Director, Strategy - Skift Advisory

About Us

Skift is the leading business intelligence and media company in travel, delivering news, research, and global events that power smarter decisions across the industry. We convene senior leaders and innovators who rely on Skift for clarity, insight, and meaningful connection in a fast-moving global market.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a highly strategic, commercially driven Director of Strategy to join Skift Advisory, the consulting arm of the leading intelligence platform for the global travel industry. This is a senior, global role (mapping to the Principal level at global strategy firms) for a leader who is senior enough to own complex client relationships, yet hands-on enough to lead the work end-to-end. You will run our largest engagements, drive business development, and shape thought leadership on a global scale. This is a fully remote position with a preference for candidates based in the UK, Mexico, India, or the GCC, and requires the ability to work within the Middle East time zone.

Why This Role Matters

Skift Advisory isn't a traditional consultancy; we offer "Skift's knowledge, applied to your decision," combining 13 years of proprietary data with strategic rigor to advise CEOs, boards, investors, and tourism authorities. As a Director, you are a senior owner in a senior-led practice (not a traditional pyramid). You are accountable for transforming deep sector expertise into actionable strategies, scaling our practice, and serving as an expert voice at industry forums. Your work directly drives Skift Advisory’s commercial growth and shapes the future of aviation, hospitality, destinations, and travel tech.

Some of What You’ll Do

Engagement Ownership & Delivery Excellence

• Own large, complex engagements from problem framing through delivery as the single named lead accountable for scope, staffing, timeline, risk, and quality.
• Direct the analytical and conceptual approach, driving strategic outcomes and ensuring every deliverable meets Skift Advisory's standard for accuracy, insight, and storytelling.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for client leadership, nurturing long-term, strategic partnerships rather than one-off engagements.

Business Development & Commercial Growth

• Lead business development across target sectors, identifying opportunities, building relationships, and securing high-value engagements to actively grow the book.
• Own the development of large-scale proposals and strategic pitches from scoping to the win, bringing deep commercial discipline to our pipeline.
• Forecast capacity, surface risks early, and escalate issues with a clear recommendation—not just a status update.

Thought Leadership & Industry Presence

• Represent Skift Advisory as a thought leader, speaker, and panel moderator at major industry forums, including our own Skift Global Forum, turning on-stage visibility into relationships and pipeline.
• Draw on proprietary research to author reports, document methodologies, and ensure intellectual property compounds within the firm rather than living in individual heads.

Team Mentorship & Practice Building

• Mentor and develop Senior Strategists and Associates, building a strong leadership pipeline and raising delivery quality across the team.
• Help build and scale the overall practice by strengthening methodologies, playbooks, and frameworks, contributing directly to how we organize, staff, and bring new capabilities to market.

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, or a destination marketing/management organization in a strategic planning role, including senior-level engagement ownership.
• Top-Tier Consulting Background: Experience at the Principal/Director level at a global strategy firm (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Strategy&, Deloitte) or a specialized travel/hospitality consultancy is strongly preferred.
• Deep Industry Expertise: Extensive, current knowledge of the global travel and tourism sector, its clients, and its dynamics (this is essential, not a nice-to-have).
• Executive Presence: Outstanding client and senior-stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead board- and C-suite-level discussions, navigate complex dynamics diplomatically, and speak confidently on stage to senior industry audiences.
• Advanced Strategic Rigor: The ability to independently frame problems, build storylines, translate proprietary data into defensible recommendations, and create expert-level PowerPoint presentations.
• Education & Languages: A Bachelor's degree is required (MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred). Full fluency in English is required; Arabic and Spanish are strong assets.
• Global Agility: The ability to travel internationally (often on short notice, requiring a valid passport and visa eligibility) and the flexibility to support calls across multiple regions, with a required ability to work within the Middle East time zone.

Success Metrics

• Commercial Growth: Successful identification, pitching, and securing of high-value engagements that actively expand Skift Advisory's client book and revenue pipeline.
• Delivery & Client Impact: Flawless end-to-end execution of complex engagements, resulting in high client satisfaction, long-term partnerships, and deliverables that hit our standard for excellence.
• Thought Leadership & Visibility: Strong representation of the firm at industry events, effectively turning insights and on-stage presence into tangible commercial relationships.
• Practice Scalability: The successful mentorship of junior team members and the creation of reusable methodologies and frameworks that elevate the team's overall delivery quality and repeatability.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to grow within a respected and innovative media company.
• Exposure to the intersection of media, events, and travel intelligence.
• Collaborative, supportive, and remote-friendly work environment.

How We Work

Skift's culture is diverse, cohesive, and full of people who love what they do and bring the best of themselves to work. We are remote but very connected and caring about each other. 

How To Apply

If this role sounds like a fit, we’d love to hear from you. PLEASE SEND US A COVER LETTER ALONG WITH YOUR RESUME sharing why you’re interested and how your experience aligns with Skift's mission.

Skift is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of travelers around the world. We welcome applicants from all life experiences and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

Here’s what you can expect next

If selected to interview, a Skift team member will reach out to schedule next steps.