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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead partnership strategies for iconic brands in sport, music, and gaming.
- Company: Join Havas Play, a creative agency bridging culture and advertising.
- Benefits: Permanent role with opportunities for growth and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping brand partnerships that resonate culturally.
- Qualifications: Experience in partnership strategy and a passion for culture-driven work.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic team environment, mentoring junior strategists.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We live in the space between traditional advertising and media to create work that is connected through culture, powered by partnerships. We believe in the power of the remarkable to create distinction and measurable impact in our work, with our clients and for our people. Havas Play. Building brands in culture.
Our Work
We turn cultural understanding into commercial advantage. From sport to music, gaming to fashion, we create culture‑led thinking, ideas and concepts designed to travel – activated through partnerships, creators, talent, media and experiences. We shift brands from famous to favourite; and build brand love into brand growth. It’s work that works. Work worth remarking on. That’s the Play Way.
Our People
We are a home for distinct specialists and culturally driven talent: the go‑getters, the misfits, the people who push ideas further than the obvious or expected. We collect remarkable people. Because we believe remarkable people create remarkable work.
Why we need you
We’re looking for a partnerships strategy expert with creative flair and demonstrated experience of helping brands build equity in sport, music or gaming through partnerships. You will be leading partnership strategy on our flagship accounts, EE and JBL, and we are looking for someone ready to step into or step up to a senior role to take our clients to the next level in brand partnerships. We’re looking for someone remarkable … You will be immersed in culture, live and breathe brand partnerships, and can demonstrate how compelling strategies creatively activated deliver real commercial impact. You’ll be as tenacious as you are curious, and above all, you’ll be a Remarkable team player compelled to create Remarkable work.
Partnerships Strategy
- Proven experience of shaping and delivering partnership strategies for household name brands
- Strong understanding of the nuance of the modern media landscape and experience in developing the role for partnerships across an integrated media mix
- Good working knowledge of the UK partnerships landscape, particularly in sport, music or gaming
- Confident in working with or alongside rightsholders (governing bodies, leagues, talent, venues, clubs) to understand how IP is structured, licensed and enforced.
- Someone who knows the difference between what a rights package says and what it practically allows for brands
- Practical experience of developing partnership selection criteria and building robust partnerships selection frameworks
- Strong rights holder relationships and an understanding that the best outcomes come from building trust with the rightsholder, not just extracting value
- Proven ability to maximise the value of a rights deal by identifying where there is genuine headroom to push assets further, whether through creative interpretation of category exclusivity, leveraging and sweating key rights, or unlocking media and/or activation value that brands might overlook
- Strong understanding of fandoms and fan culture, and how to help brands show up authentically in new spaces
- Expertise in crafting creative strategy that drives innovative partnership activation, beyond a badging exercise
- Ability to shape creative thinking, topline ideas and concepts for partnership activation
- Diligence and risk awareness in IP‑sensitive environments: understanding where the guardrails are strategically.
