Commercial Digital Manager

Join to apply for the Commercial Digital Manager role at England Rugby. With the Women's Rugby World Cup taking place here in England this year, it's an incredibly exciting time to join the RFU and working at the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union & develop the sport for future generations. If our purpose resonates with you, and you recognise the value that sport can bring to people’s lives, we’d love to work with you.

An opportunity has arisen for a Commercial Digital Manager to join our Marketing team on a permanent basis.

The Role: The RFU has been undergoing a period of significant change, responding to changes in the external environment whilst adjusting to the demands of a modern governing body. The organisation is currently delivering an exciting strategic plan that hopes to have a transformational impact on Rugby Union. As part of this strategic plan, the RFU has an ambition to become a data-driven, user-centric organisation with market leading digital capabilities that will not only transform the rugby experience for players, volunteers and fans today, but also future proof the RFU for years to come.

The Commercial Digital Manager will work to optimise the value of our digital inventory to promote relevant commercial offerings to fans and maximise the value of digital rights for current and new official sponsors.

The Team: This role forms part of the Marketing team and will work alongside our Brand, Content and Consumer Engagement teams; reporting into the Marketing Director. However, this role also plays a crucial link between marketing and the commercial team to bring digital rights to life for our partners. The Marketing team is here to grow the game of rugby at every level from the grassroots game to fandom around the international men’s and women’s game.

What will you be doing? Some key responsibilities include:

• Digital Activation: Champion the commercial value of our digital eco system to existing and potential partners. Be the key point of contact for commercial partners and internal teams as the expert on digital activation in sports partnerships (including branded content, paid media, use of 3rd party platforms for fan engagement). Work closely with the Analytics team to review the performance and impact of commercial digital activations. Work with the Consumer Engagement team to segment database audiences and understand the commercial value of those audiences. Conceptualise, plan and deliver digital cross-channel commercial assets for official partners and internal commercial stakeholders (e.g. ticketing, retail, memberships).
• Digital Rights: Work with internal teams, such as Content, Commercial Partnerships, Business Development, Consumer Engagement and Technology, to create new digital rights and sponsorship packages across the ecosystem and audience base. Support the Business Development team in developing, delivering and digital and media rights and packages for sponsors.
• Branded Content: Be a link between the Partnerships and Content teams to ideate and deliver branded content formats for official sponsors.
• Measurement & Reporting: Provide partners, licensees and retailer regular reports on digital activity, working with internal teams. Review and regularly assess the commercial value of our digital assets. Support Business Development with key performance indicators of digital rights.
• Stakeholder Management: Forge strong cross-departmental relationships with Commercial, Marketing and Technology teams. Understand and navigate RFU organisational processes which span multiple stakeholders.

As an RFU employee, you will actively collaborate with colleagues to contribute to the development and delivery of the current strategic, business and operational plans. Act as an ambassador for, and promote the best interests of the RFU, including the promotion of our culture and core values – This Rose Means Everyone: Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other. Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of the organisation.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.

• Strong, clear communication and presentation skills.
• Strong understanding of the paid media landscape, the role of agencies, media owners and brands.
• Experience of sports sponsorship planning and activation is a must, with an understanding of business development preferred (prospective proposals and contract renewals).
• Demonstrable experience of content planning and processes in a partnership context.
• Experience in using analytics tools.
• A good level of understanding of digital platforms and content.
• Proactive in problem solving and ensuring the right people are involved.
• Able to lead meetings with partners and provide guidance to partner-facing teams.
• Committed to embodying the ethos our culture by using our three core values – Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other – to guide your day-to-day decisions, actions and interactions.
• Committed to actively contributing and building an inclusive culture in your role and day to day behaviours.

Additional Information: We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If there is anything we could do to support you through your application or to provide the best environment for your interviews, including assistance or adjustment, please reach out to recruitment@rfu.com.