BASIC PURPOSE:

This role serves as the critical link between shipboard Destination Services teams and our shoreside regional product teams for The Luxury Group, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The role is accountable for onboard commercial performance, operational execution, and shipboard team leadership, while ensuring that real-time shipboard insights, guest feedback, and operator performance observations are systematically fed back into shoreside product strategy and decision-making. This allows us to refine products, elevate quality, and improve alignment between what is sold, what is delivered, and what guests experience.

This position ensures that onboard sales are maximized, guest experiences are delivered flawlessly, and product standards are consistently upheld across every voyage. A key objective of this role is to measurably increase guest satisfaction scores related to destination experiences as well as our onboard Destination Services teams, ensuring experiences delivered ashore consistently meet the same luxury standard as the onboard product.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Shipboard–Shoreside Integration & Strategic Insight

• Act as the primary conduit between The Luxury Group’s shipboard Destination Services teams and shoreside regional product teams and leadership, ensuring consistent alignment, transparency, and executional clarity
• Translate onboard guest feedback, operational learnings, and sales performance into structured, actionable insights for shoreside product teams and leadership
• Provide regular, data-backed feedback on tour quality, operator performance, and guest sentiment to support product refinement and strategic decision-making
• Support shoreside product leaders during new product development, testing, and rollout. This can extend beyond The Luxury Group to product for all NCLH brands
• Conduct product knowledge training for global shoreside teams, including visiting regional offices (Southampton/Germany etc.) at least once a year

Onboard Revenue & Commercial Performance

• Drive onboard destination revenue performance and guest satisfaction scores across The Luxury Group
• Partner closely with shipboard leadership to optimize sales approaches, onboard storytelling, and guest engagement
• Design, implement, and continuously refine commission and incentive structures that motivate shipboard teams while aligning with brand and financial objectives and meeting key KPIs
• Identify new onboard sales techniques and revenue opportunities informed by guest behavior and voyage-level performance

Shipboard Team Leadership & Fleet Oversight

• Lead, mentor, and oversee onboard Destination Services teams and Fleet Managers for The Luxury Group, assigning priorities and driving consistent execution across the fleet
• Foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and guest-centricity onboard
• Ensure comprehensive training frameworks are in place, including product knowledge, delivery skills, luxury service standards, and brand alignment
• Support talent development, succession planning, and engagement across shipboard teams

Operational Execution & Guest Experience Excellence

• Ensure flawless end-to-end operational execution of all shore excursions and destination experiences on each voyage
• Serve as the primary liaison with shipboard operations to ensure smooth delivery from booking through return to ship
• Proactively identify and resolve operational risks, service failures, and guest recovery needs, maintaining luxury service standards and ensuring guest satisfaction remains high
• Ensure shoreside product intent is accurately represented and executed onboard
• Drive improvements in guest satisfaction metrics related to destination experiences and onboard Destination Services teams. Partner with shipboard leadership to ensure consistent luxury service behaviors before, during, and after ashore experiences

Product Quality Assurance & Operator Feedback

• Conduct ship, port, and operator visits to evaluate product delivery against contracted standards and brand expectations- this can extend beyond The Luxury Group to all NCLH brands as needed
• Perform spot checks and audits to validate that experiences delivered ashore meet quality expectations
• Provide direct feedback and coaching to ground operators in partnership with regional shoreside product teams
• Escalate quality risks, misalignment, or recurring issues with clear recommendations and supporting evidence

Strategic Partnership & Business Planning

• Serve as a key advisor to the VP Shore Excursions, EMEA & APAC
• Support the development of business cases for capital expenditures and significant operational or commercial changes
• Ensure alignment between onboard execution, shoreside strategy, and overall organizational objectives
• Conduct market and competitive research focused on touring trends, guest expectations, and luxury experience standards

• Perform other job-related tasks as needed.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

Required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in fields such as Destination Manager, Hospitality Management, or a closely related discipline.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years of shipboard leadership experience is essential, with a specific focus on revenue operations and training.

This experience should be within the hospitality, cruise, or travel industry.

Shipboard Leadership: Demonstrated leadership experience in a shipboard environment.

Training Development and Delivery: Proficient in creating and conducting training modules for frontline staff.

Language Proficiency: Fluency in multiple languages (English + 2) is highly desirable for training shipboard staff.

Business Plan Design and Implementation: Skilled in crafting and executing business plans and growth strategies within complex organizations.

Proven Leadership Abilities: A strong track record of managing high-performance teams and achieving tangible results.

Strategic and Business Acumen: Exceptional strategic thinking skills, with a focus on developing and implementing innovative guest commerce strategies.

Analytical Expertise: Analytical mindset, adept in data analysis and making decisions based on key performance indicators (KPIs).

Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Outstanding ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and build strong partnerships with vendors and stakeholders.

Financial Analysis Skills: High-level proficiency in analyzing financial statements.

Project Management: Capability to manage multiple projects concurrently.

Organizational Skills: Strong organizational abilities, particularly in coordinating action plans and executing strategies.