- Comfortable advising clients and creative teams on ambush marketing risk, IP clearance, trademark sensitivities and the reputational stakes of overstepping
Creative Strategy
- Strong insight gathering skills and the ability to turn these into inspiring creative springboards and briefs that unlock distinctive, culturally resonant ideas
- Ability to build brilliant collaborative relationships with creative teams and work with them hand‑in‑hand to ideate and co‑create
- Strong storytelling and writing skillset: able to bring research, insights and data to life in compelling and intriguing ways and tell a strong strategic story
- Great creative instinct and solid understanding of what ‘remarkable’, culturally fluent creative work looks like
Work & Strategic Outlook
- Track record of building ‘work that works’ for clients: impactful, meaningful work that shifts the dial for brands and/or consumers
- Working understanding of the importance of Effectiveness in marketing
- Mastery of the written word: ability to write engaging decks and pitches, attention‑grabbing award entries and powerful case studies
- Ambition to deliver industry recognised, award‑winning work
- An openness to working with new tools, products and within new and innovative ways of working
- Interest in the application of AI to strategy and agency processes
Culture
- Several years working in partnerships across sport, music, gaming – ideally significant exposure to 1‑2 of these sectors
- Deep understanding of the role culture plays in brand building
- Experience in leading and shaping strategy for a brand that has played a key role in culture, owned a key cultural space or made waves in culture
- Advanced knowledge of the key players (influencers, media partners, collectives, initiatives) in 1‑2 core cultural territories
Clients & Inter‑agency Working
- Track record of acting as strategic counsel to clients, building trusted relationships at all levels and serving as their go‑to confidante on all things strategy
- A seasoned expert in working as part of all‑agency teams – i.e. alongside creative agencies, media agencies etc – and building strong inter‑agency relationships in these settings
- Experience leading client workshops for senior client stakeholders in marketing teams and beyond
- Top‑tier presentation skills: confident presenting to senior clients
- A commercially savvy and proactive opportunity seeker who can spot gaps in client capabilities or capacity and confidently upsell agency products and services
New Business & Marketing
- Track record of leading pitches: helping to shape pitch win strategies, the team structure and the deck narrative
- Brilliant contacts book across brands and culture
- An appetite for new business, helping to seek out and support new opportunities
- Ambition to be an industry expert: confident in writing thought‑leadership pieces and taking part in industry events
Agency & Team
- Working knowledge of navigating a large inter‑disciplinary agency environment, managing workstreams across multiple internal stakeholders and teams
- Experience mentoring or managing junior strategists and insight execs
- The ambition to be a senior lead in a strategy team shaping strategic output for the agency
- Desire to own and shape areas of team development, products and ways of working
- Aspiration to upskill the wider agency, across disciplines, on areas of specialist strategic knowledge
Core Personal Skills
- A problem‑solver, skilled in lateral, innovative thinking
- A proactive team player who puts their hand up and takes the initiative
- Strong storytelling and selling skillsets
- Brevity, the ability to boil down a problem and solution into a distinctive strategic bounce off point
- Strong feedback skills: experienced in delivering and receiving constructive feedback
- A true collaborator, a team‑player who brings everyone on the journey
Musts
- Must sit with the team in the Havas Play office 3 days a week
- Open to occasional travel for client meetings and events
Equal Opportunity Statement
Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.
Strategy Partner employer: Havas Group
Contact Detail:
Havas Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Strategy Partner
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to folks on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your personality! When you get the chance to meet potential employers, whether it’s in interviews or casual meet-ups, let your unique flair shine through. Remember, they’re looking for someone remarkable, so don’t hold back on showcasing what makes you, well, you!
✨Tip Number 3
Do your homework! Research the company and its culture before any meeting. Understand their recent projects and how you can contribute to their goals. This will not only impress them but also help you tailor your pitch to show how you can add value.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We’ve got some fantastic opportunities waiting for you. By applying directly, you’ll ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our team at Havas Play.
We think you need these skills to ace Strategy Partner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Creative Flair: When you're writing your application, let your creativity shine through! Use engaging language and examples that reflect your unique style. We want to see how you can turn cultural insights into compelling strategies.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application for the Strategy Partner role. Highlight your experience in partnerships, especially in sport, music, or gaming. We love seeing how your background aligns with our mission at Havas Play!
Tell a Story: Use storytelling to bring your experiences to life. Share specific examples of how you've built successful partnerships and the impact they had. This will help us understand your strategic thinking and creative approach.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can't wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Havas Group
✨Know Your Partnerships Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the partnerships landscape, especially in sport, music, and gaming. Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've shaped partnership strategies and the impact they had on brand equity. This shows you’re not just familiar with the theory but have practical experience.
✨Showcase Your Creative Flair
Prepare to share your creative strategies that have led to innovative partnership activations. Think of compelling stories where your ideas turned a standard partnership into something remarkable. This will demonstrate your ability to think outside the box and align with the agency's culture-driven approach.
✨Understand the Nuances of IP
Brush up on intellectual property rights and how they play into partnerships. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve navigated IP-sensitive environments and the importance of building trust with rights holders. This knowledge will highlight your diligence and risk awareness, which are crucial for this role.
✨Be a Team Player
Emphasise your collaborative skills during the interview. Share experiences where you’ve worked closely with creative teams or led client workshops. Show that you can build strong relationships and co-create strategies, as this is key to thriving in an inter-agency environment like Havas Play.