Local Partnership Development Specialist – Tourism Network

About the role

The Local Partnership Development Specialist will drive the growth of our tourism network by identifying, evaluating, and onboarding qualified local tour guides across South Africa. Working closely with senior management, you will build strategic relationships with tourism associations, universities, and community organisations to expand our pool of trusted guide partners.

Key responsibilities

• Source qualified tour guides through directories, tourism associations, social media, guide marketplaces, university programmes, 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 to assess professionalism, communication, storytelling ability, destination knowledge, safety awareness and operational readiness.
• Rank candidates using standardized criteria, maintain an organised pipeline and prepare concise candidate profiles for management review.
• Negotiate basic partnership terms, coordinate onboarding activities such as contracts, scheduling, pricing guidance and operational set‑up.
• Continuously explore and test new sourcing channels, including community organisations, tourism job boards, alumni networks and industry events.

Required profile

• Proven experience in partnership development, business development or guide recruitment within the tourism or travel sector.
• Strong research and analytical abilities to evaluate guide credentials and market fit.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills for building and maintaining stakeholder relationships.
• Ability to work independently, manage a pipeline of candidates and meet recruitment targets.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape a fast‑growing tourism network in South Africa.
• Collaborative environment with a focus on sustainable growth and high service standards.
• Competitive compensation package aligned with performance.