At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic client partnerships and drive growth in a dynamic agency environment.
- Company: Join Engage Digital Partners, a leader in creative and digital solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a vibrant team culture.
- Other info: Opportunity to mentor a talented team and represent the agency at industry events.
- Why this job: Shape the future of sports marketing and influence global strategies.
- Qualifications: 6-8+ years in senior client leadership with a passion for innovation.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Job Description
Role Overview We are seeking a visionary, commercially driven, and strategically minded Business Director to join Engage Digital Partners.
The role balances senior client leadership with a strong focus on growth, with around half of the remit dedicated to leading new business pitches and strategic growth opportunities.
Reporting to the Managing Director (MD), you will be the senior strategic lead across multiple high‑value global and regional client accounts, with a particular emphasis on sport, partnerships, and globally distributed audiences.
You will be responsible for driving client growth, shaping long‑term strategy, and unlocking new opportunities across international markets.
This role is ideal for a dynamic leader who thrives on building deep client partnerships, guiding strategic direction, and influencing agency‑wide thinking.
You will oversee a team of Account Directors, Managers, and Executives, ensuring they are empowered to deliver best‑in‑class work while you focus on high‑level client development, innovation, commercial performance, and global account leadership.
Key Responsibilities Strategic Client Leadership
- Act as the senior strategic partner for key clients, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
- Lead the development of long-term client strategies that align with business goals and market trends.
- Drive client growth through proactive identification of new opportunities, upselling, and cross‑selling.
- Lead quarterly and annual strategic planning sessions with clients, delivering insight‑led recommendations.
- Champion the agency’s full creative, social, influencer, and partnership offering, with specific confidence in sport, sponsorship, and culturally led campaigns.
- Advise clients on navigating complex global ecosystems, including rights holders, federations, leagues, talent, and commercial partners.
- Business Growth & Commercial Oversight
- Own revenue forecasting, growth planning, and commercial performance across a hub of global accounts.
- Lead high‑value new business pitches and strategic responses to briefs, including global, regional and multi‑market opportunities (50% of role).
- Collaborate with the MD and leadership team on agency‑wide growth initiatives, innovation roadmaps, and capability development.
- Ensure profitability, margin protection, and commercial efficiency across all client engagements.
- Support the development of sport‑focused propositions, partnerships, and long‑term client retainers.
- Strategic Oversight of Campaigns
- Guide the strategic direction of campaigns, ensuring alignment with client objectives, cultural relevance, and regional market nuances.
- Partner with Strategy, Creative, Paid Media, and Partnerships teams to shape integrated, insight‑driven campaigns across platforms and markets.
- Oversee campaign performance at a macro level, ensuring consistent delivery of business results and learning across territories.
- Provide senior oversight on sport‑led activations, sponsorship campaigns, tournaments and events, and always‑on content ecosystems.
- Leadership & Culture
- Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Account Directors, Managers, and Executives, fostering a high‑performance, collaborative culture.
- Ensure teams are aligned with Engage’s values and equipped to deliver strategic excellence at scale, across multiple clients and markets.
- Support talent development, succession planning, and team structure optimisation, particularly for global and specialist account needs.
- Promote best‑practice ways of working across distributed teams and international partners.
- Industry Influence
- Represent the agency at industry, sport, media and partnership events, panels, and thought‑leadership forums.
- Stay ahead of trends in sport, social, digital, creator economy, partnerships, and fan engagement to inform client strategies.
- Build and maintain strong relationships across the sports ecosystem, including rights holders, broadcasters, platforms, talent agencies, and commercial partners.
- What We’re Looking For
- 6–8+ years’ experience in senior client leadership roles within a creative, digital, social, or partnership‑led agency.
- Proven track record of growing client accounts, leading strategic transformation, and driving commercial success.
- Strong experience working with global or multi‑market clients, with confidence navigating international complexity.
- Demonstrable understanding of sport, sponsorship, partnerships, and fan‑led communities, and how these intersect with social and digital platforms.
- Experience dealing with sports rights holders, either directly as a client or through a partnerships division.
- Deep understanding of social media, influencer marketing, creator partnerships, and digital innovation.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience in forecasting, budgeting, business planning, and margin management.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and leadership skills, with credibility at senior client and board level.
- A strategic thinker with a passion for innovation, culture, sport, and client success.
- Proficient in business tools including Power Point, Excel, and Microsoft Workspace.
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Business Director, Engage UK in City of London
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We think you need these skills to ace Business Director, Engage UK in City of London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Us Your Leadership Skills:In the corporate leadership and management field, it's essential to highlight your leadership experience. Use your CV to flesh out examples of how you've led teams to success or managed significant projects. We want to see specific instances where your actions made a tangible difference in your previous roles!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers talk, especially in management! When detailing your achievements in your CV or cover letter, don’t just say you improved team performance. Instead, say you boosted productivity by 30% over six months through effective strategy implementation. This makes your application pop and shows us what you can bring to Brave Bison.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to narrate your professional journey. We’re looking for motivation and a clear understanding of what corporate leadership means to you. Dive into your aspirations and how they align with the values and vision of Brave Bison. Make it personal – we want to get to know you!
Tailor Your CV for Management Roles:Ensure your CV reflects the management skills that are essential for this role. Focus on competencies like strategic planning, team building, and problem-solving. Use a clean layout, and don’t forget to align your experiences with those keywords mentioned in the job listing. This will help you stand out from the crowd!
How to prepare for a job interview at Brave Bison
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
You’ll want to thoroughly convey your unique approach to leadership. During the interview with Brave Bison, be ready to share real-life examples of how you've inspired and motivated teams in the past. Think about specific achievements that illustrate your strategic thinking and your ability to drive results.
✨Brush Up on Management Theories
Expect some technical questions related to management theories and practices. Brush up on concepts like transformational leadership, servant leadership, or situational leadership. Be prepared to discuss how you would apply these theories to the role at Brave Bison, especially in the specific context of the challenges they’re currently facing.
✨Craft Your Vision for the Company
Since this is a full-time leadership role, spending time thinking about your vision for Brave Bison could really set you apart. Consider potential strategies for growth and how you would lead teams towards achieving them. This shows not just enthusiasm, but also strategic foresight that they’ll likely be looking for in a candidate.
✨Emphasise Team Dynamics and Culture
In corporate leadership, team dynamics and organisational culture are everything. Be ready to discuss how you've fostered a positive work environment in previous roles. Bring up examples of how you've managed diverse teams effectively—this will resonate well at Brave Bison as they’re likely seeking a candidate who can enhance their workplace culture.
