Assistant Manager - Partnership Development and Marketing

Aspire Lifestyles is an integrated Concierge, personal assistance and B2B loyalty solutions company. We develop & design white label loyalty programs for leading brands as their marketing preposition which enables new customer acquisition, retention and loyalty of their customers.

This position is responsible for engaging with existing clients and driving day to day engagement, relationships, and account management with them

Aspire Lifestyles (www.aspirelifestyles.com) is part of International SOS, a leading travel, medical and security assistance company.

Driving Partnerships & alliances marketing with luxury lifestyle brands for our Existing Clients

• Assist the Head of Partnership Development on his/her duty and support the administration and day to day activities
• Follow the local PDM-built strategy for development of a vendor/partner network in India with a focus on meeting the service expectations of our clients defined concierge services, supporting localization of global product set, supporting innovation of local product solutions, and increasing utilization of the services.
• Assist to develop custom benefit, reward and experiential offerings for client programs utilizing qualified, relevant, and cooperative providers.
• Support Handle provider sourcing, negotiation, formal due diligence process and contracting of competitive, marketable local and Global Privileges with the identified vendors/partners, to be delivered via concierge, which will enhance our clients service offerings.
• Assist PDM and sales to develop client solutions related to partner promotions, marketing to drive utilization, policies and procedures related to Privilege offering and content development
• Manage the on-going relationships with contracted partners. Possess a good understanding of the terms and conditions that will go with the partners’ Privileges and Custom Benefits. Ensure corrective systems and procedures are established to reinforce utilization and to ensure ongoing quality. To validate and renew contracts that have expired/ about to expire and ensure delivery is not affected
• Foster open communication with operations to maintain a clear view of concierge request volumes and types in order to orchestrate consolidation of requests to a preferred provider set that we’ve negotiated preferential access, pricing, commissions and/or Privileges with.
• Work with operations to provide concierge team with experiential learning opportunities with Partner providers and incentive programs, wherever possible and appropriate.
• Help evaluate vendors, partners and offerings regularly to ensure we are meeting clients’ needs, maximizing commissions and ensuring a competitive edge in the industry.
• Work with operations to develop and manage a partner quality control and feedback Work closely with sales/acct managers to identify and utilize data and marketing assets that will allow the company to secure best possible benefit/offer set for clients. Manage creation and production of all program-marketing materials, ensuring partner’s brand is being represented according to their brand guidelines.
• Establish where appropriate, specific partner agreed deliverables, be they events, promotions, discounts & value-adds or preferred access.
• Support the efforts of the concierge team on day to day basis that may involve partners, products and communication related issues. Work co-operatively with the Aspire global PDM network and Concierge teams, including the corporate team managed by the Group General Manager, Concierge Operations and the Group Partnership & Product Director to establish partnerships and vendor agreements that leverage our global presence and deliver on Global Strategy.
• Conceptualize and develop unique, branded events that Concierge clients can promote to their customers to enhance their brand awareness that drive utilization of their products and services. Ensure that the associated project plan timeline is on track and deadlines are met.
• Ensure that wherever possible Privileges are made available cross-client and marketed to stimulate customer utilization and by sales to attract new clients.
• Ensure that all contracted partner Privileges and Benefits are recorded in the xTend database to enable easy searching and identification of these offers by concierges during request fulfillment.
• Work closely with the Concierge Manager and Concierge QA & Trainer in order to provide input and assist with the development and delivery of the necessary training to the Concierge Consultants on how best to use the partners and vendors that have been selected.
• Participate in monthly PD calls, complete and submit monthly PD reports in a timely manner and contribute to the semi-annual PD publication.

Close collaboration would be required with following departments

• Sales/Business Development
• Marketing
• Partnerships
• Service Delivery or Operations
• Training & Quality

Other Duties

• To work within and adhere to all Intl.SOS’s policies and procedures.
• To carry out any other reasonable duties as requested by the line manager and other senior management members.

Required Skills and Knowledge (Brief description of technical knowledge or skills needed to perform the job)

• Skills / Knowledge: IT literate and proficient in the use of computer software including Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Power Point.
• Persuasive, articulate and able to work with and influence people at all levels, diverse background/ industries and personalities.
• Self motivated and possess excellent relationship management skill that helps in achieving quantitative results.
• Able to work in a calm, logical and professional manner at all times.
• Good organizational and administrative skills.
• Creative & out of the box thinking.
• Report writing skills. Demonstrate a consultative sales approach and be able to foster relations with a wide range of local and expatriate clients.

Required Competencies (Critical behaviors necessary to successfully perform the job)

Customer orientation

• Actively listens and seeks information, identifies customer/client need and checks understanding, builds rapport, develops relationships with key customers/clients, confident in building relationships at all levels.

Communication

• Excellent written & oral communication in English; good knowledge of local language.
• Actively listens, checks understanding, uses language and tone appropriate for the audience, expresses ideas clearly and logically.

Ethics and Values

• Adheres to the company’s Core Values and beliefs during both good and bad times; acts in line with those values.

Ability to work under pressure

• Able to work under pressure to meet deadlines. Uses positive and constructive coping strategies when under pressure. At all times conducts oneself professionally to reflect positively on the profession he/she represents.

Initiative and Innovation

• Proactive, generates creative solutions, uses different approaches to resolve issues, generates ideas for improvement, and takes productive action(s) without being asked.

Problem solving

• Uses logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is good at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at first answers.

Good Negotiating skills

• Ability to negotiate skillfully in tough situations with both internal and external groups; make winning negotiations; can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic; gains trust quickly of other parties to facilitate negotiations.

Result orientation

• Effectively sets and achieves realistic goals, monitors own progress and assesses quality, develops and follows action plans, seeks feedback and modifies accordingly.

Required Work Experience (Brief description of the job-related experience needed to perform the job)

• 2+ years of proven Partnerships & alliances experience in lifestyles/Events/Travel/Hospitality space handling MNC clientele.
• Experience of working with matrix organization is preferable.
• Experience sourcing providers against strict quality criteria, as well as pitching, negotiating, contracting and managing notable brands providing a high value benefits offering.
• Relevant sales and/or marketing experience in Brand Management, Travel, Tourism, Hospitality, Retail, Hotel / Guest Services.
• Keen interest in luxury lifestyle categories (shopping, sports, culture, travel etc).
• Possess contacts with potential partners (Benefit suppliers / Event managers).

Required Qualifications (Brief description of the educational background needed to perform the job)

• Negotiation skills
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in Partnership and Alliance (MBA preferred)
• Service and quality oriented
• Lifestyle experience knowledge

Required Languages (Brief description of the language skills needed to perform the job)

• Excellent oral and written English communication and good knowledge of local language (usually Hindi).

Travel / Rotation Requirements (Brief description of any travel or rotation requirements)

• As and when required for client & partner meetings (within India)