Contracting Manager

Contracting Manager

Cape Town (Onsite)

Permanent | Full-time

Reporting to: Head of Contracting / Commercial Manager

Overview

An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced and commercially minded Contracting Manager to join a leading luxury travel company specialising in bespoke African travel experiences.

This role is responsible for developing and managing strategic supplier partnerships across Southern and East Africa, negotiating competitive commercial agreements, and ensuring the business delivers exceptional value while maintaining strong profitability. The successful candidate will work closely with internal stakeholders and supplier partners to secure industry-leading rates, exclusive value-adds, and long-term commercial relationships that enhance the company's luxury travel offering.

The ideal candidate is an excellent negotiator, commercially astute, analytical, and passionate about building long-term supplier partnerships within the luxury travel industry.

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Contracting & Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with hotels, lodges, transport providers, activity operators, and other tourism suppliers.
• Negotiate competitive rates, exclusive value-adds, and commercial agreements that maximise business profitability.
• Secure preferred supplier partnerships while maintaining exceptional service and quality standards.
• Manage supplier relationships to ensure long-term collaboration and mutual business growth.

Commercial Negotiation & Revenue Growth

• Negotiate override agreements, bednight commitments, and commercial incentives.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins and enhance the company's competitive position.
• Ensure all supplier agreements align with business objectives and market demand.
• Monitor contract performance and identify opportunities for continuous commercial improvement.

Contract Administration & Implementation

• Manage the end-to-end contracting process from negotiation through to implementation.
• Ensure all contracts are accurate, commercially sound, and effectively communicated to internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Rates and Reservations teams to ensure seamless implementation of negotiated agreements.
• Maintain accurate supplier records and contract documentation.

Performance Analysis & Reporting

• Analyse supplier performance, commercial outcomes, and contract profitability.
• Prepare reports and provide data-driven recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and supplier performance to identify new opportunities.
• Track contractual commitments and ensure agreed commercial objectives are achieved.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with internal departments to ensure supplier agreements support operational requirements and guest expectations.
• Build trusted relationships across the business to align commercial objectives with operational delivery.
• Collaborate with suppliers to continuously improve products, pricing, and service offerings.

Requirements

• Diploma or Degree in Tourism, Commerce, Business, Procurement, or a related field.
• Minimum 3–5 years' experience in a contracting, procurement, or supplier management role within a DMC or luxury travel environment.
• Strong understanding of supplier negotiations and commercial contracting within the tourism industry.
• Experience working with travel reservation or booking systems.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret commercial data and identify business opportunities.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and reporting skills.
• Experience leveraging AI tools and automation to improve business processes is advantageous.
• Excellent negotiation, relationship management, and communication skills.
• Currently based in Cape Town.

Key Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management abilities.
• Analytical and data-driven decision-maker.
• Highly organised with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to manage multiple supplier relationships simultaneously.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and results-driven.
• Collaborative team player with excellent communication skills.

Profile

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced travel contracting professional who enjoys building strategic supplier partnerships and driving commercial success within the luxury travel industry. The successful candidate will combine strong negotiation skills with commercial insight and

operational excellence, ensuring the business continues to offer exceptional African travel experiences while delivering sustainable growth and profitability.

If you are interested, apply directly on Pnet or send your CV directly to ***email_hidden***