Local Partnership Development Specialist – Tourism

About the role

The Local Partnership Development Specialist will drive the expansion of a fast‑growing travel and tourism company’s network of local tour guides and destination partners across South Africa. Working closely with senior management, you will source, evaluate, and onboard qualified guides while building strategic relationships with tourism associations, universities and other key stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Source qualified tour guides through directories, tourism associations, social media, guide marketplaces, university programs, tourism offices, referrals and community groups.
• Develop and maintain relationships with university tourism departments, lecturers, student organisations and alumni networks to strengthen the candidate pipeline.
• Conduct comprehensive background research on prospective guides, including specialties, language skills, certifications, customer reviews and online presence.
• Perform structured screening interviews assessing professionalism, communication, storytelling, destination knowledge, guest service standards, safety awareness and operational readiness.
• Evaluate and rank candidates using standardized criteria, maintaining an organised pipeline of qualified partners.
• Prepare concise candidate profiles, recommendations and market‑fit assessments for management review.
• Negotiate basic partnership terms and coordinate onboarding activities such as contracts, scheduling, pricing guidance and operational readiness.
• Continuously identify and test new sourcing channels, including community organisations, tourism job boards, alumni networks and industry events.

Required profile

• Proven experience in partnership development, recruitment or business development within the tourism or travel sector.
• Strong knowledge of South African tourism landscape, guide qualifications and local tourism institutions.
• Excellent research, interview and assessment skills with a data‑driven approach to candidate selection.
• Ability to negotiate partnership terms and manage onboarding processes efficiently.
• Effective communication and relationship‑building skills with diverse stakeholders such as universities, associations and community groups.

Required skills