Commercial Executive - Sponsorship Sales in Portsmouth

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Commercial team at Portsmouth Football Club as Commercial Executive to lead on Sponsorship Sales for the men’s and women’s teams. The Commercial Executive's role focuses on new sponsorship acquisition and will extend across all three core Commercial areas: Sponsorship Sales, Hospitality and Sponsorship Rights Delivery.

Maximise the club’s commercial revenue through Sponsorship and Hospitality sales and administration. Lead the club’s new sponsorship business, building and converting a pipeline of commercial partners. Support the Head of Corporate Sales by identifying and developing new sponsorship and match day hospitality clients.

We are looking for a team-player who has an innovative, data-driven and outcome-led approach, with an understanding and working knowledge of sales and relationship management. The successful candidate will be a proactive individual who excels at new business acquisition and values client relationships. Excellent written and verbal skills are a must for this role. Ideally, the individual will have prior experience within sponsorship sales and relationship management, and must be flexible and willing to work irregular working patterns typical of a professional football club.

Job Purpose

• Proactively prospect commercial sponsorship opportunities and build a pipeline of new partners.
• Collaborate to develop insight-led proposals.
• Participate in client pitch meetings and negotiations.
• Drive outreach via industry networking and campaigns.
• Maintain market intelligence to inform proposition development.

Shared Responsibilities

• Attend home matchdays and Club events as a Commercial representative.
• Update systems and maintain accurate records of all activity.
• Support cross-functional commercial initiatives and contribute to departmental goals.
• Represent the Club professionally in all external engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Sponsorship and Commercial Partnerships

• Proactively identify, engage, and convert new sponsorship leads, owning the pipeline from prospecting through to close.
• Prepare and deliver compelling proposals and presentations tailored to client objectives.
• Build and maintain robust records, track performance against targets, and contribute to the production of post-campaign impact reports.
• Maintain a live prospect pipeline and provide the Head of Corporate Sales with regular new business forecasts.

Hospitality Sales and Client Management

• Support the delivery of seasonal and matchday hospitality packages, assisting with client servicing where required.
• Contribute to matchday hospitality logistics and guest experience as part of the wider Commercial team.

Rights Delivery and Activation

• Support the delivery of contractual rights and activation schedules for sponsors and partners.
• Assist with partner liaison on matchdays and event days as required.

Operational and Administrative Excellence

• Support with hospitality and sponsorship communications, ensuring timely responses and proactive client service.
• Maintain up-to-date commercial documentation, including contracts and invoices.
• Support where required with the post-match reconciliation processes and reporting for the Commercial and Finance departments.
• Work collaboratively across Ticketing, Marketing, Events, and Operations to ensure alignment on all commercial activities.

Miscellaneous

• Other reasonable and related duties as requested by the Head of Corporate Sales.

Person Specification

1. Professional Experience

• At least six months experience within sponsorship sales at a sports rights holder or agency.
• Demonstrable success in managing B2B relationships and commercial sales pipelines.
• Understanding of hospitality within a professional sports environment.
• Experience delivering contractual rights and coordinating client activations.
• Previous commercial experience at an EFL club is desirable.

2. Skills and Knowledge

• Exceptional interpersonal and client-facing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
• High level of organisation with attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Comfortable working under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

3. Personal Qualities

• Personal alignment to the Club's core values: We are Passionate, We are Stronger Together, We are Honest, We are Proud.
• Commercially driven and results-focused.
• Collaborative, team-first mindset.
• Strong initiative with a proactive, problem-solving approach.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional service.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and matchdays.

Equal Opportunities

Portsmouth Football Club is committed to ensuring that all job applicants and colleagues do not receive less favourable treatment or are discriminated against, on the grounds of their age; disability; gender; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy or maternity; race; religion or belief; sex or sexual orientation.

Closing date for applications: 4pm on Thursday 6 August, however we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if deemed necessary. No agencies.