Partnership Sales Manager

Brentford FC is a bit different from other Premier League football clubs. We put our fans first, we are a true community club and while we are financially sustainable, we are not afraid to take calculated risks. We take huge pride in our environment and culture within the Club which focuses on development, inclusion and not being afraid to think differently. Being progressive, humble and respectful while sticking together as one team across the Club guides how we work and the decisions we make each day. We also firmly believe that a diverse workforce is a better workforce which will help us develop ideas, solve problems and ultimately grow Brentford FC. We play in a new stadium, 15 minutes from Heathrow in vibrant west London. We will never forget where we have come from, but we are excited about the future that lies ahead.

Now in our fifth year as a Premier League Club, Brentford FC is firmly established at the top level of English football. Growth on the pitch is driving growth off the pitch, and we have an exciting opportunity for a creative, resourceful, and collaborative professional to join our dynamic partnerships department. The Partnerships department is going through an exciting time. The past 18 months has seen an unprecedented period of growth. The number of Club partners has increased significantly with several new partners added and a number of renewals with existing partners. Partnerships revenue is a critical pillar of the Club’s business model, and we are ambitious to grow it further. To support this objective, we are recruiting for a Partnership Sales Manager. Reporting to the Head of Partnership Sales, the successful candidate will be tasked with securing new commercial partnerships through a value-added approach to partnership sales in order to contribute and support both the Club’s strategic and commercial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Play an important role in the execution of the Club’s partnerships strategy.
• Independently and proactively engage senior decision makers within target brands to secure meetings and explore new partnerships.
• Work in a collaborative manner with prospect brands to understand their key objectives and together build compelling partnership propositions.
• Lead on storytelling, narrative and data-led sales processes; building robust and high value partnership propositions for prospect brands.
• Work in partnership with senior decision makers at prospect brands to steer partnership agreements through their internal decision-making processes.
• Work collaboratively with key internal colleagues to develop bespoke sales materials based around a contextual narrative to align with the specific needs of a prospect brand.
• When needed, support the wider Partnership Sales team with preparation for meetings and presentations.
• Effectively manage the Club’s internal CRM system, including executing the end to end sales process, and ultimately handover process, through the platform.
• Work closely with the Partnership Services team to onboard new partners, taking responsibility to ensure effective handover and communication of all relevant information.
• Report on pipeline to the Head of Partnership Sales and other relevant stakeholders within the Commercial department, inform discussions around the Club’s commercial outlook and strategic decisions.
• Matchday hosting, and attendance of industry events and networking to build relationships, as required.
• Attend Club Partner events throughout the season – e.g. Partner Golf Day, Partner Lunch, workshops, seminars etc.
• Contribute in a positive manner to wider club activities and initiatives, including around specific projects or delivery of strategic objectives.
• From time to time, other duties as requested by Senior Management.
• Align with and be an advocate of the Club’s key values at all times; Togetherness, Respectful and Progressive.

Knowledge and Specialist Skills

• Sales driven individual with proven track record in concluding new partnerships.
• Previous experience in a commercial sales role, preferably within the sports industry.
• A keen interest in football, with wider understanding of the landscape of the sports industry.
• Have a clear understanding of partnership marketing, measurement, and brand partnerships in order to be able to effectively engage with senior marketing decision makers and to understand their objectives.
• The ability to comfortably understand the strategy and objectives of individual businesses, and apply these to the partnership sales process.
• An understanding of the digital landscape, including digital marketing and evaluation tools, and ability to identify future opportunities within the space.
• Knowledge and interest in current affairs and business topics, an ability to apply this understanding to prospect conversations and engage with brands on how developments affect them.
• Process driven with the ability to execute and follow clear internal processes.
• A self-starter who can effectively and efficiently manage their own sales processes, and understand both key internal and external decision-making processes.
• Strong presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced industry and sector.
• Strong relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and exert a positive influence.
• Outstanding written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Numerate and data-driven with a strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of Salesforce or similar platforms.
• Able to work unsociable hours including weekends and evenings.
• Fluent in English, with proficiency in other languages beneficial.

