Kia ora!
Shape the future of one of New Zealand's most valuable loyalty programmes.
Air New Zealand is one of the world's most loved airlines, recognised for exceptional customer service, innovative thinking and our uniquely Kiwi culture. Koru is New Zealand's largest and most valuable loyalty programme, connecting members with exclusive rewards, premium experiences, and industry-leading partnerships.
We're entering an exciting phase of growth, and we're looking for a commercially astute partnership leader to help shape the next chapter. In this role, you'll lead a portfolio of our most strategically important financial partnerships, influence executive stakeholders, and unlock new opportunities that drive revenue, member value, and long-term commercial success.
The Sales Chapter is recruiting for a Senior Sales Specialist, Loyalty Partners to join our Auckland based team.
Reporting to the Chapter Lead, Loyalty Partners, you'll own the commercial performance of a high-value financial partner portfolio, leading strategy, forecasting, profit and loss performance, contract governance, and growth initiatives. You'll work across the business to translate commercial opportunities into exceptional member experiences while strengthening relationships with some of New Zealand's leading financial organisations.
At Air New Zealand, you'll join an organisation consistently recognised for its culture, innovation, and customer experience. As we continue our ambition to grow Koru, you'll have the opportunity to influence enterprise-wide decisions, work alongside experienced commercial leaders, and make a visible impact across one of New Zealand's most iconic brands.
The role you will play
- Deliver sustainable loyalty revenue growth by identifying and executing strategic commercial opportunities across the Financial Partners portfolio
- Lead executive relationships with key financial partners, building trusted partnerships that create long-term commercial value and strengthen member outcomes
- Develop commercially robust partner strategies and roadmaps, translating market insights into measurable growth initiatives
- Own forecasting, budgeting, and profit and loss performance, ensuring commercial targets are achieved while maximising portfolio profitability
- Analyse customer, market, and commercial performance data to identify emerging opportunities, mitigate risks, and inform strategic decisions
- Provide governance across contracts, commercial obligations, renewals, and compliance to ensure successful partnership delivery
- Partner across Finance, Marketing, Product, Technology, Legal, Operations, and Analytics to deliver integrated loyalty initiatives that improve customer engagement and business performance
- Present commercial recommendations, business cases, and performance insights to senior internal and external stakeholders, influencing strategic decision making
- Champion continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance partner experiences, simplify delivery, and improve outcomes for Koru members.
What we're looking for
- Five or more years' experience in commercial partnerships, account management, loyalty, sales, or portfolio leadership
- A proven track record of delivering significant commercial growth and achieving ambitious revenue targets
- Experience working within, or closely alongside, the financial services sector, with an understanding of banking, credit cards, and partner ecosystems
- Strong commercial acumen with experience managing forecasts, budgets, and profit and loss performance
- Demonstrated success developing and delivering commercial strategies, complex negotiations, and long-term growth initiatives
- Experience managing commercial contracts and ensuring strong governance across strategic partnerships
- Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with confidence engaging senior leaders and navigating complex commercial environments
- Highly developed analytical capability, using data to identify opportunities, solve problems, and support strategic decisions
- Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complexity and influence a wide range of audiences
- A collaborative, proactive leader who thrives in fast-paced environments and enjoys delivering results through cross-functional teams.
If you bring most of this experience, along with transferable skills and the drive to grow, we'd love to hear from you.
What we can offer you
- We want our people to live their best lives and access great benefits that support their lives outside work
- Generous staff travel benefits for you and your whānau
- FlexiLeave, giving you the option to purchase up to four additional weeks of leave each year
- A learning culture with development opportunities that help you continue growing your career
- Discounts across travel, hotels, retail, banking, insurance, and a wide range of lifestyle providers
- Wellbeing support, including our Employee Assistance Programme, wellbeing resources, optional healthcare benefits, and retirement savings options.
Ready for take-off?
If you're motivated by building strategic partnerships, influencing commercial outcomes, and creating value at scale, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Join the Air New Zealand whānau and help shape the future of one of New Zealand's most successful loyalty programmes while growing your career with an organisation recognised globally for innovation and customer experience.
Applications close Tuesday, 29th September
Additional Information
At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.
If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.
Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.
"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."
