Sr. Manager, Product Development

IN-PERSON - HOUSTON, TX.

Houston First recognizes and appreciates the importance of cultivating an environment that nurtures talent; that is equitable and values different perspectives and backgrounds; and, above all, is respectful to everyone. Our Mission is to create value and enhance economic prosperity by promoting the Houston region.

The ideal candidate brings a deep, insider-level understanding of Houston’s tourism landscape and knows how to leverage it to inspire travelers and industry partners alike. The Sr. Manager, Product Development (U.S., Canada & India) is responsible for researching, developing, coordinating, and promoting Frequent Individual Traveler (FIT) and group leisure tourism packages and experiences. This role builds strong relationships with tour operators, receptive operators, hotel companies, and consumers to position Houston as a premier leisure destination.

• This position plays a key role in collaborating with Houston hotels, attractions, and transportation partners to produce competitive quotes and proposals for sales opportunities. Additionally, the Sr. Manager leads the Houston Insider Program, providing comprehensive training to Houston’s hospitality community to strengthen destination knowledge and visitor experience.
• A core function of this role includes executing the sales strategy for the U.S. and Canadian markets by actively sourcing new leads through research, outreach, and engaging sales presentations that highlight Houston’s tourism offerings.

THIS POSITION REPORTS TO: Vice President, Leisure Market Initiatives 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• ☒ Supervises:  Manager and Coordinator
• ☒ Maintain staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, and supervising team members.
• ☒ Plan, assign and appraise performance; rewarding and disciplining team members, addressing complaints, and resolving problems.
   

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Leads the Houston Insider program, facilitating in-person and virtual training, curating educational content, and connecting with hospitality professionals to enhance destination knowledge.
• Monitor Houston Insider KPIs, tracking engagement and certification rates while continuously improving content, delivery, and impact
• Serves as the primary sales lead for the U.S., Canada, and India markets, managing all sales, marketing, and outreach efforts to position Houston as a top leisure destination
• Develops leads, manages prospective accounts, and maintains direct relationships with top producers to drive room night production and promote new product opportunities
• Provides ongoing market updates and destination insights to key travel trade partners to support continued engagement and development
• Tracks and reports room nights generated through the creation and distribution of leisure products
• Maintains updated records of sales activity and contacts in Simpleview CRM, and provides regular reporting to the Vice President, Leisure Market Initiatives
• Promotes Houston through presentations, webinars, and travel industry outreach
• Travels domestically and internationally for trade shows, sales missions, and client meetings
• Collaborates with Houston attractions, events, restaurants, and tourism organizations to negotiate and operate tourism packages for potential visitors
• Identifies opportunities for leisure product development, including new experiences and tours, in coordination with the Vice President, Leisure Market Initiatives, and tourism industry partners
• Develops itineraries and product recommendations for familiarization tours targeting travel industry professionals (e.g., airlines, travel agents, tour operators, receptive operators, wholesalers, and meeting planners) to generate bookings
• Creates and packages experiential leisure products and develops content to support international and domestic sales and marketing initiatives
• Attends 5-10 familiarization trips annually to engage with clients
• Develops content for presentations and marketing materials to promote and sell Houston tourism experiences.
• Manages a team of tourism professionals to achieve departmental goals set by the VP of Leisure Market Initiatives.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with local and international tourism partners, including airlines, travel industry stakeholders, neighboring DMOs, Travel Texas, U.S. Travel, and other relevant organizations
• Stays informed on tourism industry trends, including third-party sales and marketing strategies, consumer purchasing behaviors, destination marketing best practices, and international economic factors impacting the industry.
• Actively participates in weekly department meetings.
• Performs other duties and special projects as required.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Sales, Marketing or Business Administration is required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Tourism, Hospitality, Marketing or Public Relations industry experience is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
 

• Excellent oral, written and public speaking skills required.
• Strong presentation and communication skills with the ability to represent Houston to a variety of audiences.
• In-depth knowledge of Houston, Harris County as well as surrounding counties and cities (i.e., attractions, hotels, restaurants, traffic routes) is required.
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software; Simpleview preferred.
• Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point) required.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple, concurrent projects and work effectively under pressure and within budget.
• Ability to create and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external contacts is essential. 
• Knowledge of Houston, Harris County as well as surrounding counties and cities (i.e., attractions, hotels, restaurants, traffic routes) necessary.
• Must have a current passport, valid driver’s license, and clear driving record

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• No major sources of discomfort; essentially normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature and air conditions.
• Travel may be required as necessary to fulfill job responsibilities