Director of Group Network Optimisation

Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence. The group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million consumers.

Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world’s original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of 1,500+ lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 650 airports in 148 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special. We work with the world’s leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide.

We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception – from launching the first independent global VIP lounge access Programme, Priority Pass to being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and creating the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.

Key clients include Mastercard, American Express, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, LATAM, Flying Blue, Accor, EasyJet, HSBC, Chase, HDFC.

Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit, which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work.

Never short of ambition, the success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 2,200 global colleagues.

About the Role

This is a unique opportunity to shape and advance a dedicated network optimisation capability that underpins the success of our Airport Dimensions and Collinson International businesses.

In this role, you will be responsible for embedding robust systems and processes across the business, ensuring their effective delivery, continuous improvement, and alignment with strategic objectives.

You will monitor industry trends, assess performance, and refine strategies to drive optimal outcomes for the Group.

Reporting directly to the SVP of Group Strategy and Corporate Development, you will be a key strategic partner to senior leaders, including the SVP of Global Partnerships (Collinson International), Chief Commercial Officer (Airport Dimensions) and the Group’s Chief Financial Officer.

At times, you will adjudicate between competing strategic options with differing impacts across the Group, ensuring decisions deliver the best overall outcome.

As a senior member of the Group Strategy team, you will also contribute to broader strategic initiatives and projects, supporting the Group’s long-term growth and success.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Development & Implementation

· Refine and enhance the lounge network model to support mid- and long-term planning.

· Create dynamic models for scenario planning to evaluate investment and partnership strategies and support the analytic requirements of Airport Dimension and Collinson International.

· Develop dashboards and reports to provide actionable insights to stakeholders.

Strategic Alignment & Decision-Making

· Communicate progress and critical updates to stakeholders, providing clear recommendations.

· Establish and maintain strong collaborative relationships with key internal stakeholders and decision makers in relevant business units across the Group.

· Act as the initial decision-maker for competing divisional impacts, escalating to senior leadership when necessary.

Performance Measurement

· Define and track KPIs: coverage, accuracy, margin impact, and strategic benefits.

· Monitor financial metrics: ROI, capital efficiency, and refinancing readiness.

· Assess operational metrics: customer experience, client engagement, and partner satisfaction.

Technology & Tools

· Recommend and implement systems to support a permanent network strategy capability.

· Integrate existing data sources with new forecasts and strategic overlays.

· Identify opportunities for automation within the strategic model.

Key Skills

A proven data led strategic leader with experience managing complex strategic models and delivering measurable business outcomes. You will be agile, collaborative, and insight-driven, with a strong ability to embed strategic thinking into business-as-usual operations.

Background:

· Experience with multi-site network optimisation models within a travel or retail related industry.

· Experience in a strategic consultancy or in-house strategy team within travel, retail, or related industries.

· Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, working with diverse teams including Commercial, Partnerships and Group Finance.

You’ll Thrive If You:

· Combine technical expertise with commercial acumen and strategic vision.

· Excel at managing large datasets and applying analytical skills to solve complex problems.

· Work well and quickly under pressure to tight deadlines.

· Communicate complex insights clearly and are confident advocating data led recommendations clearly to stakeholders at all levels.

· Enjoy balancing long-term vision with short-term impact in a fast-paced environment.

· Are outcome-focused and driven by measurable business value.

Education & Experience

· Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a STEM or quantitative field (e.g. Data Science, Economics).

· Prior experience in airport, travel, retail or related industries.

· c. 8 years’ Consultancy experience focussed on strategy, financial forecasting, quantitative analytics, M&A, or similar fields.

· Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint is required; experience with analytical or programming tools is a plus.

Collinson is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes differences in all their forms including: colour, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, family status, age, individuals with disabilities and people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences as we strongly believe this contributes to our on-going success.

We are focused on continually evolving our purpose driven, high performing culture, providing an environment where our people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and do interesting and meaningful work. Our company values are: Take Action, Do the right thing, One team and Be insight led. These help guide everything we do internally in terms of how we think, act and interact, right through to how we deliver value to our customers and clients.

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example - she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

If you need any extra support throughout the interview process, then please email us at [email protected]