Director, Tourism Investment & Commercial Partnerships - Hybrid - Calgary Or Edmonton

Work. Wonders.

Travel Alberta is the destination management organization of the Government of Alberta. We promote Alberta as a desirable place to travel, live, work, play, invest and learn. If you're passionate about helping this incredible province prosper and want to be part of an award-winning organization with strong corporate values, energetic team members and a great culture, Travel Alberta is the destination for you. Our work directly and indirectly benefits our province, driving visitation and revenue, diversifying the economy, providing jobs, encouraging economic investment, and enhancing quality of life for Albertans and their communities by working with businesses throughout the province, we capitalize on Alberta’s breathtaking landscapes and world-class hospitality to develop memorable experiences for visitors to enjoy, in all regions, year-round.

Get inspired - come and be a part of this amazing organization.

Position Summary -

Through taking a holistic view of Alberta and the role the visitor economy plays in supporting the province both economically and culturally, the Director, Tourism Investment & Commercial Partnerships leads the economic development and delivery of Travel Alberta’s investment programs, as well working collaboratively with various industry stakeholders and multiple departments of the Government of Alberta to secure capital in building the visitor economy across the province.

As a senior member of the team, they will work closely with the Director, Destination & Economic Development and other team members on the management and execution of Travel Alberta’s grant programs that direct investments to support small-to-medium businesses, communities, economic development agencies, indigenous communities, municipalities and DMOs. Furthermore, they will lead the management of Travel Alberta’s Aviation Fund that aims to grow direct air capacity into the province through targeted investment with select air carriers and Alberta based airports.

In addition, in support the province’s goal of doubling the size of Alberta’s visitor economy by 2035 they will also work closely with the Chief Commercial Officer to develop and manage a pipeline of investment opportunities that require participation of private capital investors, local communities, economic development agencies, and the Government of Alberta.

Foremost, the Director must be capable in their abilities and experience to balance both economic and community development through a tourism lens to ensure Alberta’s visitor economy benefits both Albertans and visitors alike, thus making it a great place to visit, work, live and play. And as a company ambassador they will always need to have the highest level of professionalism and discretion.

Contributions & Accountabilities

Travel Alberta Investment Fund & Aviation

• Monitor comparable investment programs globally for best practices
• Lead day-to-day management of Travel Alberta’s industry investment programs, with support of fellow team members including:

Investment Program Delivery & Reporting

• Oversee standard terms and conditions for grant agreements
• Develop investment strategies and protocols for each program to optimize them each year
• Responsible for the day-to-day management of Travel Alberta’s air-investment strategy, including the outreach and assessment of airline investment programs, collaboration with Alberta based airports, as well as ongoing tracking and reporting of performance of investments for the Board and stakeholders
• Identify financial risks and implement mitigation strategies where needed
• Supports the Chief Commercial Officer with ongoing tracking and performance reporting of investment programs for industry committees, board and shareholder
• Assist with required research pertinent to due diligence, ongoing review, and close-out analyses
• Accountable for records management of the programs, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of data as well as required public grant disclosures
• Design and implement performance management systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and ensure they meet Travel Alberta’s goals and the needs of operators
• Work with their team to coordinate and maintain program cycle calendars and meetings with applicants as needed

Development, promotion, negotiation & securing of investments into Alberta’s visitor economy

• Supports the Chief Commercial Office on the development and management of an investment advisory council to Travel Alberta
• Provide investment pipeline update reports for committee and board meetings

Team Leadership & Performance Reporting

• Manage and provides leadership to multiple direct reports
• Represent Travel Alberta at meetings/presentations with stakeholders, municipal governments, the GOA and other tourism bodies, including providing up-to-date information on organizational strategy, priority initiatives, markets and current research and insights
• Co-manage monthly and quarterly budget processes including review and forecasts, as well as recommendations for in-the-year adjustments achieve unit scorecard targets
• Active participation in the design of the annual department/unit scorecard
• Domestic and potentially international travel can be expected in the role
• Contribute to development and status review of annual operations risk management plans
• Responsible for reporting quarterly and annual results to the department/unit scorecard and annual report
• Provide strategic and day-to-day coaching, performance management (including personal scorecards) and identification of developmental opportunities for direct reports
• Responsible for special projects and other duties as assigned by the Chief Commercial Office, including preparation for Travel Alberta’s Board and reporting on MOUs
• Provide specialized advice, interpretation, and expertise to Travel Alberta team members, industry stakeholders regarding investment regulation and requirements for destination and commercial tourism development.
• Facilitate connections with regional and with national and international partners and works with Travel Alberta senior leadership to represent the organization in a variety of industry, institutional events, and/or committees, to promote the organization’s destination and development strategy.

Who You Are

• You are capable of operating in dual modes in the same day and are completely comfortable splitting time between strategic thinking to program execution and reporting
• You understand how to manage deal-flow from beginning to end while recognizing your unique role in facilitating and brokering major capital investments without bringing significant equity to the table on behalf of Travel Alberta
• You are willing to confront difficult conversations with empathy and feedback – particularly around evaluating business investment proposals, prospectuses and day-to-day operations of a business
• You are a proven people leader having led a team and strive to get the best out of everyone while enabling each team member to contribute to the goals of the team and organization
• We kindly thank you agency partner, we will NOT require support to fill this role. We kindly request no phone calls nor emails.
• You have demonstrated success in delivering results with an entrepreneurial spirit of self-confidence especially when stakes are high to close deals
• You bring an established and comprehensive personal network from either the capital investment markets, hotel investment or real-estate sectors is an asset
• You easily build rapport with others and can relate openly and comfortably with diverse groups including entrepreneurs, government officials, private capital investors, as well as indigenous and first nations stakeholders
• MBA or bachelor’s degree in commerce or business administration, relevant field of study, or an equivalent combination of education and experience with a focus on economic development.
• You have strong project management skills that reflect your ability to prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail and achieving deadlines
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive capital investment or business development experience preferably in the hotel, real-estate, or tourism sector
• You bring a balance of experience in both the private/public sector focused on business development, grant/investment program management, and government policy and regulatory processes with tourism development
• Your knowledge of or prior experience in Canada’s tourism industry is an asset
• You can synthesize facts, both structured and unstructured information, and use a broad set of communications modalities (slides, briefing notes, public presentations) to engage both internal colleagues and external stakeholders
• You bring a deep understanding of the visitor economy ecosystem ranging from accommodations, attractions, transportation providers, DMOs, communities and travelers
• You have first-hand experience in developing and executing strategies to promote investment opportunities in partnership with municipal, regional and national stakeholders
• You naturally document and track progress of engagement over time with a client-centred mentality and are comfortable working in CRM systems

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