Director, Ports and Destination Strategy

The Director of Global Ports and Destinations Strategy serves as a key strategic leader within the Global Ports and Destinations Development (GPDD) team. This role will support the VP in spearheading global initiatives aimed at fostering cross brand port operations alignment, developing new port and destination opportunities, and managing high-level government and stakeholder engagements. The scope includes strategic negotiation, financial analysis, cost optimization, and development support across a network of ports handling approximately 17 million passengers annually.

Essential Functions:

• Corporate Berthing Agreements & New Development Opportunities

• Support negotiations and lead commercial management for berthing agreements across major North American homeports and destination ports of call

• Develop business cases for new port and destination opportunities within North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
• Consolidate and harmonize global port agreements across all brand portfolios, ensuring alignment of commercial terms and governance

• Competitive Intelligence & Strategic Insight

• Collect and synthesize global competitive intelligence

• Extract insights from financial and deployment data to inform negotiation strategies and executive decision-making
• Create and deliver high-impact presentations for senior leadership

• Government Relations & Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Represent the company in discussions and negotiations with government officials and port authorities.

• Facilitate development partnerships and regulatory approvals in target regions.
• Engage regularly with executive leadership
• Collaborate with Deployment, Maritime, and Government Relations teams across the Americas
• Work in close partnership with the GPDD leadership to execute strategic initiatives"

• Port Cost Optimization.

• Drive strategic initiatives to optimize global port costs by leveraging scale, improving processes, and minimizing risk.

• Conduct system-wide cost analysis
• Standardize port cost categorization across brands
• Oversee port agency reviews and optimize processes for greater efficiency and improved governance
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in BUSINESS/HOSPITALITY is required or equivalent experience. MBA is strongly preferred.
• 6-10 years of professional experience with cruise industry experience preferred; international experience is a must.
• Fluent Spanish required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Exceptional negotiation skills, business sense and results driven approach.
• Excellent problem solving, senior level communication and strategy-development skills.
• High degree of self-motivation, resilience, tenacity and dedication, with aspirations for a long-term career in this area.
• Experience in building and maintaining effective relationships, interacting with senior executives, peers and teams across multiple functions/departments
• Demonstrated curiosity and interest in learning the cruise business and its performance drivers, and ability to quickly come up the learning curve.
• Ability to balancing short-term, more tactical needs and opportunities with long term, strategic challenges and imperatives.

Physical Demands: Work may require employee to work inside and/or outside with exposure to changing climate and/or operate machinery.

Travel: More than 50% non-shipboard travel likely

Work Conditions: Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

This position is classified as "in-office." As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida Tuesday through Thursday each week. Employees may work from their homes on Mondays and Fridays. Candidates must be located in (or willing to relocate to) the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area.

Offers to selected candidates will be made on a fair and equitable basis, taking into account specific job-related skills and experience.

At Carnival, your total rewards package is much more than your base salary. All non-sales roles participate in an annual cash bonus program, while sales roles have an incentive plan. Director and above roles may also be eligible to participate in Carnival's discretionary equity incentive plan. Plus, Carnival provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including:

• Health Benefits:
• Cost-effective medical, dental and vision plans
• Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources
• Additional programs include company paid term life insurance and disability coverage
• Financial Benefits:
• 401(k) plan that includes a company match
• Employee Stock Purchase plan
• Paid Time Off
• Holidays – All full-time and part-time with benefits employees receive days off for 8 company-wide holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays to be taken at the employee's discretion.
• Vacation Time – All full-time employees at the manager and below level start with 14 days/year; director and above level start with 19 days/year. Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 84 hours/year. All employees gain additional vacation time with further tenure.
• Sick Time – All full-time employees receive 80 hours of sick time each year. Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 60 hours each year.
• Other Benefits
• Complementary stand-by cruises, employee discounts on confirmed cruises, plus special rates for family and friends
• Personal and professional learning and development resources including tuition reimbursement
• On-site Fitness center at our Miami campus

About Us

Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company, our mission to deliver unforgettable happiness to our guest through our diverse portfolio of leading cruise brands and island destinations, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America and Australia; P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in the United Kingdom; AIDA in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe.

Join us and embark on a career that offers not only the chance to grow professionally but also the opportunity to be part of a global community that makes a difference.

In addition to other duties/functions, this position requires full commitment and support for promoting ethical and compliant culture. More specifically, this position requires integrity, honesty, and respectful treatment of others, as well as a willingness to speak up when they see misconduct or have concerns.

Carnival Corporation & plc and Carnival Cruise Line is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. In this regard, it does not discriminate against any qualified individual on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, mental, physical or sensory disability, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, federal, and/or international law.