Department: Tourvest Accommodation

Location: Arusha, Tanzania

We are seeking a visionary and commercially astute executive to lead our East Africa business as Managing Director. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for the overall strategic, operational, financial, and people performance of the Tourvest Accommodation East Africa portfolio, encompassing Lemala Camps & Lodges, Adrift, Grumeti Luxury Travel, and Tulia.
Based in Arusha and reporting directly to the Divisional CEO of Tourvest Accommodation, the Managing Director provides executive leadership across the region, ensuring financial sustainability, world-class service delivery, and brand integrity. The MD is responsible for translating group strategy into measurable business outcomes by overseeing property operations, driving guest satisfaction, enhancing stakeholder relationships, and fostering a high-performance organisational culture. This role offers unparalleled exposure to one of Africa’s most dynamic and rewarding tourism environments.

• Strategic Leadership & Business Planning: Develop and implement long-term strategy aligned with the Tourvest group vision and the specific growth objectives of the East Africa portfolio. Lead annual business planning, budgeting, and performance forecasting. Conduct market and competitor analysis to identify growth opportunities and position the portfolio for sustainable expansion. Report to the Divisional CEO and Board on financial and operational performance, ensuring full transparency and accountability.
• Financial & Commercial Management: Assume full P&L accountability for the East Africa portfolio, driving revenue growth, cost efficiency, and profitability across all brands and properties. Oversee commercial strategy in close collaboration with the Head of Sales & Marketing, ensuring pricing, distribution, and yield management strategies are optimised. Identify and pursue new revenue streams, partnerships, and business development opportunities across the region.
• Operations & Service Excellence: Provide executive oversight of all property operations across Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, ensuring consistently exceptional guest experiences that uphold and elevate each brand’s positioning. Champion a culture of operational excellence, continuous improvement, and world-class hospitality standards. Ensure all properties are maintained to the highest standards of quality, safety, and sustainability.
• Sales, Marketing & Brand Management: Partner with the Head of Sales & Marketing to drive integrated commercial performance across all brands. Ensure brand integrity and consistent positioning across all markets and guest touchpoints. Support new product, property, and market launches, leveraging the strength of the Tourvest group platform to accelerate growth.
• Mergers, Acquisitions & Growth Development: Actively identify, evaluate, and pursue new growth opportunities that expand the footprint, revenue base, and strategic positioning of the East Africa portfolio. This includes leading or supporting mergers and acquisitions activity — from opportunity origination and commercial assessment through to due diligence, deal structuring, and post-acquisition integration. The Managing Director is expected to maintain a forward-looking growth mindset, scanning the regional market for new lodge, camp, or brand acquisition targets, management contract opportunities, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships that are consistent with the Tourvest Accommodation investment thesis and long-term growth strategy.

• People, Culture & Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing, diverse, and motivated leadership team across the East Africa portfolio. Foster a culture of accountability, excellence, and continuous development aligned with the #OneTourvest POWER values. Champion transformation, localisation, and the development of East African talent, supporting succession planning and internal capability building at all levels of the organisation.
• Sustainability, Community & Stakeholder Engagement: Champion the group’s sustainability agenda, ensuring all operations are managed with a deep commitment to environmental conservation and community benefit. Build and maintain strong relationships with government bodies, conservation authorities, local communities, and strategic partners across the region. Represent Tourvest Accommodation as a responsible corporate citizen and leader in sustainable luxury tourism.
• Risk & Compliance Management: Uphold corporate governance and ensure full legal, regulatory, and ethical compliance across all operations and jurisdictions. Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, financial, and reputational risks. Ensure robust internal controls and reporting frameworks are in place across all entities.

The Managing Director will regularly represent Tourvest Accommodation at the highest levels of the East African tourism industry, including government engagements, conservation forums, international trade events, and investor meetings. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate visionary leadership, sound commercial judgment, and the ability to inspire and align diverse teams across multiple countries and cultures.

• Educational Background: A postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or a related field is required. An MBA or equivalent executive qualification is strongly preferred.
• Professional Experience: A minimum of 10-15 years of senior leadership experience, with at least 3 years at an executive or Managing Director level within the luxury hospitality, safari, or tourism sectors.
• Industry Expertise: Demonstrated success in strategic growth, commercial performance, and operational management within a multi-brand, multi-country hospitality environment. Experience operating within East Africa is strongly preferred.
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of financial analysis, P&L management, and commercial strategy within the luxury travel and hospitality sector.
• International Exposure: International exposure and experience engaging with global luxury travel markets, trade partners, and conservation stakeholders is advantageous.

• Visionary Leadership: The ability to steer large, complex, multi-brand organisations with a clear strategic vision, inspiring teams across diverse geographies and cultures.
• Strategic & Systems Thinking: Strong governance and ethical decision-making, with the ability to translate group strategy into clear operational priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Business & Financial Acumen: A strong command of financial analysis, commercial management, and P&L accountability within the luxury hospitality sector.

The salary for this position is competitive and dependent on relevant experience.

ONLY CANDIDATES WITH THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED.
WHILST WE DO OUR BEST TO REPLY TO EACH APPLICATION, NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS MAY BE THE CAUSE FOR OUR NON-RESPONSE.