Company Overview:
A leading and well-established diversified business group in the UAE with a strong presence across automotive, real estate, retail, mobility, and technology sectors. With decades of market leadership, the organization is known for operational excellence, innovation, and a customer-centric approach. The group offers a dynamic work environment, strong governance, and long-term career growth opportunities for high-performing professionals.
Job Purpose:
The Retail Manager owns the consumer and retail rental P&L, driving volume growth, channel profitability, and superior customer experience. Reporting to the Director, the role is the single point of accountability for distribution channel strategy (OTAs, brokers, affiliates, direct), branch service excellence, retail revenue maximization, and capacity planning to fuel sustainable rental and consumer-segment expansion. The incumbent transforms the retail ecosystem into a high-conversion, data-driven growth engine while ensuring operational scalability and brand consistency across all touchpoints.
Job Description:
Distribution Channel Strategy & Management
- Own end-to-end relationships with OTAs (Booking.com, Rental cars, Expedia), brokers, travel agencies, and affiliate partners.
- Negotiate commission structures, promotional placements, and exclusivity deals to maximize ROI and market share.
- Launch and scale new digital channels
- Achieve 25 % YoY growth in third-party bookings while maintaining **12 % net contribution per channel.
Direct-to-Consumer & Digital Retail
- Lead website, mobile app, and call-center conversion funnels for walk-ins, online, and phone bookings.
- Working with the Commercial Manager, implement dynamic pricing visibility, upselling engines, and abandoned-cart recovery to boost direct revenue.
- Drive 40 % of total retail bookings via owned channels within 24 months.
- Oversee SEO, PPC, and CRM campaigns in collaboration with Marketing.
Branch Network Performance & Customer Service Excellence
- Set and enforce nationwide CSAT scores and Mystery Shopping findings across all rental counters.
- Standardize queue management, vehicle handover, and return processes through automation and training.
- Roll out digital check-in/out kiosks and mobile pick-up in high-traffic branches/areas.
Capacity & Fleet Allocation for Retail Demand
- Collaborate with Fleet and Revenue Management to forecast retail demand by branch, season, and event.
- Secure dedicated retail fleet pools with optimal mix (economy, SUV, luxury, EV).
- Implement dynamic inter-branch transfers to prevent stock-outs during peak (target: 98 % fulfillment rate).
- Minimize idle retail fleet 7 days through proactive reallocation.
Broker & Partner Program Management
- Build and manage a tiered broker incentive program (volume rebates, training, co-branded collateral).
- Onboard 5 active brokers annually with SLA-backed performance contracts.
- Monitor broker quality scores (accuracy, compliance, customer feedback) and terminate underperformers.
- Host quarterly partner forums to align on promotions and inventory.
Retail Growth Initiatives & Capitalization
- Identify and launch new retail segments (tourists, residents, expat relocations, events, delivery drivers).
- Pilot subscription rentals, weekend packages, and loyalty programs with clear ROI tracking.
- Secure pop-up locations in malls, hotels, and airports during peak seasons.
- Prepare capex justification for self-service kiosks, digital signage, and branch refurbishments.
Reporting, Analytics & Performance Governance
- Deliver daily retail dashboards: bookings by channel, conversion %, CSAT, fleet utilization, revenue per rental day (RPD).
- Conduct weekly branch performance reviews with actionable scorecards.
- Present monthly retail revenue and growth roadmap to the Director.
- Build and use models for peak demand, channel mix, and cannibalization risks.
Educational Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, Hospitality Management, or related field from a recognized university.
- Master's Degree or MBA preferred (focus on Digital Marketing or Revenue Management advantageous).
Work Experience
- Minimum 8 years in retail, distribution, or channel management within car rental, travel, hospitality, or e-commerce.
- At least 5 years in a leadership role managing OTAs, broker networks, and multi-branch retail operations.
- Proven success in the UAE/GCC retail rental market.
- Hands-on experience with CRS/RMS (Therme, CarTrawler, RateGain), channel managers, and Google Analytics/Tag Manager.
- Hands-on experience with Car Rental and Leasing software and Oracle.
Competencies
- Channel Mastery: Negotiates win-win OTA deals; turns brokers into brand advocates
- Retail Growth Instinct: Spots untapped segments; pilots MVPs with speed and rigor
- Customer Obsession: Lives branch CSAT scores; turns complaints into loyalty
- Data-Driven Decisions: Fluent in data analysis and builds funnel models that predict and convert.
- Operational Scalability: Designs processes that work at 10 branches and 100 alike
- Digital & MarTech Fluency: Deploys SEO, retargeting, and CRM automation like second nature
- Stakeholder Alignment: Rallies Fleet, Marketing, and Branches behind one retail vision
- Agile Leadership: Thrives in 7-day ops, peak-season chaos, and real-time pivots
Languages: English & Arabic
