KAYAK

Senior Director, Flights Commercial Partnerships

KAYAK

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Cambridge • Massachusetts • United States

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Salary

💰 $180,000 - $200,000 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Develop and execute KAYAK’s NORAM flight commercial strategy across airlines, OTAs, consolidators, and emerging distribution models
  • Drive revenue and marketplace competitiveness through optimized commercial models, leading complex negotiations from strategy and goal alignment to execution
  • Identify growth opportunities across both OTAs and direct airline partnerships, including NDC, EDIFACT/GDS channels, direct APIs and hybrid distribution models
  • Analyze performance at route, carrier, and point-of-sale levels to inform negotiation strategy and commercial prioritization
  • Solve marketplace challenges with creative, data-driven commercial strategies that go beyond standard industry playbooks and create mutual value for KAYAK and its partners
  • Work with internal teams and external partners to improve connectivity, content parity and accuracy, fare mapping and competitiveness and merchandising performance
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with executives and key decision-makers at our most important current and prospective partner companies
  • Collaborate with product and marketing teams to improve user experience and conversion, while driving results for our partners including yield, attachment, up-sells and more
  • Lead and develop a high-performing flight and ancillary commercial team
  • Provide strategic guidance and insights to the executive team on market trends, competitive intelligence, and new opportunities for growth
  • Represent KAYAK as a senior commercial leader in industry forums and strategic partner engagements

Requirements

  • 10+ years of experience in airline distribution, OTA commercial leadership, travel technology, or flight marketplace strategy
  • Solid understanding of the air industry and economics across the value chain
  • Proven track record negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements
  • Strong analytical capability with experience in financial modeling, revenue forecasting, and performance optimization
  • Technical fluency in airfare distribution systems and branded fare merchandising
  • Strong executive presence with the ability to influence C-level stakeholders
  • Strategic thinking skills to balance long-term partnership value with near-term performance impact
  • Experience leading high-performing teams
Benefits
  • Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year
  • Focus on mental health and well-being:
  • Company-paid therapy sessions through SpringHealth
  • Company-paid subscription to HeadSpace
  • Company-wide week off a year - the whole team fully recharges (and returns without a pile-up of work!)
  • No meeting Fridays
  • Paid parental leave
  • Generous paid vacation + time off for your birthday
  • Paid volunteer time
  • Focus on your career growth:
  • Development Dollars
  • Leadership development
  • Access to thousands of on-demand e-learnings
  • Travel Discounts
  • Employee Resource Groups
  • Competitive retirement and health plans
  • Free lunch 2 days per week
  • Fun quarterly events such as boat trips, arcades, ski trips, Thursday happy hours, and more
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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

Hard Skills & Tools
financial modelingrevenue forecastingperformance optimizationairfare distribution systemsbranded fare merchandisingnegotiating complex agreementscommercial strategydata-driven strategiesmarket analysiscommercial prioritization
Soft Skills
analytical capabilitystrategic thinkingexecutive presenceinfluencing stakeholdersrelationship buildingteam leadershipcollaborationproblem-solvingcommunicationnegotiation