategic direction and manage NGE’s brand license products. Lead new contract negotiations with licensees. Accountable for overall financial performance of products including creating annual budgets adhering to budget guidelines, maximizing revenues, reducing costs, controlling variances and delivering bottom line results. Accountable for overall guest satisfaction by monitoring GSM scores and implementing key action plans to maximize guest satisfaction. Lead cross-functional team and external tour operators to ensure adherence and alignment to brand standards and values through audit processes related to product development, marketing, sales, operations and guest satisfaction. When brand standards are not met, lead team to address any issues.
• Set brand standards related to Product Development, Operations, Staffing, Marketing, Public Relations, Public Affairs and the Contact Center. Define partner requirements (e.g. company size, products offered, market reach, sales and distribution network, operational expertise). Source and cultivate new partners. Lead all contract negotiations with external parties for new brand licensing or distribution deals.

You Will Have:

• Leadership Experience: 10+ years’ experience leading a team of leaders and influencing senior leadership (C-suite) of external organizations. Proven ability to coach, mentor, develop and grow teams.
• Industry Knowledge and Experience: 10+ years’ experience the consumer facing travel and cruise industry, ideally in product development, operations, partnership management and/or new business development. Strong knowledge of and network in the travel industry. Robust destination knowledge and travel experience covering 5+ distinct regions of the world. Strong knowledge of and experience with the Disney and National Geographic brands.
• Business Acumen: Experience developing and managing to budgets and writing business plans including full P&L analysis. Significant experience negotiating large commercial deals. Understands the value of the Disney and National Geographic brands and takes action to protect the brands at all times.
• Business Minded: Cares about the business as if it were their own. Acts like an owner, self-motivated and goes above and beyond what is required. Helps to drives sales and marketing efforts through internal and external teams to achieve targets.
• Adaptable: Flexible. Positive. Can-do attitude. Assumes the best in others. Grateful. Desires continuous improvement. Can work with a team with multiple backgrounds and experience. Prepared to be ‘hands-on’ doing administrative tasks when required.
• Good Communicator: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to conduct presentations to larger groups. Able to clearly and effectively correspond with partners where English is not their first language.
• Transparent with Strong Integrity: Open, honest and direct. Has strong integrity. Admits mistakes and doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations. 
• Collaborative and Relationship Builder: Collaborative and strong interpersonal skills.  Works towards shared business goals. Able to work with and partner internally and externally, domestically and internationally. Able to build relationships with key partners and stakeholders across all levels and functions and influence decisions.
• Strategic and Problem Solver: Demonstrated strong integration, analytical, strategic and creative problem solving skills. Understands business and can identify opportunities quickly. Anticipates problems, finds creative solutions and presents complicated information in a clear and simple manner.
• Project Management: Strong project management skills with a sense of urgency, follow-up and execution. Able to multitask, manage a team and work on several projects at the same time. Disciplined organizational skills. Strong attention to detail.