Groups Planning & Delivery Lead

Job description

The Gig: Virgin Voyages is seeking a hospitality-first experience curator and strategic planner to serve as Groups Experience Planning & Delivery Lead — designing and delivering exceptional group voyages across our fleet. This role goes beyond logistics: you are the architect of the moments that make groups rebook. From charters and incentive programs to weddings, milestone celebrations, and curated getaways, you will own the group journey end-to-end — building trusted relationships, programming bespoke experiences, and proactively driving incremental onboard revenue through consultative add-on engagement. You will also serve as Product Owner for one or more ships in the VV fleet, acting as the dedicated shore-side point of contact for all group activity on your assigned vessel(s) and owning the relationship between planning, servicing, and shipboard execution. You bring rebellious hospitality to every interaction and leave every group feeling like the voyage was designed just for them. This gig is based at VVHQ - our swanky Virgin Voyages Head Office in Plantation, FL where we follow a hybrid work environment. We can't wait to 'sea' you in person during our Collaboration Days, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, while you enjoy Mondays and Fridays' as remote days. What You'll Be Up To: Act as an experience curator for assigned group accounts — building bespoke voyage programs that go beyond logistics to create shareable, memorable moments aligned with the group's identity and purpose Lead group experience planning calls using a structured discovery approach that uncovers preferences, budget appetite, and experience goals, then translates those into a curated programming proposal Proactively consult on and upsell group experience add-ons at every planning touchpoint — including beverage packages, spa buy-outs, private event spaces, specialty dining, shore excursions, and cabin gifts — driving incremental onboard revenue as a named performance metric Execute group planning and logistics from proposal hand-off through post-voyage wrap-up, ensuring contract compliance, customer satisfaction, and alignment with internal processes — including end-to-end support on booking changes, dining reservations, experience modifications, and sailor-facing updates as needed Meet defined SLAs and planning milestones across the group lifecycle — from initial contact response through final documentation delivery — maintaining accountability to timelines that protect both the sailor experience and internal operational readiness Support a team of planners and coordinators, both shoreside and shipboard, providing hands-on collaboration, troubleshooting, and coaching to drive execution and maintain service excellence Coordinate with Sales team to collect group requirements and preferences, manage deliverables, payment details, and ensure accurate communication and expectations Serve as the primary point of contact for group clients and regularly communicate with First Mates and group leaders to gather event requirements and provide updates on planning progress Build relationships and work closely with shipboard and shoreside teams, including Hotel Operations, Sailor Services, Entertainment, F&B, Tech, and Experience teams, to ensure group needs are clearly communicated and delivered consistently Leverage AI-assisted tools and CRM data to generate personalized group briefings, surface upsell opportunities based on group profile and itinerary, and prepare for planning conversations with data-backed recommendations Synthesize post-voyage survey data and group feedback into actionable insight summaries that inform programming improvements, loyalty strategy, and repeat booking opportunities Continuously evaluate planning and servicing workflows for inefficiencies — proposing and implementing process improvements that reduce friction, improve SLA performance, and elevate the overall group experience Represent the department in planning meetings, providing updates, flagging operational risks, and aligning cross-functional efforts Assist with marketing and engagement initiatives that support group acquisition, loyalty, and repeat business Other assignments as required Superpowers Required: 3+ years in group travel, incentive programs, event operations, or hospitality — preferably in cruise, luxury hotels, destination management, or high-touch event production Demonstrated hospitality mindset — you think in moments, find genuine energy in making people feel celebrated, and bring creativity to every client interaction Track record of consultative add-on selling or incremental revenue attachment in a hospitality context Strong knowledge of MICE industry and group travel logistics Exceptional organizational abilities and attention to detail, with a proven commitment to meeting SLAs and planning deadlines in a high-volume environment Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder programs from planning through execution, including hands-on support across booking, dining, and experience logistics Excellent leadership, communication, and client management skills with a deep commitment to service excellence Proficiency in Salesforce, Airtable, Seaware, and Google Workspace Comfort with AI productivity tools for client briefing, insight synthesis, and workflow efficiency — a plus Natural inclination toward process improvement — you spot inefficiencies, propose solutions, and follow through on implementation Ability and willingness to travel globally as required Strong alignment with Virgin Voyages' values of creativity, inclusivity, and innovation What Matters to Us: At Virgin, your personality matters as much as how good you are at what you do. We want you to bring it to our hangout spot and help make the place even better. So, we won’t be surprised to hear that when people talk about you they say you are clever, on top of it, able to think ahead, intuitive, passionate and someone people respect and enjoy working with because you make things happen. Virgin Voyages is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified, eligible applicants regardless of their sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy and maternity. Our greatest strength comes from our ability to come together as unique individuals -- we seek to always embrace and celebrate our differences, providing an inclusive workplace environment that allows you to be your best self. Virgin Voyages is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Virgin Voyages via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from Virgin Voyages HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Virgin Voyages. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Virgin Voyages as a result of the referral or through other means.