Commercial Director – Sales & Marketing

Role Overview

This executive position places you at the helm of the full commercial engine for a sizable hotel operation on Thika Road, where your decisions directly influence occupancy, room revenue, and market positioning. Day to day, you will balance high-stakes corporate negotiations with hands-on leadership of the sales and marketing team, while working closely with revenue, reservations, and banqueting colleagues to convert leads into confirmed business. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, you will act as the primary driver of top-line growth, ensuring the property consistently outperforms competitors and meets aggressive financial targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive commercial plan that sets clear targets for occupancy, average daily rate, and revenue per available room, then monitor performance against those targets and adjust tactics as market conditions shift.
• Identify and secure new corporate accounts across private companies, government bodies, NGOs, and international agencies, building a robust portfolio of long-term rate agreements and preferred-partner arrangements.
• Grow the hotel's meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) business by cultivating relationships with event planners, association organizers, and corporate meeting buyers, and by converting inquiries into signed contracts with substantial room and catering components.
• Lead high-level client presentations, property tours, and quarterly business reviews with existing accounts to retain revenue share and uncover cross-selling opportunities.
• Oversee the creation and execution of multi-channel marketing campaigns, including digital advertising, social media content, and seasonal packages, with a focus on driving direct bookings and reducing reliance on third-party channels.
• Work alongside the reservations and revenue management functions to set dynamic pricing strategies, forecast demand, and analyze competitor activity to maintain a competitive edge in the Nairobi hospitality market.
• Direct, coach, and evaluate the sales and marketing team, establishing individual performance targets and conducting weekly pipeline reviews to ensure consistent lead generation and closing activity.
• Serve as a brand ambassador at industry exhibitions, corporate networking events, and trade forums, and negotiate co-marketing partnerships with airlines, tour operators, and travel management companies.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in sales, marketing, hospitality management, business administration, or a closely related field.
• Between five and eight years of progressive sales leadership experience, ideally within a full-service hotel, conference center, or hospitality group with significant events infrastructure.
• A proven track record of directly acquiring corporate accounts and achieving measurable RevPAR and ADR growth in a competitive urban market.
• Hands-on knowledge of MICE operations, corporate procurement cycles, revenue management systems, and digital booking channels.
• Established relationships with corporate procurement leaders, conference organizers, and NGO travel coordinators in Nairobi and its surrounding regions.
• Strong negotiation and closing skills for enterprise-level contracts, combined with excellent presentation and communication abilities.
• Strategic thinking and commercial acumen, with the ability to analyze market data, interpret performance metrics, and make confident pricing decisions.
• Leadership experience that demonstrates your capacity to motivate a sales team, set clear targets, and hold individuals accountable for results.

What We Offer / Why Join

This is a full-time leadership role based on Thika Road, Kenya, offering a monthly remuneration of KSh 180,000. You will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, gaining exposure to high-level strategic decisions and the opportunity to shape the hotel's commercial direction from the outset. Beyond the competitive salary, you will have the platform to build a lasting network across Nairobi's corporate and events landscape while leading a dedicated sales and marketing function.