Senior Development Manager, Luxury – Europe & Africa
Join to apply for the Senior Development Manager, Luxury – Europe & Africa role at Hilton
Hilton is one of the largest and fastest growing hospitality companies in the world, with over 9,000 properties and 1.3 million rooms in 138 countries. Since its founding 105 years ago, Hilton has established a portfolio of 25 world‑class brands, including the flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, and is consistently named one of the World’s Best Workplaces.
Position Statement
Under direction from the Vice President of Development Luxury & Residential, the candidate must work effectively with colleagues and industry contacts to assist in the execution of Hilton’s development strategy within Europe and Africa, with a particular focus on southern Europe.
Position Summary
The Senior Manager Development establishes, maintains and enhances quality working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to compile up‑to‑date market intelligence, identify new franchise and management opportunities, and support the VP Development in evaluating further expansion of Hilton’s luxury brands. Responsibilities include preparation of board and investment committee papers and execution of approved opportunities to meet aggressive new deal signing targets.
You will contribute to Hilton’s presence at lodging conferences and internal/external events, showcase Hilton branded product opportunities to owners and investors, and present Hilton branded product opportunities to a wide range of audiences.
Strong interpersonal skills are required to communicate with the hotel investment and advisory community, senior leaders, and external stakeholders. This also involves preparing bespoke presentations for a variety of audiences, working independently with limited supervision, and delivering projects within tight deadlines.
* Strategic planning and analysis to support new lead generation – 20%
* Lead qualification and analysis – 30%
* Internal reporting – 20%
* Industry events and conferences (attendance and preparation) – 20%
* Administration/strategic planning/training – 10%
Key Responsibilities
* Provide ongoing support to the VP Development Luxury & Residential.
* Evaluate and identify business opportunities for further expansion of Hilton’s luxury brands and communicate the strategy accordingly.
* Proactively build new contacts and leverage existing networks of owners and advisors to identify new opportunities to grow Hilton’s luxury hotel and resort platform across Europe and Africa.
* Maintain an excellent and transparent filing and administration system; serve as the first point of contact for many development‑related queries.
* Lead all RFP responses for the team at the direction of the VP.
* Seek up‑to‑date and impactful market‑derived and internal information to support commercial endeavors, maintaining current knowledge of Hilton brands, product initiatives and services, and cultivating relationships with the drivers of these initiatives.
* Navigate and maintain relationships with different departments within the business to continually improve collaboration and data gathering for RFPs and brand presentations.
* Work collaboratively with US‑based brand colleagues and share best practice with counterparts in Asia and the Americas.
* Maintain Hilton’s profile with industry partners and members of the hotel investment and advisory community by actively participating at industry conferences and events.
* Produce accurate activity reports, development approval authorities, and investment committee papers.
* Compile, review, and/or consolidate as required development deal summaries for internal approval.
* Execute processes and procedures in a timely manner and assist Development senior leadership with required analyses, reports, research projects and commercial documents & presentations.
* Work effectively with all support functions (e.g., Legal, Feasibility, Finance, Corporate Compliance, Brands) to avoid any situations preventing the completion of a development project.
* Maintain functional, general, and administrative activity within budget.
What are we looking for?
Applicants should ideally come from a hotel/hospitality background and possess proven development experience from a consulting firm or a similar in‑house role. The ability to operate successfully supporting and transacting deals within the luxury hospitality space is essential. Additional language skills, particularly Italian, would be advantageous. Other skills and experience include:
* Understanding and experience in hotel investment, management agreement negotiation, and franchising.
* Accuracy, attention to detail, responsiveness, and proactive behaviour.
* Firm grasp of hotel operations, finance, and real‑estate investment.
* High proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
* Ability to present complex information to senior audiences professionally and creatively.
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills at all levels.
* A self‑starter with the ability to anticipate and not simply react to business needs.
* Managing a range of competing priorities and demands (strong time‑management skills are essential).
* Results‑driven, tenacious, able to work under pressure, and open to regular feedback.
* Strong analytical skills and ability to make decisions independently.
* Ability to work independently while maintaining team spirit and supporting a team.
* Aspirations to build a career in hotel development.
Required Qualifications
* BA/BS/Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
* Fluency in English.
* Travel readiness for fieldwork, client meetings, industry events, and internal meetings.
Preferred Qualifications
* MBA or Master’s degree in Hospitality, Sales, General Business, Real Estate certifications or equivalent education.
* Up to 10 years of relevant industry experience.
* Additional language skills, particularly Italian.
Location: Watford, England, United Kingdom
#J-18808-Ljbffr