Head of Sales - Australia & New Zealand at Virgin Voyages

, , Australia -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

17 Jul, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

18 Apr, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Sales strategy, Business development, Trade sales, Relationship management, Market analysis, Budget management, Commercial awareness, Strategic planning, Performance management, Communication skills, Presentation skills, Leadership, Negotiation, Market intelligence, Revenue growth

Industry

Travel Arrangements

Description

The Gig: The Head of Sales, Australia & New Zealand is a resilient, self motivated, senior sales leader responsible for driving trade sales performance and distribution growth across the Australian & New Zealand markets. Reporting into the Sales Director, Europe and Australia & New Zealand, this role will oversee all local relationships; both strategic commercial partnerships and business development, with hands on execution. This role is accountable for delivering cost efficient and ambitious growth, through Virgin Voyages’ First Mates, Tour Operators, and strategic partners. The Head of Sales will formulate and execute the local market sales strategy, have their finger on the pulse of the competitive landscape within the travel industry, both inside and outside of cruise, lead key partner relationships, and ensure Virgin Voyages is positioned at the forefront of trade consideration in Australia & New Zealand. Working with the Sales Director and cross functional internal teams, this role will translate broader international strategy into a locally applicable, commercially effective approach. This will need to ensure alignment with brand priorities, revenue targets, and long term market potential. As set out by the Sales Director, this role will have direct budget responsibility, with clear return metrics. This is a highly visible role with regular engagement across senior agency leadership, industry partners, and internal stakeholders. It calls for exceptional commercial awareness, trusted relationship leadership, and the ability to balance strategic thinking with hands on execution. The role is based remotely with domestic and occasional international travel. It suits someone who is highly self directed, prioritises effectively, and operates with flexibility across time zones, while maintaining strong connection to the broader organisation. We’re on the lookout for a bold and brilliant human to chart big things down under. Ideally, you drop anchor at home in either Sydney, Brisbane or The Gold Coast in one of our most vibrant territories where we bring a knack for shaking up the norm, and a Virgin spirit that turns “why?” into “why not?” What You'll Be Up To: Formulate, own, and execute the trade sales strategy for Australia and New Zealand, delivering cost efficient growth against ambitious revenue, booking, and APD targets, in alignment with broader international objectives set by the Sales Director. Act as the senior sales lead for the Australian and New Zealand markets, representing Virgin Voyages across all trade sales channels and industry relationships. Lead and manage key trade partner relationships, including First Mates, tour operators, and consortia, ensuring Virgin Voyages is a priority brand within partner portfolios. Develop and execute commercial initiatives across Australia and New Zealand, including override strategy, commission structures, and rate negotiations, to drive sustained and profitable growth. Partner closely with Marketing and Trade Engagement teams to plan and deliver trade events, campaigns, fam trips, and national engagement initiatives. Own local market performance management, providing regular reporting and insight on bookings, conversion, cost of acquisition, ROI, and competitive dynamics to the Sales Director and senior leadership. Manage allocated sales and marketing budgets for Australia and New Zealand, ensuring spend is targeted, measurable, and delivers clear commercial return. Provide ongoing market intelligence and competitor insight to inform decision making, future planning, and evolving market strategy. Identify and develop new distribution opportunities and partnerships to expand reach and deepen market penetration. Ensure all partner agreements and local commercial arrangements align with Virgin Voyages’ legal, financial, and brand standards. Build and maintain strong internal relationships across the Virgin Voyages organisation, acting as a trusted local expert and advocate for the Australian and New Zealand markets. Superpowers Required: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent (3+ years experience) required Minimum 5 years in travel or hospitality sales; cruise industry preferred Working knowledge of travel industry travel agencies, tour operators and consortia. Proven experience growing business from new and large scale accounts across a variety of models Knowledge of the cruise market and its sales strategies across a variety of segments An appreciation for how paramount customer and partner experiences are for Virgin to be successful A proven performance track record of personal sales results Highly analytical Exceptional presentation and communication skills, both with a front line and senior leadership audience, internally and externally. An ability to think outside of industry norms and be innovative in approach Highly results driven. What Matters to Us: At Virgin, your personality matters as much as how good you are at what you do. We want you to bring it to our hangout spot and help make the place even better. So, we won’t be surprised to hear that when people talk about you they say you are clever, on top of it, able to think ahead, intuitive, passionate and someone people respect and enjoy working with because you make things happen. Virgin Voyages is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified, eligible applicants regardless of their sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy and maternity. Our greatest strength comes from our ability to come together as unique individuals -- we seek to always embrace and celebrate our differences, providing an inclusive workplace environment that allows you to be your best self. Virgin Voyages is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Virgin Voyages via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from Virgin Voyages HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Virgin Voyages. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Virgin Voyages as a result of the referral or through other means. “I'm often asked what it is that makes Virgin different. The simple answer is — our people” Sir Richard Branson Our people are the heart and soul of our business. We are a passionate lot, united in our desire to create something really special for our sailors.

Responsibilities

The Head of Sales will formulate and execute the trade sales strategy for Australia and New Zealand to drive revenue growth and market penetration. They will lead key partner relationships and manage local sales budgets while providing market intelligence to senior leadership.