Job Purpose:
The Travel Retail Manager KSA is responsible for driving commercial performance, managing key accounts, and leading business development across the travel retail channel in KSA (airports, duty-free operators, border stores, cruise lines, etc.). This role ensures strong customer relationships, effective negotiation, and the implementation of strategic plans that maximize brand visibility, revenue, and market share in a fast-paced environment.
Generic Accountabilities:
Strategy
- Contribute to the development and implementation of the Travel Retail section's strategy, ensuring that it is translated into annual business and operational plans for the section.
- Formulate and monitor the effective implementation of the section strategy and relevant tactics, in line with the department and division overall strategy, ensuring that the organization's vision, mission, and strategy are properly cascaded down to the different elements of section.
Budget and Financial Monitoring
- Provide inputs and support the preparation, consolidation and monitoring of the annual budget of the department in coordination with the Department Head and the finance team.
Common Accountabilities
- Supervise operational excellence improvement initiatives and motivate employees to constantly identify areas for improvement on systems, processes and practices taking into account international leading practices, in order to continuously enhance the organizational effectiveness and business performance.
- Drive the development and oversee the implementation of policies, systems, processes, procedures and controls within the section in order to ensure that all activities within the section are conducted in line with any relevant compliance, risk, audit, cybersecurity and regulatory requirements.
People Management
- Provide strategic direction to the direct reporting roles, guide, set priorities and objectives that will be cascaded to the lower levels, while managing their performance, and providing ongoing support and feedback, to ensure the achievement of the short- and long-term business goals.
- Coordinate the activities of the direct reporting roles to ensure that all operational plans are carried out efficiently, in line with the annual organizational targets, policies and procedures.
Job-Specific Accountabilities:
Accounts & Stakeholder Management
- Manage day-to-day relationships with duty-free operators in KSA (JAH, Lagardere, Al Waha, Chalhoub).
- Conduct regular business reviews to optimize assortment, pricing, and promotional activity.
- Negotiate commercial terms, trade agreements, and annual joint business plans.
- Coordinate with internal stakeholders (marketing, supply chain, finance, trade marketing) to ensure operational excellence.
Forecasting & Performance Analytics
- Lead demand planning and sales forecasting for assigned markets/customers.
- Track KPIs such as revenue, sell-out, stock levels, retail execution, and promotional ROI.
- Analyze competitor activity and market trends to make data-driven decisions.
Retail Execution & Brand Visibility
- Collaborate with marketing and VM teams to deliver high-quality retail activation.
- Ensure excellence in merchandising, staff training, and in-store animation events.
- Monitor compliance with brand guidelines and travel retail operational standards.
Education, Experience, Skills & Competencies:
- Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, or related field.
- 6 years of commercial, key account management, or sales experience ideally within Travel Retail, Tobacco, FMCG, or consumer goods.
- Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Proven track record of driving commercial results in multi-market environments.
- Analytical mindset with proficiency in Excel, sales analytics, and forecasting tools.
- Knowledge of airport retail dynamics and global duty-free accounts is a plus.
- English & Arabic languages are mandatory.
