Chief Revenue Officer

The Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) is a senior executive responsible for developing and executing integrated B2B revenue generation strategies that strengthen the state of Wisconsin’s visitor economy, increase tourism-related economic impact and position the state as a premier destination for leisure travel, business events, sporting events, film production, and outdoor recreation. 

Reporting to the Deputy Secretary, the CRO provides strategic leadership across multiple business development functions, aligning industry partnerships, destination marketing, business attraction, and sales efforts to maximize visitor spending, investment, and economic growth. The CRO serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and works collaboratively with tourism industry stakeholders (destination marketing organizations, state-wide associations, attraction and tourism businesses, film and outdoor recreation stakeholders), state agencies, elected officials, to advance statewide economic development.

The Chief Revenue Officer leads the Market Development Bureau, comprised of Industry Relations, Outdoor Recreation, Film Wisconsin, and group travel, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and priorities connected to an overarching statewide revenue strategy. The CRO will supervise four positions: the Industry Relations Director, the Office of Outdoor Recreation Director, Film Wisconsin Director, and Group Travel Manager.

The CRO will leverage economic data insights through WDT’s multiple platforms to inform the Revenue Bureau’s strategy and serve on the executive leadership team, contributing to strategic organization-wide priorities. The CRO ensures contract management and project management executed by the Market Development Bureau aligns with the organizational 

Qualified applicants will have work experience with each of the following:

• Experience as an executive leader and strategic manager.
• B2B Revenue generation and economic development experience. This could include developing and executing integrated B2B revenue strategy, strategic business development strategies and oversight of B2B marketing and destination development programs.
• Public-private partnership and stakeholder engagement. Includes developing and implementing comprehensive stakeholder engagement and outreach plans that led to collaborative marketing results.
• Professional experience within the tourism or hospitality industry.
• Experience managing comprehensive budgets, upholding financial procurement standards, and contract oversight.

In addition, well-qualified applicants will have professional experience in at least one of the following:

• Inter-Agency Alignment: Experience directly aligning bureau strategies with the executive team or office (e.g., Governor’s Office, Cabinet Secretaries, or Corporate C-suites).
• Tourism-Specific Sales: Direct experience leading statewide or regional sales efforts specifically targeting meetings, conventions, sports tourism, motorcoach/group tours and/or international audiences.
• Complex network governance. Experience managing relationships across multiple tiers of government (state agencies, elected officials, tribal nations) and state-wide industries (tourism, outdoor recreation, film, etc.)
• Destination Marketing specialization. State or national level experience preferred.
• International tourism strategy leadership. Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing international trade contractors to target foreign tour operators, wholesalers, and travel advisors.
• Niche Film Industry Acceleration: Experience driving economic growth within the film/digital media production economy or the outdoor recreation economy.

Tagged as: Contract Management, Project Management