Lead, Strategic Partnership at United Nigeria Airlines

Job Summary

• Are you a master architect of commercial relationships? Do you thrive on building complex, high-value partnerships that create lasting competitive advantage? United Nigeria Airline is seeking a Lead, Strategic Partnerships to be a comerstone of our new Business Development & Strategy department.
• This is not a routine sales role.
• You will not be handling day-to-day charter requests or managing a list of corporate clients. Instead, you will focus on the high-level, strategic side of corporate and charter business.
• Your responsibility will be to identify major opportunities, negotiate long-term agreements, and build partnerships that can shape the airline's growth.
• Your work will expand our market presence, strengthen our value to corporate and charter customers, and create new revenue streams that will support the airline's future.

Responsibilities
Partnership Strategy & Identification:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive partnership strategy that aligns with United Nigeria Airline's long-term growth objectives.
• Identify and evaluate potential partners across the aviation and travel ecosystem, including other airlines (for interline and codeshare agreements), global hospitality brands, financial institutions, and travel technology companies.

Negotiation & Deal Structuring:

• Lead end-to-end negotiations for complex, multi-faceted partnership agreements.
• Structure deals that are mutually beneficial, commercially sound, and strategically aligned, focusing on long-term value creation over short-term gains.
• Collaborate with internal Legal, Finance, and Operations teams to ensure all agreements are robust, compliant, and operationally feasible.

Implementation & Relationship Management:

• Oversee the successful implementation and launch of new partnerships, ensuring a seamless integration for our customers and internal teams.
• Serve as the primary owner of key strategic partner relationships, fostering strong executive-level ties and ensuring both parties are realizing the full value of the agreement.
• Establish and track KPIs to measure the performance and ROI of partnerships, providing regular reports to the leadership team.

Internal Collaboration & Influence:

• Work hand-in-hand with the Growth & Planning Analyst to use data-driven insights to validate partnership opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with the Marketing and Sales departments to ensure new partnerships are effectively integrated into commercial campaigns and sales strategies.
• Act as a key internal advocate for the strategic value of partnerships, influencing stakeholders across the organization.

What You Will Need

• Proven Experience: A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a strategic planning, network planning, or high-level commercial analysis role, preferably within the aviation or travel industry.