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The Role
The Senior Account Director will manage airline and hotel partnerships, develop sourcing strategies, and enhance client relationships while meeting savings targets and contract commitments.
Summary Generated by Built In
Summary
An experienced Procurement Manager with a background in a heavily operational-based procurement role, the responsibilities include establishing and maintaining existing client relationships within our growing network of Airline and Hotel partners, with the sole purpose of generating strategic growth and delivering our contract commitments through exceptional procurement delivery.
This position requires strategic vision to identify and interpret market trends and set appropriate hotel sourcing strategies. Along with excellent negotiation skills, extensive contracting experience, and strong team management, you will deliver aggressive savings targets to provide maximum value to our customers whilst developing and maintaining progressive supplier relationships.
A leader who is a strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen, a customer focus and the ability to engage effectively with a broad range of stakeholders and partners to drive business outcomes and the ability to communicate at a senior level as well as operational team members.
Developing supplier continuous improvement and applying tools and techniques based on current knowledge of best practice, strategic sourcing and the hotel marketplace.
Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Client Relationship
Day-to-Day Account Management
Systems requirements
MyCrewCare
HotelExpress
ACES
Salesforce
Required Skills, Education and Experience
An experienced Procurement Manager with a background in a heavily operational-based procurement role, the responsibilities include establishing and maintaining existing client relationships within our growing network of Airline and Hotel partners, with the sole purpose of generating strategic growth and delivering our contract commitments through exceptional procurement delivery.
This position requires strategic vision to identify and interpret market trends and set appropriate hotel sourcing strategies. Along with excellent negotiation skills, extensive contracting experience, and strong team management, you will deliver aggressive savings targets to provide maximum value to our customers whilst developing and maintaining progressive supplier relationships.
A leader who is a strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen, a customer focus and the ability to engage effectively with a broad range of stakeholders and partners to drive business outcomes and the ability to communicate at a senior level as well as operational team members.
Developing supplier continuous improvement and applying tools and techniques based on current knowledge of best practice, strategic sourcing and the hotel marketplace.
Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Client Relationship
- Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders at all levels within the airline and hotel partners.
- Communicate and meet with major clients on a regular basis to ensure that API deliverables are met.
- Create a client sourcing strategy based on solid market insights.
- Report on strategy and savings matrix for nominated accounts.
- Strive to create increased value for the client by providing new points of view and recommendations that are aligned with desired business goals.
- Develop and deliver strategic account objectives.
- Suggest solutions and innovative ideas to meet client needs.
- Manage complaints and problems in a timely and effective manner.
- Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and budget forecasts for the client.
- Prepare and conduct site inspections domestically and internationally when required to ascertain suitability for the airline in line with minimum requirements.
- Where necessary, conduct virtual site inspections to assess a hotel’s suitability.
- Effectively manage union relationships as part of the site inspection process
Day-to-Day Account Management
- Provide strategic leadership to expand opportunities within assigned accounts.
- Communicate to the Vertical Leader on client performance, strategies, and needs.
- Coordinate and manage weekly meetings with the designated airline to ensure sourcing deliverables remain on target and airline sign-off approval processes are followed.
- Maintain an action log to ensure all parties are aware of action points and follow-up resolve points are understood, leading weekly meeting to review with the airline and internally.
- Support and help prepare client communications ranging from weekly performance meetings to business reviews.
- Assist the Research & Sourcing team in ensuring all details of a destination presentation are accurate and offered to the airline for review.
- Document, trouble shoot and resolve operational and sourcing events.
- Become knowledgeable with API’s technology platforms for the Account Management department.
- Maintain spreadsheets and update databases as required.
- Support Director or Account Management on assigned projects as requested in line with the growth of the business.
- Support other Account Managers/Directors to ensure the correct process, client focus, and communication is conveyed to create exemplary performance for the client.
- Manage multiple projects and facilitate their success from the original concept to the final implementation.
- Provide organisation, direction, and coordination for business reviews, and ensure the savings matrix is maintained accurately.
- Support Vertical Leader by providing coaching of other Account Managers/Directors and identifying areas for growth and training opportunities.
- Hold weekly planned individual conference call with team members to review current workload.
- Develop and implement strategic category management plans.
