Business Development Manager

The Bicester; Bicester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - GBP 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury retail destination in the UK is seeking a Partnership Manager to enhance international visitor conversion. The role involves managing commercial partnerships, developing strategic initiatives for growth, and collaborating across departments. The ideal candidate has at least 2 years of experience in partnership, travel, or hospitality sectors, with a focus on luxury markets. Strong analytical and relationship-building skills are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in partnership or luxury sectors.
• Experience with luxury hotels and travel trade is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of commercial partners.
• Develop relationships to increase international guest footfall.
• Design and implement incentive programs to drive performance.

Skills

Partnership management

Sales and marketing

Relationship building

Data analysis

Tools

Salesforce

Power BI

Job description

Overview

The purpose of this role is to drive increased conversion of high-spending international visitors to Bicester Village through the effective management, growth, and optimisation of an allocated portfolio of commercial partners. These partners may include, but are not limited to, travel trade organisations, international-facing UK partners, hospitality and accommodation providers, membership clubs, destination services, and other relevant commercial segments.

Key responsibilities

• Partner Account Management - Manage an allocated portfolio of commercial partners, including hotels, serviced apartments, travel trade organisations, membership clubs, and other international-facing UK partners, building strong relationships that drive qualified conversion and commercial performance.
• 360-Degree Relationship Building - Develop and maintain relationships with multiple stakeholders within partner organisations, including relevant departments, to ensure a holistic, effective, and well-connected account management approach.
• Strategic Planning & Execution - Develop and execute tailored strategies for priority and high-potential partners to increase qualified international guest footfall, engagement, and revenue, while tracking performance against agreed targets and monitoring partner effectiveness.
• Market & Partner Intelligence - Provide to and receive from the partners relevant data, travel insights, market trends, and international guest profiles to align strategy, optimise conversion, maximise opportunities, and strengthen overall partner performance.
• Sales Pipeline Management - Maximise commercial opportunities by identifying and onboarding new qualified partners, proactively managing underperforming relationships, exiting non-performing partners where appropriate, and driving consistent double-digit growth across the allocated portfolio.
• Incentive Programmes - Design, implement, and manage tactical incentive programmes, monitoring partner performance against KPIs and delivering incentive-led initiatives to increase engagement, advocacy, and commercial results.
• Joint Activations & Experiences - Develop collaborative offers, packages, and exclusive experiences, including accommodation-led and travel-related initiatives, to enhance the customer journey and drive incremental revenue.
• Event & Campaign Promotion - Activate partner support in line with business requirements across key seasonal campaigns, private events, and trading moments, increasing participation, reach, and brand awareness through partner channels.
• Familiarisation Visits & Partner Events - Plan and deliver familiarisation visits, events, and partner engagement initiatives for hotels and other partners, working closely with internal teams on deliverables, itineraries, and execution.
• Marketing, PR & Content Initiatives - Identify and execute marketing, PR, and digital opportunities through partner channels, including CRM, social media, and content collaborations. Lead on bespoke, partner-relevant content creation with the Content team, ensuring tailored approaches that maximise conversion.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration - Collaborate with internal teams including Marketing, Membership, PR, Commercial, Content, Retail, Hospitality, Private Clients, and Personal Shopping to ensure partner activity is aligned with wider business objectives.
• Performance Monitoring & Reporting - Use reporting tools such as Salesforce, Power BI, and other systems to track partner performance on a weekly basis, measure ROI, and deliver regular reporting highlighting successes, opportunities, risks, and areas for improvement.
• Strategic & Global Partnerships - Support the management of key international partner relationships alongside senior stakeholders and central teams to drive strategic alignment and long-term value.
• Extended Reach & Digital Partnerships - Expand Bicester Village’s reach by leveraging partners with strong, qualified international audiences, databases, and digital capabilities, ensuring effective conversion through bounce-back mechanisms and tracking tools.
• Partner Engagement & Industry Presence - Maintain a strong presence across hotels and the wider partner ecosystem through regular meetings, visits, and attendance at relevant industry events, effectively communicating Bicester Village’s value proposition.

About You

We are looking for an individual who can display the following experience and skills:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in the partnership, travel, hospitality, or luxury sectors, ideally with a background in partnerships, sales, or digital marketing.
• Experience working with luxury hotels, airlines, tourism boards, travel trade and familiarity with key markets (Middle East, India, US) is an advantage.