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- Tasks: Lead commercial operations for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises across UK, Ireland, and EMEA.
- Company: Join Royal Caribbean Group, a leader in the cruise industry known for innovation and excellence.
- Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be part of a dynamic team driving strategic partnerships and making a real impact in the travel industry.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in a similar role with strong commercial awareness and excellent communication skills.
- Other info: This role offers high autonomy and the chance to collaborate with senior leadership.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
This role is hybrid, based in Weybridge, UK.
Overview
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 Group’s 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 support for brand commercial teams and field sales
- Cross-functional coordination with internal and external stakeholders
The team supports over 250+ trade partners across 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 agreements
- Maintains 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.
We know there\’s a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance, and more relevant details to answer any additional questions.
Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We\’ll hope to see you onboard soon!
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Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA employer: Royal Caribbean International
Contact Detail:
Royal Caribbean International Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the commercial operations of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises. Understanding their business model and how they manage partnerships will give you an edge in discussions during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former employees in similar roles. They can provide insights into the company culture and expectations, which can help you tailor your approach when engaging with the hiring team.
✨Tip Number 3
Stay updated on industry trends in the travel sector, particularly regarding commercial agreements and compliance. This knowledge will demonstrate your commitment to the role and your ability to contribute strategically.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully managed complex contracts and led teams in previous roles. Highlighting your leadership and strategic thinking will resonate well with the interviewers.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Manager, Commercial Support UKI & EMEA
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in commercial operations, contract management, and team leadership. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to drive growth and manage complex contracts.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role and the company. Discuss how your background aligns with the responsibilities outlined in the job description, particularly your experience with strategic oversight and stakeholder communication.
Highlight Relevant Skills: Emphasise your strong commercial awareness, attention to detail, and problem-solving abilities. Mention your proficiency in systems like SalesForce and PowerBI, as these are crucial for the role.
Showcase Leadership Experience: Provide examples of how you have led teams or projects in the past. Highlight your ability to motivate others and ensure high standards of work, as this is a key aspect of the Senior Manager position.
How to prepare for a job interview at Royal Caribbean International
✨Understand the Role and Responsibilities
Make sure you thoroughly understand the key responsibilities of the Senior Manager, Commercial Support role. Familiarise yourself with contract lifecycle management, audit compliance, and commission oversight, as these are crucial aspects of the job.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As this role involves leading a team, be prepared to discuss your leadership style and experiences. Highlight examples where you've motivated teams, driven performance, and ensured high standards of work.
✨Prepare for Strategic Discussions
Expect to engage in discussions about commercial strategies and ROI optimisation. Be ready to share your insights on how to improve commission schemes and trade agent incentives, demonstrating your strategic thinking.
✨Demonstrate Strong Communication Skills
Effective communication is key in this role, especially when liaising with various stakeholders. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and confidently, and prepare to discuss how you've successfully managed cross-functional communications in the past.
