Business Development Lead Direct Experiences (D2C)

About Smartbox Direct Experiences 

 
Smartbox Direct Experiences is a new, fast-growing venture within the Smartbox Group, Europe’s leading experience-gift company.We are focused on building direct-to-consumer, non-gift experience offers: wellness, gastronomy, leisure, adventure, culture and beyond. 

Our mission: identify what customers truly want to buy, validate traction fast, and scale winning experience concepts. 
This is not a “business as usual” role — it’s a build, test, iterate, repeat environment. 

The Role 

We are looking for a Business Development Lead to work hand-in-hand with the Head of Smartbox Direct Experiences to: 

• Source, negotiate and launch new experience concepts across non-stay universes (wellness, gastronomy, leisure, adventure, culture, etc.) 


• Move fast, test ideas in the market, and validate real intent and traction 


• Close quick & dirty deals that allow us to learn before scaling 

This role sits at the intersection of BD, category building, and venture testing. 

What You’ll Do 

Experience Sourcing & Partnerships 

• Identify and onboard high-potential experience partners (venues, brands, operators, independents) 


• Explore unconventional or emerging experience formats 


• Build a strong understanding of partner economics and constraints 

Deal-Making & Negotiation 

• Negotiate simple, pragmatic agreements focused on speed and mutual value 


• Structure pilot deals, revenue-share, net deals, or test-based partnerships 


• Remove friction — no over-engineering, no unnecessary complexity 

Market & Concept Testing 

• Launch and iterate multiple experience concepts in parallel 


• Work closely with marketing and product to test demand, pricing and messaging 


• Use real market signals (sales, conversion, partner feedback) to validate or kill ideas 

Entrepreneurial Execution 

• Operate with a founder mindset inside a corporate environment 


• Be comfortable with ambiguity, imperfect data, and rapid iteration 


• Contribute actively to shaping the future Smartbox Direct offer 

Who We’re Looking For 

Must-Have 

• 2–5 years of experience in business development, partnerships, category management or sales 


• Previous exposure to the experience, leisure, travel, hospitality, wellness, food or entertainment industries is a strong plus 


• Strong negotiation instincts and commercial common sense 


• Comfortable picking up the phone, going on-site, and closing deals 


• Fluent in French and English 

Mindset & Personality 

• Entrepreneurial, proactive, and hands-on 


• A natural go-getter who hates slow decision-making 


• Pragmatic > perfect 


• Curious, creative, and energized by testing new ideas 


• Comfortable with risk, learning fast, and moving on when something doesn’t work 

What Makes This Role Different 

• You are not joining a mature, fixed business — you are helping to build one 


• High exposure to strategy, leadership, and real business decisions 


• Freedom to test, fail, learn, and iterate quickly 


• A unique opportunity to combine startup velocity with Smartbox’s scale and brand power 

Why Join Us 

• Direct impact on a new strategic growth pillar for Smartbox Group 


• Steep learning curve and fast responsibility 


• Real ownership over deals, concepts and results 


• A role that can grow rapidly as the business scales