Director of Partnerships & U.S. Expansion - Cultural Travel #0209

Our client is a prestigious cultural travel company with nearly four decades of experience delivering exceptional, intellectually enriching small-group journeys. After a recent private equity investment, they are pursuing ambitious growth in the U.S. market and are looking for their inaugural U.S.-based commercial leader to drive customer acquisition and establish their footprint across North America.

This represents a unique opportunity to build an entirely new market with significant autonomy and ownership as the organization's sole commercial presence on the ground. You will play a pivotal role in forging strategic alliances with prominent universities, cultural institutions, museums, and alumni networks while delivering measurable growth in U.S. customer bookings.

The organization curates tours centered on art, history, architecture, gastronomy, and music, featuring expert-led programming for a sophisticated, intellectually curious clientele who seek depth and cultural immersion in their travel experiences.

The Position

As Director of Partnerships & U.S. Expansion, you will lead the commercial development of the U.S. market, crafting and implementing the go-to-market approach while establishing enduring institutional relationships. This senior, externally focused position requires someone who excels in independent environments and possesses the credibility to engage decision-makers across cultural, academic, philanthropic, and artistic sectors.

Core Responsibilities:

Strategic Market Development

• Identify priority segments and institutions, defining the company's market positioning across North America
• Build comprehensive business plans encompassing revenue objectives, partnership frameworks, and regional expansion
• Design and implement the U.S. go-to-market strategy in alignment with global commercial priorities

Institutional Relationship Building & Partnership Execution

• Represent the organization at industry conferences, cultural gatherings, and strategic networking opportunities
• Develop relationships with premier academic, cultural, and arts organizations
• Establish strategic collaborations for bespoke programming, co-branded experiences, donor travel initiatives, and private group offerings

High-Level Client & Stakeholder Representation

• Collaborate with the UK-based team to customize programming and proposals for U.S. institutional partners
• Serve as the senior face of the organization to high-net-worth individuals, cultural leaders, patrons, alumni communities, and board members
• Build a regional client portfolio through strategic outreach, referrals, and relationship cultivation

Independent Entrepreneurial Leadership

• Analyze competitive landscape and market dynamics to drive product and partnership innovation
• Function autonomously in a remote setting, establishing priorities and delivering measurable results
• Apply creativity and initiative to explore new distribution channels, collaborative models, and product offerings

Requirements

• Proven ability to operate with autonomy and entrepreneurial drive, with demonstrated success building markets independently
• Exceptional academic credentials with demonstrated intellectual capacity and strong record of achievement
• Strong professional network and existing relationships within museums, universities, cultural organizations, alumni groups, or donor communities
• Significant business development or partnership leadership background in culture, education, arts, or related premium service industries
• Genuine intellectual curiosity and authentic passion for culture, art, history, and architecture
• Strategic thinking capability to design go-to-market frameworks paired with practical execution skills to implement them
• Track record of commercial accountability with proven success in driving bookings and customer acquisition
• Cultural fluency and experience engaging sophisticated, highly educated clientele
• Outstanding communication abilities including writing, presenting, and stakeholder influence

Preferred Background

• History working with premium educational or cultural travel organizations
• Experience designing partnership structures with universities and cultural institutions
• Background engaging discerning audiences within cultural sectors
• Demonstrated success working with affluent, intellectually sophisticated client segments

Benefits

Base Compensation: $130,000 - $170,000 (commensurate with experience)

Additional Package Elements:

• Comprehensive benefits including healthcare and 401K
• Opportunity for performance-based incentive compensation
• Significant autonomy and ownership as the company's sole U.S. commercial representative
• Direct influence on a strategic growth initiative backed by private equity investment
• Well-defined progression to expanded leadership responsibility as the U.S. operation scales (team building and organizational growth expected within 12-24 months)

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