Senior Partnerships Lead - 12-Month Contract in London

We are looking for a Senior Partnerships Manager on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract to play a key role in managing, activating, retaining and supporting the renewal of our crucial club partner relationships. In this exciting role, you will oversee key partnerships, including with a principal partner, and lead a team dedicated to ensuring that partners maximise the value of their agreements, driving meaningful results and impact for their businesses.

Who we are

We are one of the most famous clubs in world football, with a rich heritage and history of success. Beyond that, we are passionate about our local community and behind the scenes we have a wide variety of opportunities and career paths for all. We have a very defined purpose: to act for a winning team, culture and community. We achieve this by ensuring we are courageous in the pursuit of progress, we champion our community and each other, and we do the right thing (even when no one is looking).

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.

Your day‑to‑day

• Deliver best‑in‑class partnerships – you'll be pivotal in ensuring that partnership agreements are planned, executed and evaluated to the highest standards, optimising ROI for our club partners.
• Inspire and motivate a team – you will take pride in leading and managing a dedicated team, identifying learning and development opportunities and championing their growth.
• Lead the development and execution of the strategy – you'll enthusiastically create and roll out strategic plans, activating rights and assets for each partner to maximise value and impact.
• Build in‑depth knowledge of our partners – you will develop an expertise of each partner's business to create and drive programmes that deliver commercial value and drive renewals.
• Support in the overseeing of budget management – you'll work closely with the senior management group to ensure financial efficiency for the team.
• Act as a key liaison across our club – you'll collaborate with a diverse range of colleagues to ensure a joined‑up approach to partnerships and lead significant club‑wide projects that enhance partner programmes and engagement.
• Evolve our partnership management capability – you will identify challenges and improve processes across our club that contribute to better management of partners.
• Collaborate with our measurement and insights team – you'll proactively produce detailed reports for partners, highlighting return on investment and key objectives.

What we are looking for

• Extensive experience in partner, account or project management – you come with an impressive track record of delivering exceptional service levels to brands across multiple sectors and markets.
• Inspiring and trusted leader – you’re passionate about motivating, coaching and developing a team of direct reports.
• In‑depth understanding of brand marketing – you’re equipped with an innate knowledge of brand marketing and have experience developing and executing campaigns across traditional and digital channels.
• Strategic mindset – you’ve got a proven background in developing partner strategies and leading brand campaigns and projects and expertise in managing and implementing partnership programmes.
• Track record of effective rights management – you’re well versed in handling brand approvals and guardianship.
• Proactive problem‑solver – you relish the opportunity to face difficult situations and challenging conversations head‑on, with a solutions‑focused approach and thrive in a fast‑paced environment.
• Confident and dynamic communicator – you pride yourself on your ability to build impactful relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders, tailoring your tone and approach when necessary.
• Exceptional attention to detail – you have excellent organisational, planning and project management skills and prioritise efficiency without compromising quality and accuracy.

Why choose us

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme.
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service.
• Great internal learning and development programmes.
• A flexible hybrid working model.
• Priority access to apply for match tickets.
• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package.
• A leading Employee Assistance Programme.
• Great discounts with some of our Partners.
• An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks.

Discover why ‘Our Gunners’ are proud to be part of our team.

Arsenal for Everyone

Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to one Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch.

Disability Confident Leader

We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long‑term health conditions. If you need disability‑related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in the application. If you are likely to meet the definition of a ‘disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme. The information you share about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment decisions.