Senior Director, Group Distribution Strategy

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Director, Group Distribution Strategy is responsible for leading and executing the distribution strategy for the groups and meetings channel. This role involves developing and continually refining the strategy, defining and owning key initiatives, and communicating and advocating for the strategy across the organization. The Senior Director also formulates a product vision, sets the strategy and roadmap, and manages the performance of Marriott’s direct channel Shop + Book products and Group Housing Solutions. Additionally, the Senior Director manages primary group channel accounts, providing comprehensive account management services, including relationship management, issue resolution, strategic planning, and contract negotiation.

In this role, the Senior Director establishes and enforces global group channel standards, leads negotiation preparation for group intermediary agreements, and communicates the group distribution strategy to senior-level stakeholders. They actively participate in forums discussing group distribution trends and orchestrate efforts to develop new solutions to drive customer demand. As a subject matter expert on group intermediation dynamics and trends, the Senior Director participates in key initiatives to drive group demand and strengthen relationships with meeting planners and attendees. They also assess new third-party businesses, products, and services, evaluate key channel and technology investment opportunities, and lead project planning and execution to optimize the group distribution strategy.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree; or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years work experience, with at least five years of experience with strategy development, distribution issues in the group & meetings segment, relationship/account management, and emerging solutions and technologies.
• Solid project management, organizational and process skills. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects.

Preferred

• Graduate degree preferred.
• 5+ years of Revenue Management experience.
• Experience with strategy formulation, delivery and results. Consulting or similar experience with development and implementation of transformational strategies, particularly in the hospitality industry.
• Experience in planning and preparing teams for complex partner negotiations is preferred, particularly with group partners in the hospitality space.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

• Owns and executes on the distribution strategy for the groups & meetings channel, including development of the strategy, continual updates and refinement, definition and ownership of initiatives, communication and advocacy of the strategy, and participation as a subject-matter expert on related projects and company efforts.
• Formulates a product vision, sets the strategy & roadmap, and manages the performance of Marriott’s direct channel Shop + Book products (e.g., Marriott.com RFP and QuickGroup) and Group Housing Solutions (e.g., ResLink and Rooming List).
• Manages the primary Group channel accounts including, but not limited to, Groups360 and Cvent. Provides full suite of account management services, including relationship management, issue resolution, strategic planning, and support for contract negotiations.
• Establishes and enforces global group channel standards including guidelines for third-party participation and compensation.
• Leads the negotiation preparation process for group intermediary agreements, including developing frameworks, aligning leaders on objectives, and preparing alternatives and mitigation plans.
• Communicates the group distribution strategy to senior-level internal and external stakeholder groups, including Marriott leadership, owners, and customers. Actively participates in forums to discuss group distribution trends, including owner and customer advisory councils and industry organizations.
• Orchestrates efforts to ideate and develop new solutions in the groups and meetings space to drive customer demand and address group intermediation trends.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on the dynamics and trends in the group intermediation space. Participates in key initiatives across the company related to driving group demand and strengthening relationships with meeting planners and group attendees.
• Participates in the assessment of new third-party businesses, products, and services that support business and strategic objectives. Evaluates and defines key channel and technology investment opportunities.
• Leads project planning and execution relative to initiatives and technical enhancements related to the group distribution strategy to reduce costs, increase sales, and optimize the role of intermediaries.
• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work for self and direct reports.
• Provides direction and assistance to other teams regarding projects. Determines priorities, schedules, plans and necessary resources to ensure completion of any projects on schedule.
• Analyzes information and evaluates results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Plans, develops, implements, and evaluates the quality of the teams’ operations.
• Provides recommendations to improve the effectiveness of processes or programs.