Business Development Manager Midwest

About the Role

At HX our purpose is to awaken people to the beauty and fragility of the planet, with adventure that reignites a sense of wonder. We take curious travelers to incredible destinations, sustainably in true expedition-style with science and education at the heart of every journey. We bring them off the beaten track, to special destinations across the Arctic, Antarctic, Galapagos, British Isles, Alaska, Northern Norway, and Central/South America.

The Business Development Manager is responsible for maintaining and servicing current travel advisors and securing new travel advisors for the company by creating and maintaining good customer relations. This role also involves providing travel advisors with brand story, product promotions, and the marketing and selling of company products.

At HX, we are a passionate team who deliver our global operations from every corner of the world. Our people are instrumental in continuing to inspire this adventure, play their part, and deliver on our promise of guest-centric and memorable experiences, benefiting the communities we visit, enriching our guests, and inspiring a more sustainable world.

Responsibilities

• Generates sales from travel advisors, wholesalers, and group-focused accounts in the assigned territory.
• Develops strong relationships with travel agencies throughout the assigned region.
• Develops new business opportunities, maintains, and enhances relationships with all new and existing travel advisors assigned.
• Achieves established revenue goals within budget.
• Oversees all sales of company products through face-to-face contact, mailings, telemarketing projects, group training seminars, product presentations, and trade shows focused on current and prospective travel agents, consortia, and group contacts and tour organizers.
• Delivers timely customer service to all product inquiries, collateral, and co-op requests.
• Initiates activities to motivate travel advisors to sell HX products.
• Gives, receives, and analyzes information, formulates work plans, and prepares written materials, and articulates goals and action plans.
• Exhibits strong negotiation skills.
• Counsels and sells all appropriate company programs, products, and services to assigned travel advisor territory.
• Communicates with management as required or needed.
• Strives to attain all goals and objectives as outlined by Sales Director.
• Maintains a regular call schedule, with daily customer contact, and manages the territory assigned to enhance sales and profitability of the company.
• Markets new programs and instructs travel advisors on industry or company changes, as well as training on new products.
• Provides management with field knowledge and examples of competitive programs, services, sales techniques, and products to enhance our company offerings.
• Must be able to travel within all of the territory.
• Performs other duties as requested.

Requirements

• 5+ years in sales, account management, or business development (travel industry preferred).
• Fluency in English is required.
• Experience in maritime, expedition, or cruise industry beneficial but not required.
• Demonstrated success managing partner portfolios.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication, and presentation skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience in forecasting, co-op planning, and contract execution.
• High proficiency in Salesforce, MS Office, webinar platforms, and digital communication tools.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Clear and conceptual thinking ability is a plus.
• Excellent judgment and discretion; ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously, meet deadlines, and handle work-related stress is required.
• Friendly, courteous, service-oriented, professional, outgoing, and customer service-oriented.
• Remains calm and professional in stressful situations.
• Detail-oriented and works effectively under pressure while meeting all applicable deadlines.
• Must be able to work independently and productively with minimum supervision.
• Recognizes problems, identifies possible causes, and resolves routine problems.
• Ability to establish and maintain a professional atmosphere for employees, clients, and customers.
• Able to work a flexible schedule to include weekends and evenings to cover trade events and sales presentations.
• Excellent presentation skills and public speaking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to forecast sales.
• Must understand and follow implicit instructions and react favorably in all work situations.
• Must be adaptable and flexible in dealing with a variety of personalities, frequently called upon to handle difficult situations.
• Must be able to handle conflict and represent the company in a professional manner.
• Must be able to travel for partner business meetings, conferences, and expos.
• Must live in the territory (Midwest) and have reliable transportation.
• Tech-forward and adaptable, with a proven ability to quickly learn new systems.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications including Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
• Experience working in a multi-national organization with a global guest mix.

Skills

• Safety and compliance minded for yourself and others.
• High degree of personal integrity and honesty.
• Passionate about inclusion and belonging; takes pride in bringing people and different perspectives together to promote a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Clear and effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage execution and competing demands.
• Ability to adapt to change in a positive, productive manner.
• Approach work with an emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy to minimize mistakes.
• Effective and confident communication skills.
• Effective problem-solving, conflict resolution, networking, continuous improvement, and technical aptitudes.
• Ability to work in an organized and logical manner with the flexibility to adapt to change when necessary.
• Strong sense of initiative and urgency, with the ability to follow-up on outstanding matters efficiently.
• Demonstrates pride and ownership in all aspects of your work, from high-level advisory to essential day-to-day administration.
• Demonstrated polish and professionalism at all times when engaging with leaders and team members with differing points of view.

HX Spirit

• Passionate Explorers: We are proud of our history and are driven to create more.
• ‘Can-do’ Mindset: We jump-in and proactively contribute to the greater good.
• Humble Leadership: We have a short distance between leaders and teams.
• Genuine Interactions: We want all people to be their true selves.
• Supportive & Collaborative Teams: We are curious and generous with our knowledge. We trust.

Benefits

• Salary for this position is $90K to $95K USD annually plus Sales Incentive Plan.
• Competitive compensation package including employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Retirement plan with 4% employer match.
• 11 paid holidays, 3 weeks of vacation, and 9 personal days.
• Familiarization trips and excellent employee discounts.

About the Company

Since 1896, HX has championed sustainability in the expedition cruise sector. From launching the world’s first battery-hybrid expedition cruise ships to banning heavy fuel oil and single-use plastics from our fleet, we are at the forefront of driving sustainable practices in expedition cruises that prioritize greener travel.

For nearly 130 years, we have been committed to continuously improving what we do for our guests and the people we work with. We are a group of explorers who seek out the very best journeys for our guests and ourselves. We take our guests on big life-changing adventures, from the stunning wilderness of the Arctic to the incredible creatures on the Galápagos Islands, all on our purpose-built expedition ships.

Our HX fleet explores hundreds of destinations in over 30 countries across 5 continents. Our ambition is strong and lofty – we want to become the number one sustainable expedition brand in the world. As a newly branded company built on a 130-year heritage, HX is at an exciting new chapter. We are looking for talented explorers who want to join us on this journey.

Our operations span amazing HX hubs both on sea and land, including our new headquarters in London, a state-of-the-art customer service center in Prague, and various offices across Europe, the US, and APAC.

Sustainability Initiatives

• Single-use plastic ban: HX was the first major travel company to remove single-use plastic from its entire fleet and hotels.
• Hybrid Explorer ships: HX Expedition has two hybrid-electric powered expedition cruise ships that offer a 20% reduction in fuel consumption.
• Beach cleanups: HX Expedition Teams encourage guests to take part in beach clean-ups, removing several metric tonnes of trash every year.
• HX Expedition Foundation: A dedicated charity supporting local communities and environmental initiatives in the areas where HX’s expedition ships sail, from the Arctic and Alaska to the UK, Galápagos Islands, and Antarctica.