Are you ready to lead sales across three exceptional hotels in Northern Ireland, representing Slieve Donard, Portrush Adelphi and Portrush Atlantic? From the scenic beauty of County Down to the stunning North Coast, this is a unique opportunity to shape the success of iconic properties and passionate hospitality teams.

This exciting and challenging role is central to the continued growth and performance of our hotels. As Director of Sales - Northern Ireland, you will drive strategic sales initiatives, cultivate key relationships, and lead with ambition and creativity.

If you're seeking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a pivotal role in a forward-thinking and people-focused hospitality group, we want to hear from you.

Position Statement:

As Director of Sales - Northern Irelandyou would be responsible for:

• Leading and managing the Sales and Events department to its fullest potential ensuring both current and future needs of the business are met. Work with the General Manager's, Revenue and RDOS to continuously align and devise sales strategies and activities to retain and grow the business and maximize revenue in all sales segments.
• To own all accounts in their area of remit & to actively maintain relationships with those key local customers. To set and monitor effective targets for sales & events team members and manage team performance on a quarterly basis and provide adequate coaching and training.
• To target new business opportunities for each of the hotels.
• To manage key internal and external stakeholders.
• To create and implement effective planning in line with commercial strategy.
• To manage negotiations and contracting through Delphi, Lanyon, Cvent and RFP processes.
• To play an active part in supporting the team to convert key opportunities as and when required. To play an active part in networking with the Sales Team & Global Accounts Managers to increase awareness for the Northern Ireland hotels needs and objectives and drive inbound business.
• Monitor team’s performance and coach the team to achieve our monthly targets.
• Reviews demand calendar and pricing and establish actions to fill the gaps in need periods.
• Monitor budget and drive upsell products and services.
• Negotiate food and beverage prices, function space, and hotel services within approved departmental booking guidelines.
• Create and implement sales plans that drive measurable incremental occupancy, increase average rates, increase volume, food and beverage and banquet sales.

Position Summary:

Planning & Organising Activities 25%

• Develop local account management network to secure new business.
• Support each hotel with developing account management plans to drive share and production.
• Ensure measurement systems are in place to track the production of all targeted accounts and new opportunities.
• On an annual basis identify the key retention and acquisition of accounts for each sales person.
• Ensure all sales & events people have effective short term and long term sales plans in place and teams are contributing with other commercial functions to commercial focus process as appropriate.
• Ensure each hotel has a robust SWOT in place.
• Ensure all team members know who to refer sales leads and a process is in place to target the leads and monitor results.
• Validate the Sales & Events portion of key hotels’ revenue proposal.
• Participate to sales initiatives such as client workshops, roadshows, trade missions, tradeshows as and when required.
• Regularly attend appointments with sales team members in order to provide guidance and coaching as appropriate.
• Researches market intelligence and in conjunction with the revenue team, evaluates and makes decisions based upon market trends and changes to remain competitive.
• Ensures consideration is given to the local demand calendar when agreeing new accounts and business.
• Monitor team’s performance in assisting clients with menu planning, food and beverage coordination, table arrangements, decoration options, etc.
• Ensure the team arrange all details of meetings and events to include room set-ups, staging, lighting, audiovisual, traffic flow, menus, décor, entertainment, group room blocks, and VIP services.

Directing Activities 25%

• Develop powerful personal relationships with internal and external stakeholders as appropriate.
• Hold powerful personal relationships with all key clients in source markets that are important for the area of remit.
• Participate in key hotels’ meetings where appropriate.
• Ensure that the hotels are always represented to the highest standard.
• Evaluate sales resources to ensure they are correctly mobilized to drive strategy and market share.
• Ensure that the sales incentive plan is embedded and relevant.
• Ensure the rate negotiations and contracts are driven as per the annual strategy.
• Ensure that all telesales and group generation activities are driven as per the strategy.
• Ensures all bookings and account management activity is recorded in Delphi

People Activities 25%

• Ensure that effective processes are in place for the recruitment, induction, training and development of all sales & events people.
• Create succession plans for all sales & events positions.
• Coach and mentor as appropriate, regularly participating in joint sales calls, weekly activity reviews, and monthly and quarterly account production reviews.
• To be responsible for development and progression planning for team members.
• Ensure that the sales team is fully trained and equipped to sell.
• Ensure that all hotel sales people have clear and appropriate objectives/targets including expectations around customer facing activities and conduct.
• Ensure that performance is reviewed on a regular basis, recognising and celebrating success, and refocusing effort where targets are missed.
• Address performance issues in a supportive, timely and decisive manner.
• Ensure that appropriate skills and product training is available to all sales & events team members.

Controlling Activities 25%

• Actively seek out new ways to source new business.
• Monitor annual sales incentive programs and sign off as directed.
• Analyse accountproduction.
• Input on rate strategy.
• Validate sales schedules to ensure relevant activities are being performed in line with sales strategy.
• Ensure all marketshare tools are active and utilised.
• Ensure all sales people understand the reporting that is available to them and how to access it.
• Ensure all key pieces of communication has been received and understood by key stakeholders and sales team as appropriate.
• Ensure that all sales and events systems are regularly updated.
• Ensure that all bookings are entered in Delphi and Opera.
• Ensure that Demand Calendar is in place and that pricing and strategy are reviewed weekly.
• Support the events team to convert key opportunities as and when required.

What we are looking for:

• Hotel sales management experience
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work across all key stakeholders effectively
• Knowledge of all market segments and total sales revenues
• Experience of delivering strategies and working with targets
• Strong customer relationship management skills and ability to negotiate
• Knowledge of revenue management and account profitability, RFP and systems
• Strong organisational skills, effective decision making skills and problem solving skills
• Financial management skills and commercial knowledge delivering budgeted figures
• Ability to support, develop and implement successful sales strategies.

Benefits

• Hybrid working (minimum 3 days on property)
• Free Car Parking
• Pension from day 1
• Shopping discounts throgh our benefits platform
• Salary sacrifice benefits
• Meals on duty whilst at the hotel
• Death in service

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to recruitment practices that do not discriminate against any job applicant because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity. We value diverse cultures, ideas, and people as part of our core DNA.

Right to Work

In line with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, we do require all applicants to have the eligibility to live and work in the United Kingdom. Documentation will be required at interview stage.