- Manage the central repository for contracts (Salesforce), including activity planning and the timely execution of contracts.
- Obtain data from varied sources to identify and support fact-driven opportunities. Ensure analysis is accurate, comprehensive, and robust.
- Conduct market analysis to drive hotel sourcing strategies.
- Conduct risk analysis to continually review contracts, market opportunities, and take action as required.
- Share market knowledge and experience with other team members to support the success of other airline accounts.
- Develop, implement, and manage an appropriate SRM Strategy across your client’s hotel and ground transport supplier program.
Systems requirements
MyCrewCare
- Manage crew member feedback via our online portal for all assigned accounts ensuring any complaints are addressed in a timely fashion accordingly with our hotel partners and documented.
- Identify where supplier performance management is required and implement performance improvement plans where necessary.
- Ensure the team adds new hotels to the system and ensure all information is accurate.
HotelExpress
- Actively seek opportunities and negotiate on preferred rates for Crew, Business and Leisure Travel. Ensure they are loaded and maintained properly on HotelExpress for clients.
ACES
- Verify all hotel contract information is loaded correctly into ACES for OPS and for Accounting.
- Review ACES schedules monthly to ensure hotels are downloading their schedules and identifying any risk in advance. Assist the OPS department with follow-up to the hotels to ensure that their schedules are accepted, and troubleshoot any issues.
- Verify the client backup list is accurate and loaded into ACES for OPS.
Salesforce
- Ensure all opportunities (upcoming contract expirations and/or new destinations) are in Salesforce with accurate business start dates and revenue projections.
- Ensure contracts are entered into Salesforce prior to the contract start date.
Required Skills, Education and Experience
- Established (at least 3-5 years) of experience in a category manager procurement role.
- Experience in the travel industry is preferable.
- Bachelor's degree in business administration or similar.
- MCIPS qualified preferred.
- Strong governance, process and change management experience.
- Negotiated major strategic and complex deals that delivered significant commercial outcomes.
- Sound appreciation of category management principles and processes, with a working knowledge of contract law.
- Strong results-focused, with a continuous improvement skill set.
- Strong negotiation and commercial skills with the ability to manage cross-functional teams and large stakeholder groups.
- Ability to effectively manage workload in a fast-paced environment, relying on extensive experience and judgement to plan and accomplish goals.
- Shows attention to detail and the ability to produce high-quality work.
- Ability to positively present API in customer-facing situations.
- Strong Microsoft Office computer skills, with an emphasis on Excel.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
- Customer service and client relationship skills.
- Ability to work with and understand diverse cultures globally.
- An organised self-starter who can work proactively and independently.
- Flexible Schedule and travel availability needed based on business needs.
Position Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Position and Type of Expected Hours of Work
Full-time, Monday to Friday, normal core business hours and as needed on nights and weekends unless otherwise specified.
Supervisory Responsibility
Yes, indirect oversight of team members.
Travel Requirements
This position required 30% travel.
Position and Type of Expected Hours of Work
Full-time, Monday to Friday, normal core business hours and as needed on nights and weekends unless otherwise specified.
Supervisory Responsibility
Yes, indirect oversight of team members.
Travel Requirements
This position required 30% travel.
Skills Required
- 3-5 years of experience in a category manager procurement role
- Experience in the travel industry
- Bachelor's degree in business administration or similar
- MCIPS qualified preferred
- Strong governance, process, and change management experience
- Negotiated major strategic deals
- Working knowledge of contract law
- Strong Microsoft Office skills, emphasis on Excel
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work with and understand diverse cultures globally
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The Company
What We Do
As the worldwide leader in crew accommodation solutions for over 35 years, API uses proprietary technology, unique software solutions, and our highly experienced team to make sure over 20,000 crew members from more than 90 airlines rest comfortably every night. API’s end-to-end technology platform will transform the way airlines manage crew travel. o Mobile platform, MyCrewCare o Sourcing & Contracting o Crew Planning o Daily Operations & IROPS o Distressed Passenger o Billing & Reconciliation o Business Analytics Offering global support with 24 locations worldwide & Operations Centers in New York, Hong Kong, London and Sao Paolo –making API the only accommodation partner with global teams ready and able to assist 24/7. Visit www.apiglobalsolutions.com to learn more or send us a LinkedIn message!
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