About the RoleWe are seeking a strategic, commercially minded Director, Travel to lead the growth and evolution of our Cruise and Hotel business. This highly visible leadership role is responsible for driving overall business performance, identifying new growth opportunities, strengthening travel supplier partnerships, enhancing the customer experience, and building the operational capabilities needed to support long-term success.This is not a role for someone who simply manages an existing business. We are looking for a leader who is naturally curious, analytical, and proactive, someone who enjoys digging into the details to understand what drives performance and uncovering opportunities to accelerate growth. You will work across Marketing, Sales, Operations, Technology, and supplier partners to shape strategy, improve execution, and influence decisions that impact the future of our travel business.The successful candidate is equally comfortable developing long-term strategies and rolling up their sleeves to solve day-to-day business challenges. They can translate data into actionable insights, build compelling business cases, influence stakeholders across the organization, and drive meaningful results.The ideal candidate thinks like a business owner. Connecting the dots across customer behavior, supplier performance, marketing effectiveness, operational execution, and financial results to identify opportunities and solve problems.What You'll DoProduct & Commercial StrategyDevelop and execute the long-term strategy for Cruise and Hotel product lines, aligned with company growth objectives.Identify, evaluate, and prioritize opportunities to grow bookings, increase member engagement, and enhance product offerings.Drive innovation through new products, exclusive partnerships, differentiated travel experiences, bundled offerings, and loyalty-focused initiatives.Partner closely with Marketing, Sales, Digital, and Technology teams to ensure products are competitively positioned and effectively promoted.Serve as a key thought partner in shaping the future direction of the travel business.Business Growth & Commercial PerformanceAct as the primary business owner for Cruise and Hotel performance, identifying opportunities to increase bookings, improve conversion, strengthen member engagement, and drive sustainable growth.Leverage customer, market, competitive, and operational insights to develop growth strategies, prioritize investments, and guide business decisions.Establish reporting, forecasting, and performance management frameworks that provide visibility into key business metrics and support data-driven decision making.Partner across Marketing, Sales, Digital, and Operations teams to evaluate promotional strategies, customer journeys, product offerings, and growth initiatives.Develop business cases, recommendations, and action plans based on performance trends and strategic opportunities.Establish KPIs and operating rhythms that drive accountability, visibility, and continuous improvement across the business.Travel Supplier & Partner ManagementLead strategic relationships with cruise lines, hotel partners, technology providers, aggregators, and other key suppliers.Negotiate contracts, commercial terms, and partnership agreements that deliver value for both the business and our members.Establish governance processes and performance metrics to maximize partner effectiveness and mutual business success.Leverage supplier relationships to secure exclusive offerings, enhanced benefits, and differentiated travel experiences.Ensure partners consistently meet service expectations and brand standards.Operations & Service Delivery LeadershipLead the operational teams supporting Cruise and Hotel bookings, fulfillment, modifications, cancellations, and customer issue resolution.Design and implement scalable processes that improve efficiency, service quality, and operational effectiveness.Identify opportunities to simplify workflows and improve the overall operating model.Drive process improvements, training initiatives, and technology enhancements that elevate team performance and customer outcomes.Ensure operational readiness and scalability to support future growth.Customer ExperienceOwn and continuously improve the end-to-end customer journey across Cruise and Hotel products.Identify customer pain points and lead cross-functional initiatives to improve the booking, fulfillment, and post-travel experience.Utilize customer feedback, service metrics, and behavioral insights to inform business decisions and product enhancements.Partner with Technology, Marketing, UX, and Operations teams to improve customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.Ensure travel experiences consistently align with and enhance the brand promise.Analytics, Performance Define and monitor key business performance metrics across bookings, revenue, conversion, retention, supplier performance, and operational efficiency.Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, and business reviews that clearly communicate performance, trends, and opportunities.Utilize data and insights to guide prioritization, investment decisions, and strategic planning.Drive a culture of continuous improvement through measurement, insight generation, and action planning.People LeadershipBuild, lead, and develop a high-performing team across travel management, operations, and customer service functions.Establish clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations.Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, customer focus, and continuous improvement.Coach and mentor team members while supporting career development and succession planning.Serve as a trusted leader and strategic partner within the broader Travel organization.What Success Looks LikeWithin this role, you will:Drive measurable growth in Cruise and Hotel bookings, revenue, and member engagement.Establish a clear operating model and performance framework that improves visibility, accountability, and decision making.Build stronger supplier partnerships that create differentiated value for members.Identify and implement strategic initiatives that improve business performance and customer experience.Create scalable operational capabilities that support continued growth.Develop a high-performing team that combines strong execution with strategic thinking.Become a trusted business leader by providing actionable insights and recommendations that shape the future direction of the travel business.QualificationsRequiredBachelor's degree in Business, Hospitality, Marketing, Tourism, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.10+ years of progressive leadership experience within travel, hospitality, cruise, hotel, vacation ownership, OTA, marketplace, or related industries.Experience building reporting frameworks, forecasting models, performance dashboards, operating reviews, and business planning processes.Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, build structure where it does not exist, and independently identify opportunities to improve business performance.Strong commercial acumen with experience driving business growth, product strategy, business performance, or P&L ownership.Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and drive alignment across Marketing, Sales, Operations, Technology, and executive leadership teams.Strong problem-solving skills with a track record of identifying opportunities, developing solutions, and delivering results.Experience leading customer service, fulfillment, operations, or service delivery teams.Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business strategies.Exceptional communication, negotiation, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.Experience building and developing high-performing teams and scalable operational processes.PreferredExpertise within the travel industry, particularly Cruise and/or Hotel products.Experience within vacation ownership, leisure travel, hospitality, membership, or travel marketplace organizations.Strong understanding of travel distribution channels, booking platforms, supplier ecosystems, and customer acquisition strategies.Experience working with analytics and customer insight platforms such as Adobe Analytics, Qualtrics, Business Objects, Power BI, Tableau, or similar tools.#LI-MR1#imvwcorpMarriott Vacations Worldwide is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture.