Vice President of Market Development

As Vice President of Market Development at EF Ultimate Break, you will lead the strategic evolution of our travel product portfolio designed for 18–35-year-olds. This role demands a deep understanding of the travel industry and a sharp eye for emerging trends, paired with the ability to translate market insights into operationally feasible and customer-centric tour experiences. You’ll operate at the intersection of innovation and execution—working cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Sales, Data Analytics, and Development teams across global offices to shape, refine, and launch itineraries that inspire the next generation of travelers.

You will oversee a Director of Market Development and a team of five, inspiring and mentoring them to deliver excellence, think creatively, and challenge the status quo. Your leadership will foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and innovation while ensuring every itinerary meets high standards of quality, sustainability and profitability. From driving commercial performance and optimizing tour merchandising to activating strategic partnerships and training internal teams, your impact will be felt across the entire customer journey.

The Role

• Define and communicate the strategy for EF Ultimate Break’s product portfolio, aligning exceptional traveler experiences with strong financial performance. This includes planning for itinerary expansion, as well as making informed decisions around cost, budgeting, and inventory to determine when to optimize, sunset, or significantly evolve tours.
• Oversee and guide the cross-functional process—managed by your team—through which new tours, tour changes, and optional excursions are developed and brought to market.
• Inspire, coach, and develop your team, fostering professional growth and a spirit of innovation.
• Direct your team in building and managing relationships with National Tourism Boards (NTO) and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO), ensuring partnerships are leveraged for co-marketing, sponsorships, and enriched product offerings.
• Provide strategic direction on portfolio growth, guiding your team in leveraging market insights, whitespace opportunities, and traveler trend data to expand EF Ultimate Break’s competitive advantage.
• Set strategy and oversee your team’s management of systems that support the product, including sales and operations databases, tour fact sheets, website itineraries, optionals, and “Know Before You Go” guides.
• Cross-functional collaboration with UB Finance as well as other senior leaders to steer all phases of the product development process—directing your team in creating itineraries, optional excursions, and customer experiences that align with EF Ultimate Break product guidelines and financial objectives.
• Lead your team in assessing and measuring product quality using traveler feedback, operational data, and commercial results, then implement improvements to the overall tour experience.
• Collaborate with EF World Journeys and broader EF Market Development teams to align on strategic best practices, while also championing EF-wide sustainability and Responsible Tourism principles to ensure they are meaningfully integrated into product design and execution through your team’s work.
• Oversee the creation and delivery of engaging trainings on new destinations or tour changes, ensuring your team educates and inspires internal stakeholders.
• Provide strategic oversight for presentations, research projects, and customer feedback initiatives managed by your team.

Guide your team in monitoring global travel trends, cultural shifts, and Gen Z/Millennial preferences to identify and act on high-potential product opportunities.

Who You Are:

• A collaborative leader with a proven track record of inspiring high-performing teams.
• A creative and driven innovator with a contagious passion for travel and extensive firsthand experience—whether professional or personal—that fuels your ability to inspire others and shape exceptional travel experiences.
• Experienced in managing product portfolios with commercial accountability—balancing traveler satisfaction, quality, and profitability.
• Adept at building and maintaining strategic partnerships that create mutual value.
• Exceptional communicator and storyteller, able to inspire diverse, global teams and build consensus across functions.
• Skilled in identifying and acting on emerging travel trends, particularly those shaping Gen Z and Millennial travel preferences.
• Demonstrated proficiency in project management, bringing cross-functional initiatives from ideation to launch.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to leverage data for creative problem-solving.
• Highly detail- and process-oriented with a strong systems mindset.
• Knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Storyblok, and EF’s Atlas a plus.
• 8+ years’ experience in product development or operations roles with a deep understanding of travel and tourism.
• Ability to travel 5-7 times per year.

Why you’ll love working here: Perks, Benefits, and more!

This is the most fun, high caliber place you’ll ever work. Ask any employee why they love EF (whether they’ve been here 10 minutes or 10 years) and they’ll probably tell you the same thing: it’s the people. When you work at EF, you join a purpose-driven, international and energetic community that thrives on continuous learning, fearless innovation and mutual support.

In addition, you can expect:

• Commitment to professional growth: robust monthly calendar of trainings and workshops
• Four weeks paid vacation your first year, ten paid holidays, and two floating holidays
• Exciting business travel opportunities
• 25% company match on your 401(k) contributions
• Market-leading medical, dental and vision coverage, along with options for life and disability insurance, legal and pet insurance
• Dependent care, healthcare and commuter Flex Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Access to fertility care and family-building support
• Wellness benefits including a yearly fitness reimbursement
• Frequent social and learning events, including access to our employee-run resource groups
• Robust Employee Assistance Program
• Tenure-based sabbatical eligibility
• EF Product Discounts (discounts on travel, international language schools, Au Pair program and more)
• Discounts at local venues and businesses
• Amazing offices designed to match the caliber of the people who work there, plus the flexibility of working from home one day a week.

About EF Ultimate Break

AtEF Ultimate Break,we’reabout way more than collecting passport stamps. Our guided tours empower young adults aged18–35to explore a world outside their comfort zones. And the result is amazing. Each immersive tour creates experiences that last a lifetime, building bonds with fellow travelers that go beyond borders and cultures, and help bring the world a little bit closer. WARNING: Working at Ultimate Break may inspire your own desire to see the world,goodnews is-we’llhelp with that!

Want to learn more about life at EF? Follow us on social.