Senior Sponsorship Consultant in London

About Us – Fan Focused. Results Driven. At Gemba, we work at the intersection of sport, entertainment and culture, bringing strategy, data and analytics, insights and communications together to deliver results that matter. Our name comes from the Japanese term Gemba, meaning "the real place", which reflects our commitment to uncovering the truth at the heart of fan behaviour. Since 2006, we have built our reputation by understanding audiences deeply, helping our clients cut through the noise of an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. We are proud to partner with major brands, rights holders and organisations to shape the future of sport and entertainment, whether driving commercial growth, increasing participation or creating meaningful engagement. If you are passionate about fans, culture and creating impact, you will find your place at Gemba.

About The Role. We have a brilliant opportunity for an experienced Senior Sponsorship Consultant to join our busy London office. In this role, you will lead the strategy, design, negotiation and optimisation of multichannel sponsorship programmes that deliver measurable impact across brand, audience and revenue. You will act as a trusted subject matter expert for both internal teams and clients, shaping compelling propositions, identifying new category opportunities and ensuring every activation plan is insight led, compliant and focused on delivering strong return on investment.

• Lead the end‑to‑end sponsorship strategy, including market mapping, category prioritisation, proposition development, pricing, rights packaging and go‑to‑market planning.
• Build and maintain a strong, high‑quality pipeline across priority sectors and lead proactive outreach, pitching and negotiations with senior client decision‑makers.
• Use brand, audience and cultural insights to design differentiated sponsorship platforms and multi‑channel activation plans across live events, digital activity, content and community engagement.
• Oversee commercial modelling, rights valuation and scenario planning to inform optimal deal structures, inventory yield and long‑term revenue performance.
• Negotiate commercial terms, prepare heads of terms and work with Legal and Procurement teams to complete contracts that protect organisational interests and intellectual property.
• Produce compelling sales materials such as propositions, case studies and ROI‑focused narratives using evidence and data to meet client objectives.
• Establish measurement frameworks that define KPIs and benchmarks, and lead post‑campaign evaluation and reporting to demonstrate performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams to deliver sponsorship activations on time, on budget and to a high standard, ensuring a seamless partner experience.
• Provide coaching and guidance to junior colleagues and help embed consistent processes, playbooks and governance across the sponsorship lifecycle.
• Monitor competitor activity, category trends and wider cultural shifts to inform product innovation, proposition development and pricing strategy.
• Promote responsible, inclusive and compliant sponsorship practices in line with organisational values, regulatory requirements and sector restrictions.

About You. Experience & Background. At least 5 years' experience in sponsorships, partnerships, brand marketing or commercial development, ideally within a rightsholder, agency or major consumer facing organisation. Proven track record of securing and managing high value sponsorship deals, including closing six and seven figure partnerships. Expertise in proposition design, rights valuation, pricing and commercial modelling to build robust, evidence based business cases. Strong experience leading negotiations with senior client stakeholders, including C-suite decision-makers. Demonstrated success in managing a full sponsorship pipeline, from prospect research and outreach through to pitching, closing and contract delivery. Fluency in developing and delivering integrated activation plans across events, digital channels, social media, content partnerships, hospitality and community programmes. Strong analytical capability, with experience interpreting audience data, market insight and financial modelling to inform strategic decisions. Confident working with senior internal and external stakeholders, including executive sponsors, legal teams and procurement functions. Experience managing cross functional teams and external agencies to deliver complex sponsorship programmes to time, budget and expected quality. Skilled in creating high quality sales materials, case studies and performance evaluations that clearly articulate value and outcomes. Familiarity with sponsorship governance, risk management, compliance requirements and intellectual property considerations throughout the sponsorship lifecycle. Experience producing or contributing to compelling go to market strategies, pitches and commercial presentations.

Skills & Tools. CRM and pipeline management tools (Salesforce). Presentation and collaboration tools, including PowerPoint, Excel and Microsoft Teams. Analytics and social listening platforms, such as Brandwatch, Sprout Social and Google Analytics. Project and budget management tools, such as Asana and Smartsheet. Familiarity with content management and campaign‑delivery tools is also advantageous. Comfort using dashboards, reporting tools and insight platforms to evaluate performance and support decision‑making.

Success Looks Like. A strong and consistently growing sponsorship pipeline across priority sectors, with healthy velocity and high‑quality opportunities at each stage. Securing new multi‑year partnerships that meet or exceed revenue targets and contribute to long‑term portfolio growth. Designing sponsorship propositions that resonate with target categories and clearly demonstrate audience fit, market differentiation and commercial value. Delivering confident, persuasive pitches that result in strong conversion rates and positive feedback from senior client stakeholders. Achieving optimal pricing and rights utilisation through effective commercial modelling, valuation and scenario planning. Contracts being executed smoothly, on time and with reduced legal or compliance risk through close collaboration with Legal and Procurement teams. Clear, data‑driven evaluation of campaigns, with insights used to refine propositions and improve future effectiveness. High‑quality sales materials and narratives that strengthen the organisation's market position and support new business growth. Evidence of innovation and strategic thinking driven by ongoing monitoring of market trends, competitor activity and cultural opportunities.

How To Apply. If you are ready, click the Apply button below and submit your CV and cover letter. Address cover letters to Anita Opoku – People Manager, EME. Note: All candidates require working rights in the UK to perform the role and are required to work in our London based office 4 days per week, with 1 day per week remote working. Gemba is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and encourage people of all different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or other protected characteristics or similar.