Sales & Marketing Director - 5 star safari lodges

Sales & Marketing Director – 5* safari lodges

Our Client is an award-winning collection of luxury lodges and camps located in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The camps are carefully positioned in untamed and pristine parts of Southern Africa – expect authenticity, adventure and exploration as well as all the comforts fit for the modern traveller.
They have made a name for themselves as one the region’s leading safari operators, and have been a key player in bringing luxury travel to these safari destinations.

Their focus is on providing privately guided and personalised experiences. They employ an exceptional standard of safari guides whose knowledge, passion and skill will make the magic of the African wilderness come to life.

As their Sales & Marketing Director, and based at their Head Office in CAPE TOWN, your focus will be on overseeing the promotion and positioning of their iconic brand, ensuring they drive awareness and consideration, both in Trade and Direct channels, that translates to the development of a strong sales pipeline and successful conversions. The Director will also build and lead a high-performing team, focused on achieving the group’s revenue and profit targets

Duties & Responsibilities
1. Ongoing reporting to the EXCO and the Board
2. Partner with the Digital Marketing Manager on Marketing planning and delivery
3. Partner with the Commercial Manager on Trade partnership planning and delivery
4. Partner with Business Unit Lead on Sales planning and delivery
5. Team Leadership and Development
6. Process Excellence and Standard
7. Interface with Operations
8. Enhance the Group Offering

The ideal candidate will have:
1. Substantial and proven experience in Sales & Marketing in the hospitality sector
a. Sales acumen: A strong understanding of sales processes, techniques, and metrics and experience of coaching and mentoring sales teams;.
b. Marketing proficiency: A deep knowledge of marketing strategies, tactics, and channels; off and online;
c. Customer focus: A customer-centric approach, prioritizing customer needs and satisfaction;
d. Brand management: The ability to build and maintain a strong brand identity
2. Exceptional organisational skills
3. Results driven with reliance on data to make decisions
4. Resilient to market challenges
5. Able to build strong relationships
6. Excellent negotiation skills
7. Communication skills:
a. Effective communication: excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey ideas clearly and persuasively;
b. Presentation skills: the ability to deliver engaging presentations to diverse audiences;
c. Interpersonal skills: Strong interpersonal skills to build relationships with clients, partners, and team members.
8. Remain calm and focused under pressure
9. Commercially astute with a proven ability to develop and implement sales and marketing plans
10. Ability to motivate and lead teams to achieve their objectives
11. Strategic planning abilities
12. Strong decision-making ability

Performance Indicators:
1. Brand awareness, perception and market position
2. The sales funnel: enquiries, enquiries assigned, enquiries quoted, enquiries converted (bookings and sales)
3. Sales Pipeline Health (Direct and Agent)
4. Achievement of conversion rates
5. Achievement of Revenue and Profit targets
6. Highly motivated and high performing
7. Stable and consistent Sales results
8. Strong agent / client relationships
9. Guest satisfaction