Business Development Lead – Direct Experiences (D2C)

Confidential

Paris Hybrid permanent

Posted: February 4, 2026

Job Description

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

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