Partnerships Director

UM Worldwide; Canberra; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

UM Worldwide in Canberra leads the Australian Government account, delivering partnership-driven media plans and innovative activations. You’ll drive end-to-end delivery of partnership activity, from sponsorships to editorial briefings, ensuring commercial strength and client-aligned outcomes.

You’ll lead paid and non-paid opportunities, manage complex multi-stakeholder campaigns, and maintain strong relationships with media owners and publishers in a dynamic Australian market.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in media partnerships, investment, trading or sponsorships.
• Strong understanding of the Australian media landscape and relationships with media owners.
• Proven experience leading complex partnership negotiations with commercial outcomes.
• Experience translating strategy into integrated partnership solutions across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of partnership solutions that bring Australian Government communications strategies to life.
• Translate communications strategy into innovative, actionable partnership ideas across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.
• Lead the creation of Connections and Media Plans, ensuring partnership activity is aligned to audience behaviours and client objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with media owners and publishing partners, identifying opportunities that deliver value and innovation.
• Lead negotiations across paid and non-paid media opportunities, ensuring outcomes are commercially strong and benchmarked against client expectations.
• Own the end-to-end delivery of partnership activity, including sponsorships, editorial briefings, shared assets, placements and reporting.
• Stay ahead of Australian and global media, cultural and audience trends, turning marketplace developments into proactive opportunities for clients.
• Present partnership recommendations and points of view to clients, providing clear, confident and commercially grounded advice.
• Collaborate closely with Strategy, Trading, Client Leads, Connections Design, SBUs and media agencies to deliver integrated media solutions.
• Lead and develop Partnerships team members, providing coaching, guidance and quality control while building a culture of collaboration, curiosity and high performance.

Skills

Media partnerships

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Job description

At UM, we’re building the next generation of media leaders. Our business is built on three core principles:

• Precision
• Possibility
• Partnership.

These are brought to life through a culture where ambitious people can thrive, grow and make a genuine impact.

We call them UM Unicorns. Built, not born.

The Role

As Partnerships Director on the Australian Government account, you’ll lead the delivery of media plans and partnership solutions across a diverse portfolio of high-profile campaigns. It’s an exciting opportunity to work with a client that is genuinely open to innovation and bringing big, creative ideas to life.

You’ll lead paid media negotiations, sponsorships, media briefings and partnership activations from idea through to delivery. You’ll bring strong knowledge of the Australian media landscape, exceptional stakeholder management and negotiation skills, and a passion for creating innovative connections that engage diverse audiences.

This is a role for a confident leader who can think creatively, manage complex projects and deliver strategically aligned, commercially strong partnership solutions to the highest standard.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of partnership solutions that bring Australian Government communications strategies to life.
• Translate communications strategy into innovative, actionable partnership ideas across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.
• Lead the creation of Connections and Media Plans, ensuring partnership activity is aligned to audience behaviours and client objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with media owners and publishing partners, identifying opportunities that deliver value and innovation.
• Lead negotiations across paid and non-paid media opportunities, ensuring outcomes are commercially strong and benchmarked against client expectations.
• Own the end-to-end delivery of partnership activity, including sponsorships, editorial briefings, shared assets, placements and reporting.
• Stay ahead of Australian and global media, cultural and audience trends, turning marketplace developments into proactive opportunities for clients.
• Present partnership recommendations and points of view to clients, providing clear, confident and commercially grounded advice.
• Collaborate closely with Strategy, Trading, Client Leads, Connections Design, SBUs and media agencies to deliver integrated media solutions.
• Lead and develop Partnerships team members, providing coaching, guidance and quality control while building a culture of collaboration, curiosity and high performance.

Who Are You?

• 8+ years experience in media partnerships, investment, trading, sponsorships or a related media discipline, ideally within a media agency environment.
• You have a strong understanding of the Australian media landscape, with established relationships across media owners, publishers and other industry partners.
• You have proven experience leading complex partnership negotiations, delivering strong commercial outcomes while maintaining long-term partner relationships.
• You have experience translating communications or media strategy into integrated partnership solutions across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.
• You’re confident managing complex, multi-stakeholder campaigns, with a track record of taking partnership activity from idea and negotiation through to execution and reporting.
• You Bring strong client leadership and presentation experience, with the ability to turn complex media opportunities into clear, compelling recommendations.
• You have experience leading, coaching or mentoring junior team members, with a genuine interest in developing capability and creating a high-performing team environment.
• You’re commercially curious and proactive, with a strong understanding of media trends, audience behaviours and emerging partnership opportunities, and a passion for finding better and more innovative ways to connect with audiences.

Additional Information

UM, together with our Omnicom Media Group network is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and people of all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.