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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive growth in inflight entertainment by winning and expanding airline partnerships.
- Company: Join Spafax, a leader in content technology for top airlines worldwide.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, performance bonuses, and access to WPP's extensive resources.
- Other info: Dynamic role with travel opportunities and a supportive team culture.
- Why this job: Shape the future of passenger experiences and make a global impact.
- Qualifications: 8-12 years in IFE business development with strong airline connections.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About Spafax
Spafax delivers content technology and media assets for the world’s leading airlines, including Emirates, the Lufthansa Group, and Singapore Airlines. We curate a vast catalogue of global Movies, TV, Audio, and Games across every major entertainment market. We provide next-generation experiences for passengers, combining creativity and technology at the heart of what we do. We are headquartered in London, with offices in Germany, Dubai, Canada, LA, Beijing, Singapore, and HK. Spafax is part of WPP, one of the largest marketing companies.
About the Role
This role is an opportunity to shape the future of inflight entertainment and digital passenger experiences on a global scale. You will drive growth by winning, retaining, and expanding airline partnerships, combining commercial excellence with strategic insight. Working across teams, you will transform data into compelling propositions, build long-term relationships with senior stakeholders, and bring innovative products to market. As a visible industry leader, you will represent Spafax at key events, influence product direction, and deliver measurable impact. This is a role for a proactive, entrepreneurial leader who thrives on creating value, driving results, and turning vision into reality.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
- Winning-Retaining-Expanding
- Win new airline partnerships for IFE Content, Creative Services, and Digital Experiential Products.
- Design and enforce a data-driven bid/no-bid framework that scores and prioritises RFIs/RFPs and sales opportunities.
- Proactively engage new and existing airline customers to position Spafax’s media products and services.
- Maintain and publish a prioritised BD pipeline with clear stages, probabilities, and next actions.
- Identify key airline customers and develop direct relationships with key airline executives.
- Support all receiving IFE/IFC/DIGITAL/OTT RFI's/RFP's by providing sales relevant strategy and inputs targeted individually to each airline.
- Secure contracts with at least 3 new airlines based on research and assessment agreed with reporting lines.
- Structure complex, multi-year agreements with Finance & Legal; own business casing and approvals.
- Partner cross-functionally with Content, Media, Engineering, Data, Ad Ops, Marketing, and Legal teams to take deals from handshake to live revenue.
- Co-pitch Spafax’ capabilities together with the Global SVP BD and Regional account teams.
- Identify and develop key strategic partners for future partnership developments.
- Identify new products, services & solutions for Spafax to take to market.
- Retain Business
- Support regional account directors and related QBR meetings with clear performance narratives, roadmap previews, and data-backed recommendations.
- Protect delivery and SLAs by supporting ops teams; support early escalation, fast resolution, and follow up with post-mortems and prevention recommendations.
- Spot churn risk early via health scores and support regional account directors to deploy mitigation actions.
- Champion the voice of the customer internally and support product owners to prioritise features that increase customer satisfaction and revenue.
- Maintain accurate renewal dates, expansion plans, and risk notes in CRM; deliver renewal forecasts with probability integrity.
- Expand Business and Upsell
- Upsell Spafax products and services to existing customers.
- Investigate and assess possible customer product/features demand and create a high-level requirements document.
- Internal Education & Sales Enablement for Regional Teams
- Deliver internal sales methodology & training sessions to regional account teams on Spafax Product & Services portfolio.
- Lead the creation, development, and rollout of a standardized airline sales toolkit.
- Produce and publish reports on airline, IFE/IFC/OTT market trends, competitive benchmarks, and actionable insights.
- Strategic Influence & Industry Presence
- Represent Spafax in aviation events, exhibitions, and shows.
- Deliver thought leadership and secure executive access to airlines and relevant partners.
About You
Qualifications
- 8–12+ years in IFE business development within aviation, travel media, adtech, OTT, or related sectors.
- Proven track record acquiring new airlines and an active network of airline contacts.
- Familiarity with airline commercial structures, CSPs, OEMs, IFE/IFC ops, tech constraints, Data Analytics, and Risk/Opportunity management.
- Strong financial acumen: Proposal creation, servicing models, forecasting, and business casing.
- Excellent executive communication and negotiation skills.
- 2+ years of Agentic AI experience.
- Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or equivalent advantage.
Competencies
- Hunter mindset with consultative selling; pipeline discipline and forecasting rigor.
- Enablement specialist who can codify methodology and teach it.
- Analytical storyteller who turns data into strategy and action.
- Cross-functional collaborator.
- Ownership & velocity—moves initiatives from idea to contract to launch.
Tools & Platforms (Nice to Have)
- CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot), pipeline analytics, pricing/yield tools.
Travel: ~25–40% (industry events, airline HQs, partner meetings).
In return, we offer:
- Competitive base + performance bonus aligned to the KPI structure.
- A great team of fantastic colleagues who love what they do.
- The benefits of being part of WPP – the wide agency network and access to central resources.
Applicants who progress through the interview process may be asked to complete an assignment.
*Spafax is an Equal Opportunities employer.
IFE Business Development Director in London employer: Spafax UK
Contact Detail:
Spafax UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land IFE Business Development Director in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with industry folks at events, conferences, or even online. Building relationships can open doors to opportunities that aren’t even advertised.
✨Tip Number 2
Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job openings to pop up. Reach out to companies you admire, like Spafax, and express your interest in working with them. A little initiative can go a long way!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Create a portfolio or a personal website that highlights your achievements and skills relevant to the IFE business. This can set you apart from other candidates.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Spafax team.
We think you need these skills to ace IFE Business Development Director in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the IFE Business Development Director role. Highlight your relevant experience in aviation and business development, and show us how your skills align with what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; we want to see your impact! Use numbers and specific examples to demonstrate how you've driven growth or improved processes in previous roles. This will help us understand the value you can bring to Spafax.
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We’re looking for someone who’s not only qualified but also a good fit for our team culture. Share your passion for inflight entertainment and how you envision contributing to our mission.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it gets into the right hands and shows us that you’re serious about joining the Spafax family!
How to prepare for a job interview at Spafax UK
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into Spafax's offerings and the IFE landscape. Familiarise yourself with their key clients like Emirates and Lufthansa, and understand how they integrate creativity with technology. This knowledge will help you speak confidently about how you can contribute to their goals.
✨Showcase Your Network
Highlight your existing relationships within the airline industry. Be ready to discuss how your connections can help Spafax win new partnerships. Prepare examples of past successes where your network played a crucial role in securing deals or expanding business.
✨Data-Driven Mindset
Since the role involves a data-driven approach, come prepared with examples of how you've used data to inform decisions in previous roles. Discuss any frameworks you've implemented for prioritising opportunities, as this aligns perfectly with what Spafax is looking for.
✨Be a Storyteller
As an analytical storyteller, practice turning complex data into compelling narratives. Prepare to share how you've transformed insights into actionable strategies that drove results. This will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders and influence product direction.