Job Overview
Lead the product strategy by researching, designing, developing and promoting high quality, creative and unique products for each segment. Identify and exploit areas for business growth while measuring the impact of product against sales, maintaining exceptional standards and managing deadlines and budgets.
Act as the Product point of liaison across the business working with the function heads in contributing to the core business strategy, ensuring the product department is in alignment and achieves and exceeds required targets. Responsible for design and creation of end-end CX (customer experience) journey, to ensure consistency and quality of products and services throughout UAE, working closely with Marketing and Sales for the digitalization and distribution across B2C/B2B channels.
Job Scope
Strategy
- Produce an annual Product Plan with alignment to company strategy targets; to include both strategic and tactical areas (new product themes, competitor gaps and opportunities etc.).
- Work closely with the Snr Director Product and external/internal stakeholders to actively pursue product growth and expansion opportunities for the company whilst optimising resources to increase profitability
- Ensure that the product portfolio spans all market segments including but not limited to, Leisure, M&I, Cruise, Retail, language specific markets and seasonal product development.
- Work with marketing and comms to develop a cohesive communications plan, that is developed in parallel to the Product Strategy, to ensure consistent and relevant communications with our clients.
- Drive innovation and creativity to exploit opportunities for growth and to increase market share.
Execution
- Provide direction and oversight on products, ensuring achievement of targets set by the business.
- Set, implement and maintain guidelines covering all major aspects of products.
- Provide training where necessary to communicate the importance of the product / reservations relationship and provide a plan to ensure managers monitor and maintain its effectiveness.
- Promote collaboration across the business to seek opportunities in new joint products, innovation and shared ideas.
- Host product brainstorming sessions to promote an environment of collaboration and innovation.
- Work with sales to identify opportunities to support sales activities and to understand products from a client perspective as well as maintaining regular communications with international sales partners to understand and anticipate market trends.
- Support annual competitor analysis to understand and communicate the company's position in the market as well as its USPs.
- Provide input into new DMC technical solution ensuring requirements are fully incorporated.
Leadership
- Lead and manage all direct reports through effective communication of a clear strategic direction.
- Ensure all team members have clear direction and skills to enable them to perform their duties. This will be delivered through various channels including effective performance management, coaching conversations, support in learning and development requirements.
Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Skills Requirements
Essential:
- Degree or equivalent in business, marketing or equivalent
- 5+ years experience in Product development role (tour operator, OTA, DMC, Car Hire)
- Business mindset, results driven
- Consumer centric
- Financially astute
- Discipline and organisation
- Stakeholder and communication management
- Planning
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ethics, compliance and governance standards
- Autonomy
Desirable:
- P&L responsibility
- In depth knowledge of DMC
