Director, Strategic BD - Travel & TMCs

Your Mission

We value our individuality, and we also understand that together, we thrive. Most importantly, we know we're not for everyone! Complacency doesn't live here. We're focused on finding the right people who are energized by our culture and bring diverse experiences and backgrounds that will help us unlock our full potential.

Engine is redefining how businesses experience travel — and the strategic partnerships that power our growth are central to that mission. As Director, Strategic BD – Travel & TMC, you will own our most consequential Travel & TMC partnerships from first conversation through long-term scale. This is a full-cycle role: you source it, negotiate it, close it, and grow it. You will build deep executive relationships across the Travel & TMC landscape, structure complex high-value deals, and ultimately build and lead a team beneath you as this vertical scales. If you thrive at the intersection of strategic thinking and relentless execution — and you want to build something that matters at a category-defining company — this is your role.

Here's What You'll Do

• Full-Cycle Partnership Ownership: Own the end-to-end lifecycle for Travel & TMC partnerships — from initial outreach and qualification through negotiation, close, onboarding, and long-term growth. You bring it in, you scale it.
• Pipeline Development: Identify, qualify, and build a high-value pipeline of Travel & TMC partnerships, each with the potential to reach $50M+ in annual volume. Manage a named account list, tier opportunities strategically, and self-source with creativity and urgency.
• Executive-Level Negotiation: Lead complex, multi-stakeholder deal negotiations with C-suite and VP-level decision-makers at Travel & TMC organizations. Craft compelling partnership structures that drive durable mutual value.
• Vertical Expertise & Market Intelligence: Develop and maintain deep knowledge of the Travel & TMC landscape — key players, buying dynamics, competitive forces, regulatory considerations, and partnership models that unlock distribution or revenue at scale.
• Post-Close Relationship Leadership: Serve as Engine's primary executive relationship owner for the largest Travel & TMC partners post-close. You decide which accounts to retain and which to pass onto the partner success organization. Drive retention, expansion, and partner satisfaction across your portfolio.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product, Marketing, Revenue Operations, and Finance to craft tailored proposals, support partner onboarding, and ensure Engine's platform capabilities match Travel & TMC partner needs.
• Industry Representation: Represent Engine at Travel & TMC relevant conferences, industry events, and executive forums. Build Engine's brand and credibility in the market.
• Pipeline Rigor & Forecasting: Maintain a well-organized, accurate pipeline in Salesforce. Forecast clearly, communicate progress to leadership, and leverage AI & sales tools to drive efficiency.
• Team Building: As the Travel & TMC vertical matures and scales, recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing BD team beneath you. You're not just a dealmaker — you're building a business within a business.

What You'll Bring to Engine

• Travel & TMC Expertise: 10+ years of strategic BD, partnerships, or enterprise sales experience with a demonstrated focus in Travel & TMC. Deep network and established credibility within the Travel & TMC ecosystem.
• Partnership Track Record: Proven history of sourcing, structuring, and closing complex B2B partnerships at significant scale — not just transactional deals. You've managed high-value portfolios and know what it takes to win and keep strategic accounts.
• Executive Presence: Strong executive presence with the ability to navigate complex organizations, build trust with senior stakeholders, and lead high-stakes conversations at the C-suite level.
• Builder's Mindset: You create the playbook as you go. You thrive in environments without a defined script, identify the right path forward independently, and turn ambiguity into momentum.
• Leadership Orientation: Experience building, managing, or mentoring BD or sales teams — and a genuine drive to scale a high-performing team as this vertical grows.
• Commercial Acumen: Ability to model and communicate the commercial value of complex deals. Comfortable with deal economics, partnership structures, and cross-functional alignment on contract terms.
• Industry Bonus: Experience in travel, fintech, SaaS, or marketplace platforms is a strong plus. Familiarity with the corporate travel ecosystem is an advantage.