At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic team, manage commercial agreements, and drive strategic growth across UKI & EMEA.
- Company: Join Royal Caribbean Group, a leader in the travel industry known for innovation and excellence.
- Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional development.
- Why this job: Be part of a vibrant culture that values collaboration and creativity while making a real impact.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in sales or commercial roles; strong communication and problem-solving skills required.
- Other info: Engage with senior leadership and work on exciting strategic projects.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 84000 Β£ per year.
This role is hybrid, based in Weybridge, UK.
Journey with us!
Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees! Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation & benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.
Summary
The Senior Manager Commercial Support, UKI & EMEA leads the commercial operations supporting Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises across the UK, Ireland, and EMEA.
The role is embedded within the Royal Caribbean Commercial department and acts as a strategic business leader to brand commercial teams, ensuring the integrity and compliance of commercial agreements and systems across diverse markets are in place.
You will have high levels of autonomy and will business partner with Managing Directors, Sales Directors, Commercial Teams and Brand leads to drive the development of partner agreements and market structures that enable the Sales teams to deliver growth whilst effectively managing ROI and COS.
The role will engage leadership regularly and provide commercial insight summaries relating to effective distribution management performance.
About the Team
The Commercial Support team plays a pivotal role in managing the operational and contractual backbone of Royal Caribbean Groupβs partnerships with third-party trade partners across the UK, Ireland, and EMEA. Their work ensures that all commercial agreements are properly executed, tracked, audited, and aligned with brand strategy and legal compliance.
The team operates within the Commercial department and collaborates closely with Sales, Finance, IT, Legal and Trade Support teams.
Team Responsibilities
- Contract lifecycle management Commercial Terms Agreements, Business Partnership Agreements, Trade Partner Agreements
- Audit and compliance : SOX audits, financial validations, internal controls
- Commission planning and payments : Override schemes, tactical bonuses, invoice processing
- System integrity and partner setup : AS400 / E2K, SalesForce, Tungsten
- Strategic supportfor brand commercial teams and field sales
- Cross-functional coordinationwith internal and external stakeholders
The team supports over250+ trade partnersacross multiple jurisdictions and ensures financial accuracy and legal compliance in all commercial dealings.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Management
- Lead and motivate the team to ensure high standards of work and organisational engagement are achieved on a consistent basis.
- Ensure the commercial team has presence and representation within the organisation
- Coach and develop the team and strengthen business partnering whilst ensuring regular outputs are visible to the wider organisation
Commercial Effectiveness
- Provide continuous challenge and recommendations to the business leads relating to commission schemes, tactical schemes and trade agent booking incentives.
Contract Management
- Owns the creation, distribution, tracking, and legal filing of Commercial Terms Agreements (CTAs), Business Partnership Agreements (BPAs), and Trade Partner Agreements (TPAs) across UKI & EMEA
Lead Strategic Oversight of Business Partner Reporting and Data Governance
- Provide strategic leadership in managing Business Partner reporting and data governance, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and timely insights to support decision-making and operational efficiency
- Oversee weekly reporting processes, BPA lifecycle management, and Trade Partner profile administration, driving continuous improvement in onboarding, compliance, and system access across the organisation
Audit & Compliance
- Oversees SOX audit processes including weekly and quarterly validations of agency profiles and commission plans
- Ensures no commission payments are made to partners without signed agreementsMaintains audit-ready documentation and liaises with internal audit teams
Commission Oversight
- Manages tactical bonus schemes and override commission payments
- Validates performance results and ensures accurate invoice processing via Tungsten
- Maintains a comprehensive override commission tracker
- Provides ongoing assessments of success / failure and provides recommendations to the commercial functions for future schemes
System Integrity
- Ensures correct setup and maintenance of agency profiles in AS400
- Leads territory code management for Field Sales Teams
Stakeholder Communication
- Coordinates tactical scheme communications to trade partners
- Acts as liaison between Legal, Sales, IT, and Finance teams
Project Involvement
- Supports the Royal X project transitioning from E2K to iTravel
Financial and Quantitative Responsibilities
- Manage 250+ complex contracts across multiple jurisdictions across UK & EMEA
- Oversee SOX audits to ensure all commission-linked Trade Partners are approved by brand Sales Directors
