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Form of workThe Vice President, Travel Services is a multifaceted, executive-level role combining strategic vision, technology expertise, financial acumen, and market advocacy to drive AAA's success in the travel industry. Responsibilities include leadership, strategic direction, and representation for AAA/CAA clubs, offices, and travel agents. This position creates alliances with travel suppliers, develops branded strategies and fosters collaboration across business lines. The Vice President oversees contract negotiations, monitors budgets, and ensures market differentiation and member satisfaction.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and Representation:
- Provide leadership, strategic direction, representation, and necessary tools to facilitate the coalescence of AAA/CAA clubs, offices, and travel agents to execute the Association's travel strategy and achieve targeted travel sales.
- Creates and manages strategic alliances, maximizing relationships with exclusive and preferred travel suppliers to increase member benefits, enhance brand equity, and add collateral income for clubs.
- Provides leadership to facilitate the design, development, and implementation of AAA branded travel strategy and products for the Association.
- Provides direction and support to business line leaders and their teams. Establishes AAA Inc. Travel team's performance standards, goals, and deliverables.
- Develop team members, establishing accountabilities and providing recognition for contributions. Encourages collaboration across business lines to enhance associate engagement, ensure quality products, and provide efficiency.
- Identifies/advocates best practices and facilitates information-sharing regarding club-developed products and services to other clubs.
- Facilitates the strategic planning process by identifying opportunities and threats and works closely with clubs to address issues and warrant collective action.
Technology Planning and Implementation:
- Guides the development of technology plans and solutions that support clubs, partners, members, and suppliers to deliver differentiated products and services.
- Facilitates the development of an overall travel technology strategy, including the implementation of shared technology and content on AAA.com/mobile as well as shared travel agent desktop applications.
- Facilitates the creation/acquisition, deployment, and utilization of travel technology among AAA clubs, offices, counselors, and online/mobile.
Product Development and Differentiation:
- Facilitates the conceptualization and implementation of branded product strategy, including business development, market research, and strategic planning for distinct tour and cruise product offerings in-store as well as online/mobile.
- Oversees the identification of potential new travel products that differentiate AAA from competitors and facilitates the process whereby clubs agree on desired products.
- Establishes shared goals with other AAA Inc. departments for car rental, rewards credit card, trip cancellation insurance, and other products/initiatives as appropriate.
Financial Oversight and Contract Negotiations
- Oversees contract negotiations and leads negotiation teams of club representatives. Sets negotiation agenda priorities, defines roles and responsibilities and facilitates communication and collaboration among the negotiation team members. Represents the team in external negotiations, ensuring interests and positions are clearly articulated and defended.
- Oversees preparation/monitoring of Travel Services' annual goals, budgets, business plans, and cost controls for projects and programs. Seeks to improve business results.
- Works closely with all governance groups and facilitates the selection process for new travel-preferred suppliers by leveraging market intelligence, member satisfaction data, new product development results, club feedback, and existing partner performance.
Market Position and Advocacy:
- Monitors AAA's travel agency market position to identify current consumer trends as well as competitive initiatives in the marketplace.
- Works closely with AAA Inc. and club market research areas to collect and analyze market data relative to AAA's position and member satisfaction.
- Leverages AAA Travel content to strengthen AAA Travel's position in the consumer consideration set.
- Serves as the spokesperson for travel initiatives throughout the Association as well as with the media and International Affiliates (Global Mobility Alliance).
- Facilitates improvement of market share, member satisfaction, and improved profitability of club travel operations.
- Maintains high-level partner/industry contacts to benefit the business and represent AAA nationally. Work with Public Affairs to act as the Association's travel spokesperson.
Requirements:
- Strong financial and business background combined with a marketing flair, political acumen and diplomacy, entrepreneurial spirit, and collaborative approach to accomplishing goals in key result areas. Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to drive business results.
- Strong leadership collaboration and facilitation skills with the ability to leverage consensus.
- Knowledge of systems management processes, networking, project management, and technology strategy development (including online and mobile).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from club and travel executives, suppliers, members, associates, and the media are essential.
- Creative and strategic thinker capable of providing and selling short and long-range plans to all levels of club leadership.
- Ability to negotiate with third parties to improve business results, effectively manage and develop future leaders, and build consensus.
- Familiarity with retail networks and affinity marketing a plus.
- Proven leader with a successful record of accomplishment.
- Working knowledge of a federation governance model is a plus.
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor's or master's degree in business management, hospitality, or related field required.
- Ten (10) or more years of senior leadership experience, with a minimum of five (5) years in the retail, wholesale, or travel technology aspects of the travel industry.
AAA supports a flexible work environment for our associates. We are committed to collaboration, innovation, and work-life balance, and we offer a hybrid work model of three days in the office and two days at home (or whenever you work best) each week.
AAA, Inc. is not accepting unsolicited assistance from any search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at AAA, Inc. via email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this particular position from the AAA, Inc. Talent Acquisition department will be deemed the sole property of AAA, Inc. No fee will be paid in the event AAA, Inc. hires a candidate as a result of the referral or through other means.
