Business Solutions Manager in Belfast

Tourism continues to be one of Northern Ireland's most recognisable good news stories. Tourism Northern Ireland is responsible for the development of tourism in Northern Ireland, supporting the tourism industry and marketing the region as a tourist destination. The organisation works closely with other tourism bodies to help develop the visitor economy. The tourism sector in Northern Ireland continues to go from strength to strength with recent figures estimating there were 4.7 million overnight trips to the region in 2024, with an associated £1.1 billion expenditure. In addition, the sector supports almost 6,000 tourism businesses as well as 70,000 jobs, 70% of which are located outside of Belfast - making it one of the most geographically and socially dispersed sectors of the economy in the region.

Tourists increasingly want to engage with real life experiences which give them a sense of the culture and heritage of the places they are visiting, and Northern Ireland has that in abundance. Tourism NI and the industry continue to work together towards delivering a more sustainable, productive, regionally balanced economy, which can deliver good jobs. Tourism NI's consumer brand 'Embrace a Giant Spirit' continues to flourish, encapsulating the spirit of the people, the warmth of the welcome and the authenticity of the visitor experience.

Golf tourism is also a key area of focus for Tourism NI. Our latest Golf Monitor research showed golf tourism reached a record value of £86.2 million in 2024, up almost 66% since 2019 when The 148th Open was held at Royal Portrush. This Championship prompted significant investment in the North Coast particularly in the accommodation sector with a number of new properties and acquisitions opening later. In July 2025, Northern Ireland's world-class golf offering took centre stage once again when The 153rd Open took place at Royal Portrush. Tourism NI once again played a key role in the successful delivery of The Championship, which drew 278,000 fans and was forecast to deliver a combined economic and media benefit of £213 million across the region, with its legacy expected to be felt for years to come through associated investment.

Northern Ireland continues to be a much sought after destination for the lucrative golf and luxury segments of the tourism market. With other major events on the horizon in the region, including the Fleadh Cheoil na hireann in Belfast, the future is looking bright for the tourism sector in Northern Ireland, its industry and its world-class tourism offering.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY

This role contributes to the overall strategic direction of Tourism NI. The Job Holder will lead a team whose remit is to help stimulate demand in the areas of Business Events and Golf Tourism by supporting accommodation providers, visitor attractions and experience providers to become part of the itinerary for Tour Operators and Destination Management Companies (DMCs). This team will lead on supporting delivery of Tourism NI's new Business Tourism Strategy to maximise the investment in conference and meeting facilities across the country, lead on the delivery of the Golf Tourism Strategic Vision and seek to exploit the growing interest across Northern Ireland from the lucrative corporate and incentive sectors of the market.

MAIN DUTIES

• Develop, package and promote Northern Ireland as an attractive and competitive destination to the Business Events and Golf Tourism sectors.
• Develop relationships with Tour Operators and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) based within the Island of Ireland and overseas to develop and co-ordinate a tailored support programme to key accounts.
• Develop strong working relationships with the Northern Ireland industry, providing market specific insights to both MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and golf sector suppliers.
• Represent and promote Northern Ireland at relevant global trade platforms and recruit appropriate members of the Northern Ireland tourism industry for trade shows and promotional stands.
• Develop and deliver tactical sales activity with key operators and local trade to increase the number of operators programming the Northern Ireland experience.
• Lead on the development, recruiting and hosting of a programme of familiarisation visits and workshops including Northern Ireland industry and ROI / Overseas Tour Operators.
• Develop an expert understanding of the international tour operator landscape as well as the wider tourism industries and communicate this knowledge internally and externally through marketing communications to a wide audience to aid improved competitiveness for Northern Ireland within the industry.
• Become a leader within Tourism NI and the MICE and golf sectors through developing an understanding of the latest sales and marketing trends, ensuring innovation and creative thinking in the delivery of marketing communications.
• Work with and develop strong working relationships with Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland to identify and develop marketing opportunities for Northern Ireland's product portfolio and have consistency in approach across the tri-agency partnerships where applicable.
• Co-ordinate the supply of information, digital assets and promotional collateral as appropriate to Tourism Ireland, Failte Ireland and VisitBritain for inclusion within their marketing platforms ensuring profile for Northern Ireland.
• Provide specialist information and advice on tourism products to the industry (including toolkits, sector expertise and market specific insights).
• Oversee specialist print and website development.
• Oversee the management of stakeholders, industry partners and key client relationship.
• Develop and evaluate a programme of sales activity to intermediaries for example Professional Conference Organisers, Destination Management Companies, and specialist Golf Tour Operators.
• Provide Business and Golf Tourism development direction to the Northern Ireland Industry and guidance to the Industry Development team within Tourism NI.
• Co-ordinate Tourism NI's Service Level Agreements (SLAs) concerning the Conference Ambassador Programme, the Business Ambassador Programme and the Northern Ireland Conference Support Scheme.
• Support the Head of Business Solutions on work areas in Business Tourism and follow through on recommendations for both marketing and business development activities.
• Support the Head of Business Solutions to co-ordinate the relations / activities of key partners within the supply chain to ensure delivery of Business Tourism (including Conference Bureaus).
• Provide and promote the Business Tourism support package to Conference organisers including participation in familiarisation visits for Conference organisers and Incentive buyers etc.

