Commercial Strategy & Development Manager - Denver International Airport

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $101,050 -$140,000. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location & Schedule

This position will follow a hybrid schedule that includes three days/week in the office located at Denver International Airport.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

About DEN 

 Since opening on Feb. 28, 1995, Denver International Airport (DEN) has become one of the world’s busiest airports. In 2025, 82,427,962 passengers passed through DEN, making DEN 4th busiest airport in the U.S. and the world’s 10th busiest airport. DEN is Colorado’s primary economic engine, generating $47.2 billion in annual economic impact for the state. At DEN, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate individuality and strive to keep Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) at the center of all that we do.  

Denver International Airport is seeking a Commercial Strategy & Development Manager to join the Concessions Department. This role is responsible for driving commercial growth by identifying, attracting, and onboarding world class concession operators while also leading the airport’s sponsorship and advertising commercial programs. The Commercial Strategy & Development Manager will play a critical role in advancing DEN’s vision for a world-renowned concessions program by leading market strategy, industry outreach, and partnership development initiatives that enhance customer experience and maximize revenue performance.

The Commercial Strategy & Development Manager will work closely with leadership and across the enterprise to develop and execute strategies that support DEN’s overall Vision 100 and long-term commercial goals. This position serves as a strategic, external facing role that actively engages national, regional, and local operators, concepts, advertisers, and sponsors to position DEN as a premier marketplace for innovative commercial partnerships.

Key Responsibilities will include:

• Support the implementation of the Concessions Master Plan by identifying growth opportunities and market gaps across concourses that align with airport operational and revenue goals.
• Develop and advance current and future concession opportunities through market research, industry benchmarking, and concept curation.
• Draft, write, publish, and manage Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for concession opportunities including outreach, evaluation coordination, recommendation development, and contract negotiations.
• Oversee sponsorship and advertising contracts, ensuring commercial performance, compliance with contract terms, and alignment with DEN’s standards, revenue objectives and customer experience goals.
• Serve as a liaison between prospective and existing concessionaires, sponsors, advertisers, and airport stakeholders on business opportunities, and commercial alignment.
• Collaborate with Finance and internal partners on revenue strategy, financial analysis, forecasting, and long-term commercial planning.
• Define, track, and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure commercial growth, revenue performance, and partner success.
• Manage the Joint Marketing Fund and the contracts supported by it, utilizing these resources to drive targeted marketing and promotional initiatives that elevate DEN’s existing concession partners, strengthen brand visibility, and both enhance customer engagement and experience across the airport
• Partner with concourse, development, and marketing teams to ensure alignment between commercial development strategies, capital planning, space availability, and advertising inventory.
• Review leases, sponsorship agreements, and advertising contracts to support revenue optimization, long-term partnership success, and compliance with DEN policies.
• Promote a business friendly operating environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and sustainable commercial partnerships.
• Manage complex stakeholder relationships and resolve commercial issues involving concessionaires, sponsors, advertisers, and internal partners.
• Prepare and present business cases, market insights, procurement recommendations, and performance reports to executive leadership.

What You'll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, results-driven commercial strategy & development professional with strong commercial, negotiation, and procurement expertise and a proven ability to grow revenue in complex, high-traffic environments. This individual brings creativity, market insight, and entrepreneurial thinking, along with the ability to build and manage high-value commercial partnerships that support DEN’s long-term vision.

We are looking for someone with some or all of the following skills and experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in commercial strategy, business development, revenue growth, procurement, or a related field.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of experience in food and beverage, hospitality, retail, advertising, sponsorship, or commercial real estate preferred.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in market analysis, business case development, and strategic planning.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously and deliver measurable results.
• Demonstrated experience drafting and managing RFPs, and overseeing complex commercial contracts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated (proven) leadership skills managing professional and technical level staff.
• Experience with business process improvement activities.
• Experience in driving an organization to achieve measurable results through continuous improvement.
• Decision making experience including planning and organizing multiple programs, projects and operations simultaneously.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of professional individual contributors.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
   

Internal Candidates Only: Please note that probationary employees are not eligible to apply to open positions until they’ve successfully passed probation. Please only apply if you have already passed probation. 

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until 4/30/2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 4/29/2026 at 11:59 PM.

FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required.

Snow / Emergency Duties: Denver International Airport is a 24/7/365 team operation. If weather conditions warrant or an emergency crisis occurs, all DEN employees can be required to work extended hours and/or shifts

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CX3136 Airport Commercial Manager

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$101,050.00 - $166,733.00

Target Pay

$101,050 - $140,000/based on education and experience

Agency

Denver International Airport

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.