Senior Director, Loyalty Analytics & Member Experience

The Senior Director, Loyalty Operations, Analytics & Marketing is a strategic leader responsible for defining and executing Carnival’s loyalty vision to drive guest engagement, retention, and lifetime value. This role oversees the full operational lifecycle of the Carnival Rewards program (currently VIFP until 2026), including benefit fulfillment, top-tier and milestone programs, and all guest-facing touchpoints across onboard, shoreside, and digital channels.

Responsibilities

• Loyalty Benefit & Member Experience Strategy (Portfolio Ownership)

  • Own the end-to-end strategy and governance for the Loyalty benefits portfolio—including Tier Benefits, Milestone Programs, and the Diamond Desk—covering 30M+ members across onboard, shoreside, and digital channels.

  • Set a 3–5 year roadmap for benefit design, eligibility rules, fulfillment models, and inventory planning; ensure experiences are consistent, scalable, and cost-effective.

  • Partner at the executive level with SVP/VPs of Housekeeping, Beverage Operations, Dining, Guest Services, Entertainment, and Retail to co-create guest journeys and service standards that drive engagement, retention, and lifetime value.

  • Establish experience KPIs (e.g., benefit fulfillment accuracy, guest satisfaction, utilization rates, cost-to-serve) and lead monthly/quarterly reviews with shipboard and shoreside leadership.

• Technology Enablement & Data Integrity (Compliance + Reporting)

  • In partnership with the VP & Sr Director of IT Operations (Shipboard & Contact Center IT), govern compliant delivery of benefits, ensuring robust controls, auditability, and data accuracy across all systems and reports.

  • Lead release governance and change management for loyalty-related tech (eligibility rules, entitlements, UI/UX), including QA standards, defect SLAs, rollback plans, and data integrity monitoring.

  • Ensure privacy and security controls are embedded in member data capture, storage, and activation workflows; drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for incidents.

• Shipboard, Port & Destination Operations Leadership

  • Provide senior leadership for loyalty operations across 29 ships, 15+ ports of call, and Carnival-operated destinations (Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay, Isla Tropicale).

  • Partner with the VP of Port Ops, the VP of Destinations, the Sr Director of Guest Services, GOL, and the VP of Guest Services & Ports to set service standards, SOPs, and escalation protocols that ensure on-time, on-quality delivery of benefits.

  • Implement operational audits, SLA scorecards, and continuous improvement plans to reduce defects, guest friction, and cost-to-serve while increasing benefit utilization and satisfaction

• Compliance, Training & Shipboard Champion Network

  • Design and lead the compliance framework for loyalty operations, including policy creation, training certification, and field audits across shipboard teams.

  • Build and manage a high-performing network of 35+ Loyalty Champions across 29+ ships, ensuring consistent communication, enablement, and adherence to SOPs for new launches and changes.

  • Establish a training curriculum (role-based learning paths, refresh cycles, assessments) with performance dashboards to track certification rates, knowledge retention, and impact on KPIs.                            

• Contact Center & Sales Enablement (Diamond Desk Leadership)

  • Lead loyalty operations across contact centers in partnership with the VP of Contact Center and VP of Sales, setting policies, playbooks, campaign handling, and service SLAs for loyalty members.

  • Create and oversee the compliance and training programs for 30+ Loyalty Champions across contact centers, PVP, and Guest Care teams.

  • Direct the Diamond Desk team of 20+—owning staffing models, QA standards, knowledge management, escalation handling, and executive reporting—to ensure accurate, timely, and brand-aligned member communications and benefit fulfillment.

• Integrated Marketing & Agency Management

  • Own the marketing strategy and execution for loyalty—brand alignment, creative development, content ops, and performance—in partnership with brand teams.

  • Lead agency management end-to-end (briefs, creative reviews, testing, omnichannel activation, measurement) and support co-brand/UI/UX needs with clear ROI targets.