People & Budget Management

• Deliver effective leadership to create and sustain a high-performing team.
• Provide line management responsibility and leadership for the team by ensuring that all activities are managed in line with Tourism NI's policies, procedures, values, and behaviours.
• Provide direction and leadership for the team by convening regular team meetings to facilitate the communication of organisational and team issues in order to contribute to the achievement of Tourism NI's strategic targets and objectives.
• Take responsibility for employee development ensuring motivation, providing coaching, and ensuring efficient and effective use of people and their skills in relation to managing projects and engagement with stakeholders.
• Working alongside the team resolve any resource constraints or blockages with a view to finding solutions based on business priorities.
• Take responsibility for the management and control of workflows for employees within the team to ensure that organisational standards are met.
• Ensure that learning and development plans are in place and performance reviews are undertaken within the required timescales.
• Take the lead in the management and maintenance of the Unit budget including the MICE and golf budget lines, taking account of value for money and ensuring that resources are used effectively and in accordance with Tourism NI's financial policies and procedures.
• Take the lead in the development of Business Cases and completion of Post Project Evaluations in a timely manner.
• Ensure the administration of all payments are in accordance with Tourism NI's financial governance policies and procedures.
• Provide regular budget reports, as and when required, to the Head of Business Solutions.

Governance and Reporting

• Comply with all aspects of organisational policy, programme management and promote good governance within the team.
• Systematically review the status of all projects within the work area to ensure that all issues are being addressed, that status reports are submitted on time and that colleagues are briefed on key issues.
• Liaise with the Head of Business Solutions to clearly define all roles and responsibilities across team members and oversee the delivery of these duties.
• Proactively monitor the activities across the team to ensure continued alignment with Tourism NI's corporate strategy.

Corporate Management Responsibility

• Act as the central point of contact for all matters relating to the business unit.
• Provide briefing material and draft responses / correspondence as and when required by Tourism NI's Executive Leadership and Senior Management Teams, the Board, the Department for the Economy, the NI Assembly, members of the tourism industry and the general public within the specified timelines and in an appropriate format.
• Lead on the delivery of project work within the Unit and across Tourism NI including representation at working groups and meetings.
• Contribute to the development of the Annual Operating Plan, the achievement of tourism targets and promote the corporate values and behaviours within the Team and across the organisation.
• Provide cover for management within the Division to include decision making and attending meetings in the absence of colleagues.
• Attend training as and when required and keep abreast of current developments in your area of work.
• Maintain, store, and dispose of records in accordance with Tourism NI's information governance policy.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade as required by Tourism NI.

This Job Description has been written at a time of organisational change and it will be subject to review and amendment as the demands of the role and the organisation evolve. The job holder is therefore required to be flexible, adaptable and aware that they may be asked to perform tasks, duties and responsibilities which are not specifically detailed in the job description, but which are commensurate with the role and/or grade appointed or present an opportunity for development.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Option 1: A relevant sixth-level qualification (undergraduate degree) as detailed in the qualification framework. A relevant qualification would include communications, marketing, public relations, or journalism for example. Other fields may be accepted where relevance to the role is clearly demonstrated. AND A minimum of 3 years experience in Business to Business (B2B) business development role with strong evidence of growing revenue, market share and profitability.
• OR Option 2: A minimum of 5 years experience in Business to Business (B2B) business development role with strong evidence of growing revenue, market share and profitability.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA - Personal Effectiveness

• The Job Holder will possess an excellent standard of project and budget management skills including the ability to plan, organise and manage tasks and people to ensure that tight deadlines and customer expectations are met using proven key account management, commercial and business development skills.
• Negotiation, influencing, interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills including the ability to influence and build strong working relationships with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop marketing strategies and plans to improve business performance.
• Ability to network, successfully engage and lead partners and stakeholders to a common goal.
• Ability to provide results focused service delivery meeting and exceeding the needs of customers.