Hopper

Senior Business Development Manager, Airline Partnerships – Europe/Ireland

Hopper

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Location Type: Remote

Location: Ireland

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Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Own and manage a portfolio of European airline partnerships with a P&L mindset, serving as the primary point of contact for commercial, distribution, and operational topics
  • Build strong, senior-level relationships across airline sales, distribution, and revenue management teams
  • Develop and execute strategies to grow top-line revenue (TTV) and improve unit economics, analyzing performance across channels (NDC vs. GDS), fare mix, and ancillary attachment rates
  • Lead negotiations for new agreements, renewals, and extensions -- driving improved commercial terms including base commissions, sector rebates, and marketing development funds (MDF)
  • Identify and act on opportunities to optimize underperforming partnerships
  • Develop deep expertise in airline distribution (NDC, EDIFACT, aggregators) and European airline competitive dynamics, translating industry trends into actionable strategies
  • Partner cross-functionally with Product, Growth/Marketing, and Finance to align on feature development, campaigns, forecasting, and deal modeling
  • Track KPIs including revenue, margin, incentive attainment, and product mix, and lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with airline partners.

Requirements

  • 6+ years of experience in airline distribution, OTA, TMC, GDS, or airline partnerships in European markets; MENA experience is a plus
  • A proven track record managing strategic accounts, negotiating commercial agreements, and driving measurable revenue growth
  • Strong understanding of airline distribution (NDC vs. GDS), fare structures, ancillaries, and airline economics
  • A commercial mindset -- you think in revenue and margin, not just volume, and have experience working with incentives, rebates, and performance-based deals
  • Excellent presentation and storytelling skills; ability to communicate effectively with both airline executives and internal stakeholders
  • Highly organized, self-driven, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
  • Bilingual or advanced proficiency in German, Spanish, or French is a plus
Benefits
  • Well-funded and proven startup with large ambitions, competitive salary and the upsides of pre-IPO equity packages.
  • Carrot Cash travel stipend
  • Flexdesk All Access Pass & Work-from-home stipend
  • Entrepreneurial culture where pushing limits and taking risks is everyday business
  • Open communication with management and company leadership
  • Small, dynamic teams = massive impact
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
airline distributionNDCGDSfare structuresancillariesrevenue managementP&L managementnegotiationKPI trackingstrategic account management
Soft Skills
presentation skillsstorytellingcommunicationorganizational skillsself-drivenrelationship buildingcommercial mindsetanalytical skillscross-functional collaborationadaptability