  • Implement measurement frameworks (UTM standards, holdout tests, uplift analyses) and optimize campaigns across channels to drive acquisition, engagement, and retention.

• Vendor & Partner Ecosystem (Contracts, Compliance & Delivery)

  • Own 20+ internal/external vendor relationships, including contract negotiation, compliance requirements, onboarding, SOWs/SLAs, and performance scorecards.

  • Ensure invoice system setup, reporting, and reconciliation are accurate and timely; drive risk management, BCP, and issue escalation disciplines across partners.

  • Oversee end-to-end benefit delivery (onboard and at home), maintaining quality, timeliness, and cost against defined KPIs.                 

• Milestone Program Ownership

  • Own the strategy, execution, and financial stewardship of the Milestone Program, including inventory controls, cost forecasting, and redemption policies.

  • Implement fraud prevention, claims handling, and breakage/liability optimization models; deliver transparent, executive-ready reporting on performance and ROI.               

• Analytics, Accounting & Financial Stewardship

  • Lead end-to-end analytics for loyalty operations to measure program health (engagement, utilization, cost-to-serve, uplift, retention) and translate insights into actionable strategies.

  • Own the benefits budget (tier benefits + milestone), partnering with Finance and the Sr Director of Accounting to manage accruals, reconciliation, close processes, and audits.

  • Manage operational budget and liability exposure, maintaining the Loyalty P&L and briefing leadership on variance drivers, risks, and investment opportunities.

  • Run scenario planning (best/base/worst), sensitivity analyses, and investment cases for benefit changes, digital enhancements, and vendor negotiations.

• Executive Governance, Communications & Decisioning

  • Chair a cross-functional Loyalty Governance Council to align on priorities, resourcing, risk, and change management; drive portfolio decisions with clear ROI and risk assessments.

  • Provide executive-ready communications (monthly business reviews, quarterly ELT updates) with status, trend insights, risk mitigation, and strategic recommendations.

  • Serve as the single point of accountability for loyalty operations outcomes and alignment across shipboard, shoreside, technology, contact centers, marketing, and finance.                          

• Performs other duties as assigned                                                                                                                         

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, Marketing, or Economics

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in a variety of increasingly responsible positions with proven P&L responsibility, managing revenue and/or exposure to a variety of industries.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience leading a team of 2+ in Operations/marketing.

• Experience with Loyalty or travel brands a major plus.

• Good system knowledge and strong analytical skills

• Manage a complex system and the P/L that will execute a substantial portion of the program’s operational budget.

• Quality assurance, testing, and ability to coordinate across departments   

• Loyalty operations/cruise management/guest-experience experience required

• This position is classified as “in-office.” As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida, Monday through Thursday each week. Employees may work from their homes on Fridays. Candidates must be located in (or willing to relocate to) the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. 

At Carnival, your total rewards package is much more than your base salary. All non-sales roles participate in an annual cash bonus program, while sales roles have an incentive plan. Director and above roles may also be eligible to participate in Carnival’s discretionary equity incentive plan. Plus, Carnival provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including: 

• Health Benefits: 

  • Cost-effective medical, dental and vision plans 

  • Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources 

  • Additional programs include company paid term life insurance and disability coverage 

• Financial Benefits: 

  • 401(k) plan that includes a company match 

  • Employee Stock Purchase plan 

• Paid Time Off:

  • Holidays – All full-time and part-time with benefits employees receive days off for 8 company-wide holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays to be taken at the employee’s discretion. 

  • Vacation Time – All full-time employees at the manager and below level start with 14 days/year; director and above level start with 19 days/year.  Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 84 hours/year.  All employees gain additional vacation time with further tenure. 

  • Sick Time – All full-time employees receive 80 hours of sick time each year. Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 60 hours each year.   

• Other Benefits:

  • Complementary stand-by cruises, employee discounts on confirmed cruises, plus special rates for family and friends 

  • Personal and professional learning and development resources including tuition reimbursement