Senior Trading Manager - Marella Cruises

Joining the Cruise Trading team, you will be responsible for the trading activity for the Marella Cruises fleet, ensuring that we are maximizing the yield and overall profitability of Marella sales across the early and lates functions. In return you will get exposure to the full end-to-end tour operating and cruise cost base processes, and therefore develop your all-round commercial knowledge and skills – this includes set-up of initial launch pricing and managing these levels all through season.

The Senior Cruise Trading Manager will lead and motivate a highly skilled trading team, working closely with the Head of Planning/Trading to devise and implement a trading strategy to deliver the financial forecast. Working in collaboration with Product, E-Commerce, Commercial Analytics and Distribution and Sales teams and functions, they will establish relationships through knowledge, technical skill and behaviours that ensure we can achieve the optimum sales mix through the booking period.

With a number of ships planned to enter the fleet in the coming years as part of our modernisation strategy, there has never been a more exciting time to join the Marella Cruises team.

What you will be doing

As the Senior Cruise Trading Manager you will provide leadership and direction for a results orientated, people-focused team, ensuring rapid responses to changes in the market place. Working closely with the Commercial Analytics and Distribution teams, you will ensure the best use of yield systems and sales mix to ensure we continually optimise processes and profitability.

You will be responsible for the initial pricing of the Marella Cruises fleet prior to season launch, and management of the trading activity for all seasons once on sale.

You’ll need to display strong communication skills and build effective relationships with individuals and teams within Cruise, Commercial, Distribution and Finance, ensuring that all decisions are taken with the interests of the wider business in mind to achieve our business objectives. Taking an active role in the initial brochure pricing and ongoing forecasts will be a focus area as will understanding the cruise cost base.

You’ll build forecasts and sales plans for the fleet in the ‘earlies’ & ‘lates’ market which optimise sales and profitability, recommending early booking offers/promo codes which help us to achieve this. Once the season is on sale, you will analyse volume and margin trends and ensure you achieve and exceed the targets through the effective use of pricing strategy and introduction of promotions. High levels of analytical skills and attention to detail are key here in order to ensure you fully understand the specific drivers of performance including by ship, departure period, product type and distribution channel. A key part of the role is to maximise the use of Cyrus for automated pricing, ensuring that best practice is followed and learnings are shared across the team.

In this management role, you’ll also use your leadership and coaching skills to develop and motivate your team, ensuring they are fully engaged and committed to achieving the company, divisional and individual objectives.

What we are looking for

• Strong commercial understanding and numerical skills
• Excellent understanding of yield management principles
• Proven collaboration and influencing skills
• High commercial acumen, with proven decision making ability
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Team player with leadership and coaching ability
• Excellent communicator
• Ability to manage ambiguity and change
• Understanding of TUI UK’s customers and product range, especially Cruise
• Strong awareness of key issues and changes taking place in the industry
• Strong conflict management skills
• Flexibility in order to ensure departmental objectives are met
• Educated to degree standard