Sr Business Development Manager, Airline Partnerships- Europe/Ireland

ABOUT THE ROLE As a Sr. Business Development Manager, Airline Partnerships (Europe), you will own and grow a portfolio of strategic airline relationships across Europe, driving both revenue and margin performance within Hopper's ecosystem. You will play a critical role in shaping Hopper's airline distribution strategy across NDC, GDS, and direct partnerships, working closely with leading European carriers such as Lufthansa Group, IAG, Air France-KLM, and Turkish Airlines. This is a high-impact, commercially driven role where you will act as the primary interface between Hopper and airline partners, balancing relationship management, negotiation, and performance optimization. What would your day-to-day look like - Own and manage a portfolio of European airline partnerships with a P&L mindset, serving as the primary point of contact for commercial, distribution, and operational topics - Build strong, senior-level relationships across airline sales, distribution, and revenue management teams - Develop and execute strategies to grow top-line revenue (TTV) and improve unit economics, analyzing performance across channels (NDC vs. GDS), fare mix, and ancillary attachment rates - Lead negotiations for new agreements, renewals, and extensions -- driving improved commercial terms including base commissions, sector rebates, and marketing development funds (MDF) - Identify and act on opportunities to optimize underperforming partnerships - Develop deep expertise in airline distribution (NDC, EDIFACT, aggregators) and European airline competitive dynamics, translating industry trends into actionable strategies - Partner cross-functionally with Product, Growth/Marketing, and Finance to align on feature development, campaigns, forecasting, and deal modeling - Track KPIs including revenue, margin, incentive attainment, and product mix, and lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with airline partners. An ideal candidate has - 6+ years of experience in airline distribution, OTA, TMC, GDS, or airline partnerships in European markets; MENA experience is a plus - A proven track record managing strategic accounts, negotiating commercial agreements, and driving measurable revenue growth - Strong understanding of airline distribution (NDC vs. GDS), fare structures, ancillaries, and airline economics - A commercial mindset -- you think in revenue and margin, not just volume, and have experience working with incentives, rebates, and performance-based deals - Excellent presentation and storytelling skills; ability to communicate effectively with both airline executives and internal stakeholders - Highly organized, self-driven, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment - Bilingual or advanced proficiency in German, Spanish, or French is a plus Perks and benefits of working with us: - Well-funded and proven startup with large ambitions, competitive salary and the upsides of pre-IPO equity packages. - Carrot Cash travel stipend - Flexdesk All Access Pass & Work-from-home stipend - Entrepreneurial culture where pushing limits and taking risks is everyday business - Open communication with management and company leadership - Small, dynamic teams = massive impact Engagement Status: Independent Contractor Note on Contractual Status 🇮🇪: This position is offered as an Independent Contractor engagement (Contract for Services) and does not constitute an offer of direct employment. The successful candidate will operate as a self-employed individual or through a Personal Service Company (PSC). You will be responsible for your own tax, PRSI, and VAT compliance in accordance with Irish Revenue Commissioners regulations. Engagement is contingent upon providing proof of valid business registration and appropriate professional indemnity insurance. More about Hopper At Hopper, we are on a mission to become the leading travel platform globally – powering Hopper’s mobile app, website and our B2B business, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions). By le...