Partnership and Sponsorship Officer

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists is a membership organisation and the voice of the profession, with 4,500 members in the UK and overseas. Our role is to champion the specialty, set standards of training and practice, and influence change to make a difference to the lives of patients with eye conditions.

Job purpose

The Sponsorship Officer plays an important operational role within the College’s sponsorship and partnerships function. The position has been created to strengthen the team’s operational resilience and delivery capacity by providing administrative, coordination and delivery support across the College’s sponsorship activities. Working closely with the Partnership and Sponsorship Manager, the Sponsorship Officer will support the planning, recruitment and delivery of sponsorship and partnership arrangements across a range of College activities. These include the Annual Congress exhibition, regional and national events, webinars, communications channels and other initiatives delivered by the College. This position offers an excellent opportunity for an early-career professional to build experience in sponsorship and partnership management within a Royal College environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Sponsorship coordination and administration
  • Provide day-to-day administrative support for the delivery of sponsorship and partnership activity across the College, ensuring alignment with industry codes of practice.
  • Maintain accurate records of sponsors, partners and prospects within the College’s CRM or internal systems.
  • Assist with tracking sponsorship agreements, deliverables and timelines to ensure commitments are delivered as agreed.
  • Coordinate the preparation and circulation of sponsorship documentation, including contracts, agreements and briefing materials.
  • Conduct research to identify and recruit potential new sponsors and partners aligned with the College’s work and values.
• Sponsor communications and relationship support
  • Act as a key operational contact for sponsors, supporting timely and professional communication.
  • Support the Partnership and Sponsorship Manager in maintaining strong relationships with existing partners through regular communication and delivery of agreed benefits.
• Financial administration and contract management
  • Support the preparation and processing of sponsorship agreements in collaboration with the Partnership and Sponsorship Manager.
  • Work with the Finance team to coordinate sponsorship invoicing and ensure payments are tracked accurately.
  • Maintain records of sponsorship income and assist with reporting where required.
• Event and exhibition delivery
  • Support the operational delivery of sponsorship and exhibition activity for the College’s flagship Annual Congress and other events, working closely with colleagues across the organisation.
  • Assist with exhibitor coordination, including logistical arrangements, sponsor briefings and exhibitor communications.
  • Work closely with the Events team to ensure sponsor benefits are delivered effectively within event programmes.
• Sponsorship package development and materials
  • Assist with the preparation and updating of sponsorship packages and promotional materials.
  • Support the production of sponsorship proposals, presentations and information packs for potential partners.
  • Ensure sponsorship opportunities across events, publications and digital channels are accurately documented.

To undertake other duties as required:

• Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Partnership and Sponsorship Manager.
• Working outside normal hours may also be required from time to time on key projects.
• Overnight stays will be necessary during annual congress for one week, and other internal and external events and activities.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Knowledge, Qualifications and Experience
  • Experience in a professional environment such as events, marketing, partnerships, sponsorship, membership organisations or charities.
  • Experience providing administrative or operational support within projects, events or partnership activities.
  • Experience coordinating communications with external stakeholders or clients.
• Skills and Abilities
  • Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy when maintaining records and documentation.
  • Ability to build positive working relationships with internal colleagues and external partners.
  • Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications, database systems and bespoke software.
  • Ability to work proactively while supporting a structured operational process.
• Personal Qualities (Attributes)
  • Enthusiastic and motivated to develop a career in sponsorship, partnerships or events.
  • Professional and reliable, with a strong sense of accountability.
  • Collaborative and supportive team member.
  • Organised and able to manage competing priorities effectively.
  • Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and understanding of how this applies to own area of work.
  • Committed to own continuing professional development.

Benefits & Values

• Staff benefits
  • We offer a friendly and supportive working environment and make sure our employees are well looked after with a great benefits package, which includes:
  • Work life balance and family friendly benefits
  • Hybrid working: two days in the office (one of which is Thursday), and three from home.
  • 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days with length of service (plus bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year).
  • One day of paid leave to move house.
  • Enhanced parental leave.
• Planning for your future
  • Employer pension contributions up to a maximum of 12%.
• Career development
  • All staff are offered opportunities for learning and development, in addition to a comprehensive e-learning package.
  • Study loans.
• Travel
  • Season ticket loan.
  • Cycle to work scheme.
• Wellbeing
  • Summer Fridays (staff can finish 90 minutes early from mid-July to the end of August).
  • Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme (with access to free counselling sessions).
  • Health Cash Plan.

Inclusion and diversity statement

The College is committed to encouraging inclusion, equity and diversity among our staff, and eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation by complying with the Equality Act 2010. We want a working environment where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued. To do this, we will proactively tackle discrimination and disadvantage and ensure that no individual or group is directly or indirectly discriminated against for any reason. We expect all employees to champion and live our values through their work at every opportunity.

Our values

• Inclusion actively welcoming a diversity of experiences and perspectives.
• Integrity being open and honest, demonstrating accountability in all its work.
• Innovation creating novel opportunities to advance and deliver on its aims, anticipating changing circumstances.
• Improvement being a learning organisation, reflecting on both successes and mistakes.