Head of Partnerships

Accountabilities:

Drive strategic business development: Identify, approach, and secure new technology and e-commerce partners across Europe, introducing a portfolio of travel-related and complementary product solutions to businesses with significant customer reach.
Build and manage the partnership pipeline: Take ownership of existing prospects, develop new business opportunities, manage the sales process from initial outreach to contract signature, and convert qualified prospects into active, long-term partners.
Develop mutually beneficial partnerships: Establish strong relationships with prospective partners, understand their commercial objectives, and structure win-win agreements that deliver sustainable value for both parties.
Leverage travel distribution expertise: Identify opportunities across the travel ecosystem, including online travel agencies, metasearch platforms, accommodation marketplaces, and flight distribution, while recognizing the different technical and commercial requirements of potential partners.
Expand beyond the travel industry: Build relationships with general-purpose technology and e-commerce companies that have access to relevant audiences but lack their own travel products, identifying opportunities to integrate accommodation-booking solutions into their existing customer journeys.
Shape innovative partnership solutions: Listen closely to partner needs, identify emerging use cases, and collaborate with product and other internal teams to develop solutions that address market demand and support scalable growth.
Lead complex commercial negotiations: Navigate commercial, technical, data, and legal discussions, coordinating the relevant stakeholders and independently progressing deals toward successful closure wherever possible.
Support API-driven growth: Help identify and develop opportunities for upcoming bookable API offerings, enabling partners to create customized booking experiences using established product, technology, supply, and customer-support infrastructure.
Contribute to partnership strategy: Share market insights, partner feedback, and commercial learnings to refine the partnership proposition, improve acquisition strategies, and expand the business into new markets and use cases.
Represent the business externally: Build a strong network across the European technology, e-commerce, and travel distribution ecosystems, strengthening market presence and establishing credibility with strategic partners.
Requirements:
Travel industry experience: Significant experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial leadership within the travel industry, ideally with accommodation marketplaces, online travel agencies, metasearch platforms, or flight distribution.
Proven business development track record: Demonstrated success identifying new opportunities, building a strong prospect pipeline, negotiating commercial agreements, and converting prospects into productive, long-term partnerships.
Travel distribution knowledge: A strong understanding of the travel technology ecosystem, including metasearch business models, OTA dynamics, accommodation distribution, and the role of APIs and integrations in partner solutions.
Technology and e-commerce expertise: Experience selling technology-enabled solutions to businesses outside the traditional travel industry, particularly e-commerce platforms and companies with substantial customer reach but no proprietary travel offering.
Commercial and negotiation skills: Strong capabilities in deal structuring, commercial negotiations, stakeholder management, and contract discussions, with the confidence to manage most partnership processes independently.
Technical and analytical understanding: The ability to understand API integrations, data requirements, product capabilities, and technical dependencies well enough to identify suitable partner solutions and coordinate effectively with product and engineering teams.
Legal and contractual awareness: Familiarity with commercial agreements, legal considerations, and partnership frameworks, enabling you to anticipate challenges and progress negotiations efficiently alongside relevant specialists.
Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset: A proactive, results-oriented approach, with the ability to identify new market opportunities, develop creative partnership models, and turn ambiguous challenges into actionable commercial strategies.
Relationship-building and communication: Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to establish trust, influence decision-makers, communicate value propositions clearly, and maintain productive relationships with stakeholders at different organizational levels.
Cross-functional collaboration: Experience working closely with product, technology, and other internal teams to translate partner needs into viable solutions and scalable business opportunities.
International market experience: Strong familiarity with the European market and the ability to build relationships across different countries and business cultures. Candidates should ideally be based in the EMEA region or have extensive knowledge of the target markets and the ability to work within the relevant time zones.
Autonomy and ownership: A self-starter mentality, commercial drive, and the ability to manage multiple opportunities independently while remaining focused on long-term partnership value and measurable business results.
Benefits:
Competitive compensation: An attractive compensation package designed to reward your contribution and commercial impact.
Equity-based rewards: Stock Appreciation Rights for all employees, providing an opportunity to participate in the value created by the business.
Remote working flexibility: The opportunity to work remotely, with a preference for candidates based in EMEA time zones or those with strong familiarity with the relevant markets.
Flexible time off: An employee-focused vacation policy offering substantial flexibility to manage your time away from work.
Professional growth: Opportunities to learn, develop new skills, and grow within an ambitious, fast-expanding international business.
Open and inclusive culture: A diverse working environment built on trust, transparency, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.
International team environment: Work alongside colleagues from different backgrounds, with opportunities to connect in person at the Amsterdam office and through company events in Amsterdam and abroad.
Central Amsterdam office: Access to a well-located office in Amsterdam for collaboration and in-person work.
Catered lunches and refreshments: Enjoy catered lunches featuring a variety of cuisines, quality coffee, and occasional garden barbecues.
Home office support: A dedicated budget to help you create a comfortable and productive remote workspace.
Mental health support: Free access to mental health and well-being resources through OpenUp.
Team celebrations: Opportunities to connect with colleagues and celebrate achievements through company-wide events and gatherings.
Meaningful impact: Help make travel booking more transparent and accessible while contributing to innovative technology that expands consumer choice and supports a more competitive travel market.