Aviation Commercial Manager

At Audley Travel, we turn careers into adventures. We're dedicated to creating unique travel experiences for our clients and fostering a dynamic, rewarding environment for our team. Join Audley and become part of a supportive community that prioritises your development. Our inclusive culture, along with competitive salaries and benefits, supports your well-being and growth. If your passion is travel and you’re looking for a career that excites and inspires, Audley Travel is the perfect place for you. Join us to create unforgettable journeys together.

The role

As an Aviation Commercial Manager, you will be responsible for maximising the commercial value of our UK and US aviation contracts. This includes leveraging available fares, negotiating competitive deals, and securing rebates/overrides and marketing contributions. You will build and maintain strong relationships with airline partners across both markets, ensuring collaboration and mutual benefit. Additionally, you’ll provide strategic direction and support to our global Aviation Product Executives, holding them accountable to agreed KPIs and aligning their work with Sales team requirements and the latest commercial insights from source markets.

Key responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Head of Purchasing & Aviation to define and deliver goals for the Aviation Product Executives, ensuring that these goals are shared with the whole team.
• Responsible for the productivity and efficiency of the team through consistent management of performance, regular feedback and coaching.
• Conduct 1-2-1s and performance reviews with individual team members to provide support and identify development/training needs.
• Set and review objectives for team and create development plans.
• Work with the Aviation Product Executives on training activity to improve airline knowledge across programmes, including visits by airlines, airport visits, fam opportunities and internal training team initiatives.
• Work closely with the Ticketing team to form a link between the Ticketing side of the Flights team and various other stakeholders internally.
• Keep up-to-date with technology developments such as NDC and Travelport (or alternative GDS) releases. Advise on potential system enhancements for air product to maximize sales and conversion opportunities.
• Manage airline relationships in the UK and US, ensuring they are mutually beneficial.
• Own day-to-day management of airline contracts in the UK and US, ensuring that full commercial benefit is achieved, maximising profit opportunities.
• Represent air product at various and regular stakeholder meetings internally, to ensure aviation is recognized as a key part of the customer journey, providing regular updates and insight based on sound commercial knowledge. Able to make business recommendations to enhance the customer journey.
• Monitor customer satisfaction results and comments in relation to aviation and identify and share any trends or areas for action, both internally and externally with relevant partners.
• Maintain ‘Out Of Date Range’ flights policy.

What we’re looking for

We’re seeking a commercially driven professional with strong negotiation skills and a proven ability to build strategic partnerships. You’ll have experience managing airline relationships and delivering value through contracts, rebates/overrides and marketing contributions. A collaborative leader, you’ll guide and support global teams, ensuring alignment with Sales’ priorities and market trends. You should thrive in a fast-paced environment and have a sharp eye for maximising commercial opportunities.

Additionally,

• Experience of managing a portfolio of airlines for a tour operator or working for an airline.
• A passion for aviation and air product.
• Experience of mentoring, managing and/or developing a team.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to present to internal and external stakeholders.
• Organised and able to prioritise and time manage effectively.
• Results driven and comfortable working to KPIs.
• A strategic thinker and commercially aware.
• Able to communicate with stakeholders of various levels.
• Good relationship management skills.
• Confident in decision-making.
• Flexible and self-motivated team player.
• Numerically competent with advanced analytical skills.

Why Audley

We are committed to our employees’ quality of life and value the importance of flexibility by offering hybrid working where you can split your time between one of our wonderful offices and remotely from home or elsewhere in the UK. We ask that employees are office-based for a minimum of 3 days per week.

There’s more:

• Discretionary annual bonus plan.
• Private Medical Insurance and access to Healthshield health cash plan - money back for costs associated with everyday healthcare (including optical, dental, medical, prescriptions, physio), and access to medical and wellbeing resources such as a GP service, employee assistance programme and counselling.
• Holiday - 25 days rising to 30 days with length of service.
• A day off for your birthday.
• A day off for volunteering to support a charity, local support group or community work of your choice.
• Enhanced family leave.
• Enhanced pension scheme.
• Life insurance.
• Discounted Audley trips (for you and your friends & family) and exclusive access to staff travel discount websites.
• Wellhub – a wellbeing platform that gives you unlimited, discounted access to top gyms, studios, and wellbeing apps.
• Benefits Platform – a reward scheme that gives you discounts and cashback with hundreds of retailers.

If you’re interested in this opportunity, we’d love to hear from you. Click apply and start your journey with us at Audley Travel! We believe it's our people that make the difference and who build Audley into the success it is today. We pride ourselves on enabling people to reach their full potential through promoting and celebrating a diverse and inclusive working environment.