People Skills

• Build and maintain strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Professional, confident, self-motivated and enthusiastic.
• A positive, bright and energetic demeanour.
• Highly motivated and ambitious to build a successful career in sales.
• Excellent broader interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively articulate a position, an argument or a proposition.
• Ability to quickly build rapport and trust with external C-suite decision makers, managing the intricacies of such relationships.
• Ability to build collaborative internal relationships, including managing upwards to influence decision making within the Commercial department through confident persuasion and argument.
• Confident in varied social and professional situations, able to comfortably engage in conversation in different environments.
• Resilience, perseverance and a strong work ethic.
• Well organised with excellent time management and planning skills.
• Desire for continuous personal improvement.
• Team-oriented approach, with a strong desire to support colleagues to achieve collective goals.

External Impact

• As the first experience many brands will have with the Club, this is very much an external facing and highly visible role.
• Champion the Club and successfully present the Club’s position and proposition in all communication with prospect brands and agencies.
• Ensure the protection and enhancement of the Club’s reputation in all external interactions.
• Where appropriate, to engage with the wider industry, including stakeholders at agencies and other rightsholders, representing the Club in a manner that enhances the Club’s reputation within the sports industry.

Decision Making

• Use personal and professional judgement to form opinions about the most effective way to progress an active conversation with a prospect.
• Use market insight to form opinions about brand and consumer trends to feed into the Club’s partnerships strategy and go-to-market approach.
• Support the Head of Partnership Sales and other senior stakeholders within the Commercial department in evaluating commercial decisions and understanding the short and long-term implications of different approaches.
• Advise the Head of Partnership Sales on effective and relevant utilisation of resources to deliver against the departmental objectives. Take personal responsibility for independent resource usage on a smaller scale.

Innovation

• Engage with and regularly contribute to internal reviews of the partnership sales process, informing improved ways of working and approach to taking the Club’s proposition to market.
• Engage with and regularly contribute to internal reviews of partnership assets and delivery, to support the design and development of innovative processes and partnership rights.
• Work with prospective partner brands to understand changing needs and desires, utilising this information to help inform the Club’s constantly developing partnership proposition and approach to partnership delivery.

General Club Accountabilities

• To comply with all Club policies, including health and safety, data regulations and other legal, ethical and social requirements.
• To build and maintain good working relationships while maintaining a professional image.
• To keep confidential any information gained regarding the Club and its personnel.
• To always maintain a flexible approach to work.

Inclusion Statement

Brentford FC is proud to be an organisation that values equity, diversity and inclusion. We strive to create a culture that celebrates difference and ensures fairness, safety, representation, and belonging. We recognise that some groups remain underrepresented in our workforce and are actively working to change this. As part of that commitment, we strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds — particularly those from ethnically diverse communities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and disabled people. We’re committed to a fair and inclusive recruitment process, with all decisions made based on merit and suitability — regardless of background or protected characteristic. Should you be selected for interview, we welcome the opportunity to discuss any specific arrangements, accommodations or reasonable adjustments you may require to be made.

Safeguarding Statement

Brentford FC is fully committed to promoting equality, and to safeguarding the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and is a core part of the Club’s culture. All staff and volunteers share a collective duty to create and maintain a safe and supportive environment, both on and off the field. To ensure this, all staff are required to complete regular safeguarding training appropriate to their role. This training supports a proactive and informed approach to safeguarding practice. The successful candidate will be expected to understand, adhere to, and actively uphold all relevant safeguarding policies and procedures. This includes recognising signs of abuse or harm, responding appropriately, and reporting any concerns in a timely manner to the Club’s Safeguarding Team. Brentford FC operates safer recruitment practices. We remind individuals that it is a criminal offence for a person barred from engaging in regulated activity to apply for a role that involves such activity.