Director, Partnership Management

We have an exciting opportunity for an individual to join our Liverpool FC team as a Director, Partnership Management. You will be responsible for implementing all aspects of our industry, leading partner servicing and flexible rights delivery. Supporting the VP on Global renewals across the portfolio of Partners, worth in excess of £60 million. This individual, together with the team they manage, will be responsible for proving the impact of Liverpool FC as an indispensable component of each Partner’s marketing and communications strategy, as well as ensuring a positive culture across the team and wider Club.

Working alongside the VP Partnerships Delivery, you will be fundamental in setting the strategy to ensure the partner management proposition is fit to service blue chip partners. Working alongside internal stakeholders to set and implement our Partnerships vision across all areas of the Club.

What will you be doing?

• Responsibility for establishing objectives, devising the strategy to achieve those objectives and overseeing the execution of that strategy.
• Responsibility for aligning key stakeholders from LFC, the Partner and Partner agencies to agree KPIs and objectives over appropriate time periods (e.g. term, season, campaign).
• Support Senior Partner Manager group on strategy development, rights management and execution across Principal & Global Partners.
• Lead ways of working with internal departments, including Football, to ensure they are focused on delivering impact for Partners.
• Working alongside other Club Directors to overcome any barriers to execution that may exist.
• Ensure the Partners and LFC have aligned evaluation methodologies that consistently prove the impact of Partner rights activation.
• Maintain an excellent knowledge-base on Partner business strategies and operations. An expertise beyond their sponsorship strategy is expected.
• Senior stakeholder and relationship management across partner portfolio.
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with budget holders and other influential Partner stakeholders.
• Set out strategies for Partner engagement at all levels and manage c-suite LFC stakeholders to leverage influence and build relationships.
• Expected to maintain high quality relationships with Partner contacts and their agencies.
• Team culture, management and development
• Line management of a team of Senior Partnership Managers and Partner Managers.
• Lead Senior Managers and Managers in the delivery of an industry-leading service to each Partner within the portfolio.
• Set the expectations on culture and acceptable behaviours across the team, ensuring all staff have a flexible, positive and solution focused approach (internally & externally).
• Exemplify and influence a pro-active mindset within the team, ensuring Partners benefit from a consistent stream of ideas and opportunities that align with their objectives.
• Nurture talent within the team, proactively seeking out opportunities to develop our people.
• Play a leading role in creating an environment and culture that people from a variety of backgrounds will thrive in.
• Forecast team structures to ensure the department is set up for success for any new pipeline business.
• Internal communications
• Financial accountability for Partnership Delivery team.
• Forecast, manage and report on cost of sales across all Partners.
• Plan and track overhead budgets across the year, ensuring there is no overspend, without the proper agreements in place.
• Manage the Senior Managers to be accountable for their Partners profitability.
• Wider contribution to Partnerships department and the Club
• Support SVP, VPs and sales team on Partner renewal conversations.
• Support and where appropriate lead department and cross-department projects/initiatives that enhance our ability to deliver an outstanding service to Partners.
• Educate, support and steer internal stakeholders and become a support to the VP as a voice of Partnerships within LFC.

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in this role, you will be a highly experienced sponsorship and partnership marketing professional with demonstrable credibility across all aspects of the discipline. You’ll bring a unique blend of experience from rights holders, brands, and agencies, along with a proven track record of managing senior stakeholder relationships at blue-chip global companies for several years. You’ll thrive in a fast-paced environment, balancing multiple projects with ease, and possess a genuine desire to build meaningful, authentic relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. A bachelor’s degree from a leading university—or equivalent experience—is required. Experience within sports or a similar rights-based environment is advantageous.

Why should you apply?

This is a full-time permanent role working 35 hours per week. Your main base will be our Liverpool city centre office on Chapel Street. To reward your hard work and commitment we offer a competitive salary, 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays and the option to purchase up to an additional 5 days) and a contributory pension scheme. You will have access to our benefits kit bag where you can get high street discounts, and a selection of benefit schemes you can join. There are opportunities to get involved with volunteering through our LFC Foundation to give back to the local community.

At Liverpool Football Club, we have an unwavering commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and are always looking to make a positive difference in the communities that we operate within. We are proud of our achievements in this area; maintaining the Premier League Equality Standard Advanced Level, becoming a founding signatory of the Football Association’s Football Leadership Diversity Code and being recognised as a leader in this important area on and off the pitch. We take our responsibilities in this area seriously and through the work being done across the club, we are committed to increasing the diversity of our people and becoming an increasingly inclusive workplace for all. We are committed to hiring great people representative of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills across our entire business. If you share our enthusiasm and passion for inclusivity, then we want to hear from you.

Liverpool FC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all Colleagues and Volunteers to share this commitment.