Senior Partnership Manager

Job Title: Senior Partnerships Manager

Salary: £70,000 + Commission/bonus

Location: London

Industry: Sport, Football

Forsyth Barnes is seeking a Senior Partnerships Manager to join the expanding Commercial Partnerships Team for a London-based Football Club. Reporting to the Partnerships Lead, this role is vital for delivering activations and campaigns for the Club\’s partners.

The Partnerships team oversees a diverse range of activities to fulfill obligations to their partnership portfolio. We are looking for someone passionate about helping partners achieve their goals. This role requires flexibility, including working weekends and holidays.

Responsibilities include:

1. Collaborating with the Head of Partnership Development to achieve sponsorship and sales objectives, aiming to increase partnership income by at least 50% over the next two years.
2. Identifying and developing leads to secure high-value sponsorship deals for both the Men\’s and Women\’s teams.
3. Proactively sourcing potential sponsors, qualifying prospects, and leading negotiations to successful acquisition.
4. Developing tailored sponsorship proposals by collaborating with internal departments to structure proposals that meet the needs of prospective sponsors.
5. Supporting partners in creatively engaging large audiences.
6. Building and maintaining long-term relationships with current and potential sponsors.
7. Coordinating with agencies to enhance the commercial program.
8. Developing sales materials in collaboration with the Business Intelligence team.
9. Improving cross-team synergies through research and analysis of targeted opportunities.
10. Fostering a high-performance culture within the sponsorship team and ensuring effective collaboration with internal teams.
11. Building strong external networks to promote the organization\’s sponsorship opportunities and attract inbound leads.
12. Keeping up-to-date with industry trends, emerging sponsorship categories, and relevant research.
13. Contributing to strategic business planning and challenging objectives where necessary.

Essential Criteria:

1. Proven track record in sports sponsorship.
2. Experience managing the full sales process and pipeline of leads.
3. Ability to engage at the C-suite level with partners.
4. Strong experience in B2B negotiations and sponsorship sales.
5. Exceptional stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
6. Results-driven salesperson with a collaborative approach.
7. Ability to manage expectations and deliver commercial success.
8. Capable of multitasking while maintaining high standards and meeting deadlines.
9. Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
10. Bachelor\’s degree required.

Preferred Criteria:

1. Understanding of sport, particularly football.
2. Experience in consultative selling.
3. Previous sales experience in the UK market.

Personal Attributes:

1. Forward-thinking with the ability to generate innovative ideas.
2. Values collaboration and building strong relationships.
3. Focuses on delivering high standards and taking responsibility for outcomes.
4. Positive outlook with problem-solving abilities.
5. Enthusiastic, with a strong team ethos, and able to perform under pressure.
6. Outgoing personality with an interest in brands, marketing, and sponsorship.
7. Ability to work autonomously and lead projects when required.

Skills & Experience:

1. Ideally a graduate (or equivalent) with a proven background in marketing.
2. Minimum of 5 years of relevant sports marketing experience.
3. Experience managing rights delivery programs, preferably in a sporting environment.
4. Leadership experience is advantageous.
5. Comfortable handling and presenting data.
6. Strong communication skills and ability to build relationships with clients and colleagues.
7. Excellent understanding of the UK and European football markets.
8. Strong account and project management skills.
9. Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
10. Proficient in Microsoft Office.
11. Self-reliant, driven, and focused on delivering results.
12. Passion for sport and entertainment.
13. Willingness to travel occasionally, with regular weekend work required.

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