- Validate financial accuracy of commercial reports to prevent overpayments on override commissions
Enhanced Responsibilities with Leadership & Strategy Focus
- Lead with vision, setting strategic direction for the Commercial Support function
- Represent the team at senior leadership forums and ensure visibility of strategic contributions
- Partner with Sales and Brand leadership to co-create commercial strategies that optimise ROI and cost of sale
- Lead strategic reviews of commission and incentive schemes, ensuring alignment with long-term business goals
- Drive innovation in commercial models and partner engagement frameworks
- Oversee the strategic evolution of partner agreements to support market expansion and regulatory compliance
- Lead governance forums to ensure commercial integrity and risk mitigation across jurisdictions
- Act as a senior liaison across Legal, Finance, IT, and Sales to align commercial operations with enterprise priorities
- Deliver executive-level insights and recommendations to MDs and senior leadership
- Lead transformation initiatives such as Royal X and iTravel migration, ensuring strategic alignment and change management
- Champion digital enablement and process automation to future-proof commercial operations
- Own strategic oversight of commercial performance metrics and reporting frameworks
- Lead financial risk assessments and scenario planning to support executive decision-making
Qualifications
- 5+ years in a similar position within Sales, Commercial or Travel industry
- Strong commercial awareness and enterprise mindset
- High attention to detail, organisational skills and problem solving ability
- Strong communication, interpersonal flexibility and ethical integrity
- Proficiency in systems and tools including Word, Excel, SalesForce, Brio, and PowerBI
It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. RCL and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.
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Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA employer: Royal Caribbean Group
Contact Detail:
Royal Caribbean Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice π€«
We think this is how you could land Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA
β¨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the commercial landscape of the travel industry, particularly in the UKI and EMEA regions. Understanding market trends and competitor strategies will help you engage effectively with stakeholders and demonstrate your commercial awareness during discussions.
β¨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the travel and commercial sectors. Attend industry events or webinars to connect with potential colleagues and leaders at Royal Caribbean Group. Building these relationships can provide valuable insights and may even lead to referrals.
β¨Tip Number 3
Brush up on your data governance and reporting skills, especially with tools like Power BI and Excel. Being able to showcase your proficiency in managing complex data sets and providing actionable insights will set you apart as a candidate who can drive commercial effectiveness.
β¨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss your leadership style and how you've successfully managed teams in the past. Highlight specific examples where you've motivated your team to achieve high standards and how you've contributed to strategic initiatives that align with business goals.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA
Some tips for your application π«‘
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in sales, commercial roles, or the travel industry. Emphasise your leadership skills and any specific achievements that align with the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your understanding of the role and how your background makes you a perfect fit. Mention your experience with contract management and stakeholder communication, as these are key aspects of the position.
Highlight Relevant Skills: In your application, focus on your strong commercial awareness, attention to detail, and problem-solving abilities. Provide examples of how you've successfully managed complex contracts or led teams in previous roles.
Showcase Your Technical Proficiency: Mention your proficiency in systems and tools like Word, Excel, Salesforce, and Power BI. If you have experience with data governance or reporting, be sure to include that as well, as it is crucial for this role.
How to prepare for a job interview at Royal Caribbean Group
β¨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and motivate teams. Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past, focusing on your coaching and development strategies.
β¨Understand Commercial Effectiveness
Familiarise yourself with commission schemes and trade incentives relevant to the role. Be ready to discuss how you would challenge and improve these systems to drive growth and ROI.
β¨Highlight Your Contract Management Experience
Since contract management is a key responsibility, prepare to discuss your experience with creating and managing commercial agreements. Bring examples of how you've ensured compliance and accuracy in previous roles.
β¨Prepare for Stakeholder Communication Scenarios
Effective communication with various stakeholders is crucial. Think of instances where you've successfully liaised between different departments, such as Sales, Legal, and Finance, and be ready to share those experiences.