Head of Sponsorship, Technology Partners

At McLaren, our mission is to set the standard for high performance in sport. Everyone, in every part of the team, has a role to play. So if you want to test your ideas with the world watching… And measure your progress in milliseconds… And play your part in racing history… You belong here. High performance starts with you.

Purpose of the Role

The Head of Sponsorship, Technology Partners will play a pivotal role in driving McLaren’s continued commercial success. You will lead a high-performing team of 9 individuals, including 4 direct reports, managing approximately 20 technology partners. Your primary responsibility will be to lead the Technology Partnerships vertical, with overall accountability for ensuring partners maximise the value of their relationship through their partnership strategy, while aligning activity with our wider commercial business objectives.

Role Dimensions

1. Strategic Leadership: Responsible for the Technology Partnerships vertical with overall accountability for ensuring our partners maximise the value of their relationship through their activation strategy (c. 20 partners).

2. Activation Excellence: Oversee the development and execution of innovative and impactful sponsorship activations, maximizing brand visibility and ROI for partners, exceeding expectations of each partner.

3. Measurement & Evaluation: Monitor and optimise the ROI and ROO for each partnership, allowing for effective reporting to key stakeholders internally and externally.

4. Team Leadership: Drive a high performing team culture overseeing a team of nine, with four direct reports, who are responsible for the day-to-day fulfilment of contractual rights against agreed objectives, acting as a role model for the wider Partnerships team.

5. Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with existing partners at multiple levels within their business.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Marketing, Communications, Commercial Operations, Commercial Technology, Racing and other departments to ensure seamless execution of sponsorship initiatives.

7. Financial Management: Manage the sponsorship budget alongside the Head of, Commercial Partnerships, tracking against key revenue and expenditure metrics.

8. Commercial Strategy: Ensure that all partnerships support our strategic commercial business objectives, with responsibility for the development and execution of a plan to deliver this for Technology Partners, with support from the Director, F1 Partnerships.

This role requires travel both within the UK and internationally (c. 6-10 races a year) and consequently flexibility in working hours will be required.

Principal Accountabilities

Partnership Management

1. Oversee the successful delivery of all our Technology partnerships by establishing strong and collaborative relationships with relevant stakeholders within our partner organisations, and supporting partnership management team with the development, delivery and measurement of multi-channel activation strategies that successfully deliver partners rights to an agreed set of objectives at a world-class standard.

2. Alongside the Head of, Commercial Partnerships, and other Heads of, ensure collaborative working relationships across Commercial, Communications, Racing and other departments to enable the seamless execution of sponsorship initiatives that deliver impact to both partner and McLaren, including the effective prioritisation of the distribution of assets in cases of limited availability.

3. Develop a deep understanding of our partner’s business strategies, objectives, target growth markets, competitors and KPI’s / metrics that resonate when evaluating partnership success, participating in key partners annual / bi-annual planning and reporting sessions to help shape strategy and optimise output.

4. Serve as the primary point of contact for escalating partner issues or challenges that require additional attention, employing effective negotiation and mediation techniques to find a positive solution and maintain positive relationships.

5. Lead the onboarding of new Technology Partnerships into the McLaren Formula 1 Team, alongside assigned Partner Manager, delivering against the set framework to set the example for future partnership management while ensuring a smooth and effective introduction to McLaren.

6. Work with the Director, Business Technology, and wider Commercial Technology team to establish and support the technological integration of our partners products into our technology infrastructure, to enhance capability and provide authentic storytelling opportunities.

7. Work with the Senior Specialist, Partner Operations, on any cross-team projects as required, including strategic events, executive CRM and gifting, and general partnership team operations.

Commercial Strategy

1. Work with the Director, F1 Partnerships to set the commercial strategy for the Technology Partnerships vertical, identifying which partners are best aligned with our key commercial objectives.

2. Support the Director, F1 Partnerships with the development and execution of the Strategic Business Plan for the department.

Team Management

1. Lead the Technology Partnerships team of nine, with four direct reports.

2. Build personal credibility by developing a thorough knowledge of the wider business, behaving with humility and in a confident manner, and championing cross-department collaboration.

3. Ensure the effective and efficient delivery of all responsibilities within the Technology Partnerships team, including assigning partner roles and responsibilities, and working with the Head of, Commercial Partnerships to allocate key team wide workstreams aligned with team members capabilities and focus development areas.

4. Set the example across the Team for partnership best practices, processes, project management, budget management and client reporting.

5. Support the professional development of four direct reports, including performance reviews and development plans, while ensuring the professional development of all Technology team members is delivered.

6. Champion the use of new technologies and tools as introduced by the business to optimise ways of working and drive operational efficiency, by working closely with the Digital Transformation Project Team.

7. Work with the Head of, Commercial Partnerships to deliver cross-partnerships team workstreams including team race travel, team off-sites, strategic event planning etc.

8. Partnership Leadership Team member alongside Director, F1 Partnerships and Head of, Commercial Partnerships, representing the department in meetings with senior stakeholders as required.

9. Always operate with our core values in mind – Brave; Respectful; Innovative; Inclusive; Energetic.

Experience, Knowledge & Skillset

1. Proven track record in a senior sponsorship or commercial role, managing multiple major partners and senior stakeholders, ideally within the sports industry – prior experience working in Formula 1 and / or a deep understanding of the Formula 1 commercial landscape would be advantageous.

2. Client servicing, product marketing and commercial strategy experience will be key to the success of this role, along with an analytic, practical and solutions orientated, can-do mindset.

3. Ability to work under pressure and prioritise workload, in a highly dynamic environment, often across multiple time-zones.

4. Excellent communication and presentation skills both verbal and written paying close attention to detail given frequent interaction with several senior / C-suite stakeholders, internal and external.

5. Experience leading a team with multiple direct reports.

6. A passion for technology and a keen eye for identifying emerging trends.

Personal Attributes

1. Results: A proven winner, someone who is driven and comes with an outstanding work ethic and expects the best from themselves and their people.

2. Credible: Considered credible and has gravitas in role, acting as a role model to uphold the McLaren values.

3. Strategic: Passion for and ability to provide a clear strategy, vision and direction for the partnership.

4. Leadership: Can lead a high performing team culture by empowering and developing team members.

5. Challenges: Challenges others to strive for more, both in innovation and meeting stakeholder needs.

6. Commercial: Proactively explores and creates new commercial opportunities for the partner and McLaren business to deliver positive ROI.

7. Collaboration: Engages the partnership ecosystem, networks and alliances to support long term success of the account.

8. Dynamic: Ability to manage and work through highly complex workstreams that attract executive visibility and require careful management.

What can McLaren offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking.

Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.

Applications close on Friday, 6th December at 4.30pm.

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