COMPENSATION
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity: Rainbow Registered workplace, Canadian Workplace Culture Certified, Indigenous Awareness training
• Comprehensive extended health and dental benefits, plus annual health spending account
• Retirement Savings Plan, with employer matching program
• Employee and Family Assistance Plan
• Paid leave including three weeks’ vacation entitlement (in non-peak tourism season) and paid year-end break
• Parking allowance
• Professional development opportunities
• 35-hour work week with one-hour lunch breaks

POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the Director of Sales; The Travel Trade specialist is responsible for developing a robust sales pipeline to both maintain current as well as generate new travel trade businesses (cruise ship, bus, airport, education, international markets, FIT) opportunities for the destination. In consultation with the Director of Sales, the Travel Trade Specialist creates the long-term business plans (5 + years) for sector development and executes annual sales plans that align with the annual Tourism Kingston business plan as well as the tourism master plan. A strong sales background and proactive, collaborative, and engaging approach to tourism development is required. Work requires a specialized professional competence with a broad understanding of program and industry inter-relationships. The incumbent has a demonstrated
track record of relationship building, revenue generation and a demonstrated ability to close sales within this sector.The Travel Trade Specialist is required to attend consumer shows and coordinate partners to attend alongside Tourism Kingston, arrange and execute local familiarization tours with key partners in Kingston as well as have constant sales activity in our key feeder markets of Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal. Working with partners on hotel packaging is also a key component of this position.

WORKING CONDITIONS
The position requires varied hours of work to carry out the duties assigned. Sales events are often scheduled outside of Tourism Kingston’s regular business hours. The incumbent is expected to be available to work early mornings, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and some statutory holidays as required. Out of town travel represents 40% of the time required for the role.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Consult community partners, such as accommodations, attractions, and transportation representatives to provide clients a desirable destination.
• Provide support to the travel trade committee that meets quarterly.
• Provide both vision and leadership in developing sales strategies with community stakeholders.
• Actively prospect for qualified leads and pay to play partnerships.
• Lead sales strategies for tradeshows, sales missions, client events and networking meetings.
• Oversee and track progress, maintaining records to evaluate the success of sales initiatives, projects and events: communicating progress regularly to the Director of Sales.
• Demonstrates creativity and intuition in developing and closing new business.
• Represent Tourism Kingston, the community and its’ partners in a positive, professional and enthusiastic manner.
• Demonstrates extensive knowledge of the local Travel Trade landscape as well as trends across the sectors domestically and internationally.
• Sets and achieve sales and revenue targets.
• Deliver exceptional customer service at every stage of the process.
• Respond to all requests to information (RFI) in a timely manner: follow-up on all RFIs to ensure satisfaction.
• Proactively sends out a continual pipeline of RFP’s to partners for business gained.
• Other duties or projects as assigned.

EDUCATION
A Degree/ Diploma in Business Administration, Marketing, Communication and/or Tourism Management.

EXPERIENCE
A minimum of 5+ years of experience in tourism-related sales and/or retail management with client-focused service delivery.

REQUIRED SKILLS
• Bilingual; Must be able to read, write, and speak fluently in both English and French – Level C. Outlined by the Public Service sector second language evaluation.
• Solution-oriented, resourceful and imaginative thinking required.
• Demonstrated organization and project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including presentation and public speaking ability both in person and in virtual platforms.
• Well-defined sense of diplomacy, including solid negotiation, conflict resolution, and people-management skills.
• Professional, responsive, and a positive work attitude is essential.