dnata Travel Group, represents the travel division of dnata, one of the world’s largest air and travel services providers. Consisting of more than 20 leading international travel brands, we are proud to serve our global customer base as a leading, award-winning travel services provider. 

As Leisure Manager, you will manage all aspects of the assigned business / portfolio of businesses, including defining the strategy and implementation plans to deliver key business objectives. You will lead the creation of the value proposition, considering all key stakeholders and customer segments. 

You will continuously develop the business to ensure the achievement of commercial and financial targets, compliance with local and international regulations / standards, efficient management of operations, and delivery of a customer focused service in accordance with dnata’ s corporate values. This is a full-time role and is based in our Abu Dhabi office.

In this role, you will:

• Establish medium to long-term plans and set appropriate contingency measures to secure the business long term positioning, profitability and brand value based on a thorough evaluation of the market (competitors, suppliers, customers, products and external influences).


• Define business objectives, including a focus on profitability, achievement of sales targets and overall growth in line with the agreed strategy.


• Ensure the business is prepared, equipped and teams appropriately skilled and trained to achieve objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) in line with the business strategy. Ensure that necessary operational interfaces are developed to reduce operating costs and promote efficiency.


• Be accountable for the annual budget for all manpower, revenue and expenditure. Ensure cost effectiveness is achieved in all areas of the business through the efficient utilisation and deployment of resources, and through effective implementation of best practices.


• Lead and manage all colleagues within the assigned business / portfolio of businesses, inspiring a culture of high performance, collaboration and respect; taking into account the culturally diverse workforce, and challenging environment.


• Actively lead and provide direction to operational / sales teams to ensure revenue targets are realised, and that overall profitability objectives are achieved through the implementation of efficient and effective working practices.


• Set and monitor performance objectives and development plans for direct reports which are aligned with the overall business objectives; identify improvement areas requiring formal intervention and training, both on an individual and team basis. Ensure objectives are cascaded and the Company performance management approach implemented at all levels of the business, focusing on SMART goals, regular feedback and alignment of development opportunities.


• Establish the pricing strategy in liaison with relevant internal teams where appropriate. Creatively manoeuvre within the established pricing framework, making tactical decisions to enhance market share and generating additional revenue where opportunities arise.

To be considered for the role, you must meet the below requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g. business, travel and tourism).


• Minimum 8+ Years of experience within the Travel / Tourism, at least 5yrs of which are in management capacity.


• Strong general management and leadership experience, along with a well-developed sense of commercial acumen.


• Proven track record of strategic planning, budgeting and delivery.

You will have an edge, if you have:

• Previous experience / awareness of the Middle East & India (MEI) market in the travel / aviation.


• Experience in mergers and acquisitions and/or start-up ventures.


• Fluency in Arabic.

At dnata, part of Emirates Group, we’re committed to providing our employees with opportunities to grow and develop in their careers. So if you’re looking for a challenging and rewarding opportunity, apply today and join our team!

Recruitment Process and Timeline

dnata, part of Emirates Group, is an international organisation with employees from over 170 nationalities, we encourage applications from across the globe. Your application journey begins by applying via our Careers website. Please ensure your CV is up to date for our talent acquisition team to review your profile. If you meet the criteria of the role, you will then be invited to complete a HireVue video interview, to share more about your experience and your career aspirations. If you are shortlisted you will then be invited to interview with our hiring managers. If you are successful, your recruiter will reach out to you with an offer and then our Onboarding team will ensure a smooth transition to your new role.