Partnerships Director

The Partnerships Director plays a senior role focused on the relationship management, servicing, retention and growth of SailGP’s commercial partners. Acting as the primary senior point of contact for key partners, the role will focus on developing and implementing an industry leading Partnerships team & function. This will ensure that SailGP delivers exceptional value, alignment and return on investment to each partner, while leading the Partnerships team to execute world‑class activation programmes that support SailGP’s growth.

This role will also play a pivotal part in integrating SailGP’s commercial, marketing and content strategies – collaborating with internal teams and partners to drive brand storytelling, audience engagement, and measurable impact across platforms.

The role reports to the Chief Commercial Officer and leads the management, servicing, retention and growth of SailGP’s partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee first‑class relationship management of SailGP’s global commercial partners, acting as senior escalation point and trusted advisor to partner leadership teams.
• Lead on major renewal discussions and extensions with existing partners, supported by the Head of Partnerships and Chief Commercial Officer.
• Guide, support and manage the wider partnerships team alongside the Head of Partnerships to ensure effective planning, delivery and measurement of partner activation across digital, marketing and live events.
• Collaborate with partners to understand their evolving objectives and ensure SailGP’s activation plans remain relevant, innovative and impactful.
• Ensure effective delivery of contractual rights and benefits, working closely with cross‑functional teams including marketing, events, broadcast and purpose.
• Champion operational excellence, ensuring consistency and quality of partner servicing and reporting, including the implementation of best practices and world class process to enhance efficiency and partner service delivery.
• Actively lead in partner meetings, events, forums and SailGP race weekends as the senior representative.
• Maintain strong internal relationships across SailGP departments to facilitate integrated partner programmes, optimise collaboration across the business and drive a partner‑first mindset across SailGP.
• Champion audience growth by aligning partner activations with SailGP’s fan development strategy – leveraging data, insights, and marketing platforms to deepen fandom and expand reach.
• Collaborate with marketing to identify co‑creation opportunities with fans, influencers and communities — integrating partner brands into authentic storytelling moments across SailGP’s owned and earned channels.
• Support the creation of co‑branded content initiatives and strategic marketing activations that deliver against both partner KPIs and SailGP’s wider growth strategies.
• Guide the development of audience‑first campaigns and experiential activations that bring SailGP’s brand and its partners to life across digital, broadcast, and live environments.
• Provide regular updates and reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer on partner satisfaction, renewal status, delivery KPIs and strategic risks or opportunities.
• Lead the strategic development and delivery of the Race Team support programme to maximise partner integration and value.
• Oversee the evolution and execution of SailGP’s at‑race guest experience programme, ensuring it delivers exceptional engagement for partners and their stakeholders.
• Guide the creation and roll‑out of innovative partner marketing tools, such as the SailGP simulator experience, to enhance activation opportunities.
• Implement world class partner engagement practices to ensure consistent communication flows between SailGP and Partners, and develop best‑in‑class measurement & reporting for partners to consistently demonstrate value and ROI.
• Direct the planning and implementation of season‑long partner employee engagement initiatives that drive deeper brand connection and ROI.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience in senior partnership management or client services roles within sport, entertainment, media or similar industries.
• Demonstrated success in leading multi‑market, multi‑layered partner relationships, including renewals and extensions.
• Deep understanding of partnership activation, servicing and ROI measurement.
• Proven experience working closely with marketing, digital and content teams to deliver integrated brand campaigns and grow fan engagement.
• A creative mindset and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate partner objectives into meaningful content and marketing strategies.
• Excellent communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to engage and influence at senior levels both internally and externally.
• Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to manage challenging situations.
• Strong leadership experience, with the ability to guide and inspire a delivery‑focused team.
• Highly organised, solutions‑focused and able to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

Location

London, United Kingdom. Hybrid working model with a minimum of 3 days per week in the London Office. International travel for SailGP events will be required.

SailGP is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

Apply now

If you’ve got the required experience, then please press apply and include a copy of your CV.