Strategic Partnerships Lead

Collingwood Football Club Limited; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gym facility

Professional development

Tickets to AFL/AFLW matches

Exclusive partner offers

Community outreach opportunities

Match-day access

Gift days

Job summary

Collingwood Football Club is seeking a Partnerships Lead to manage and service our commercial partners across AFL Men’s and AFLW programs. You will drive activations, deliver sponsorship obligations, and report on performance while collaborating with multiple departments to grow partner value.

The role requires at least 2 years in partnership or account management, strong relationship skills, and a proactive, cross-functional mindset to deliver agreed outcomes across seasons.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years experience in partnership, account or campaign management.
• Proven ability to manage partner contracts, budgets and reporting.
• Strong relationship building and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent communications, presentation and multi-project management.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of club commercial partners across AFL Men’s & AFLW programs.
• Build relationships, primary day-to-day contact, and provide WIP reporting.
• Coordinate assets, activations, promotions, and sponsorship obligations.
• Deliver partner reports, proposals and evaluations.
• Renewal management and identify opportunities to generate new revenue.
• Support with partnership proposals and cross-department collaboration.

Skills

Partnership management

Account management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Commercial acumen

Project management

Job description

Collingwood Football Club (CFC) was founded in 1892.

Local residents, community and business leaders and politicians all hoped that having theirownfootball club could help bring a measure of pride to a downtrodden suburb.

In 2026, CFC is one of the great icons of Australian sport. Our history spans 130 years, 16 premierships and more finals appearances than any other club. Most importantly, Collingwood has grown from being a football club to a sports club with a commitment to our community.

The opportunity

The Partnerships Lead manages and services allocated commercial partners, ensuring the performance and delivery of all terms and deal entitlements contained in partner contracts. The role focuses on growing Commercial Partnerships through the development and selling of commercial opportunities created by the partnerships team or others.

Reporting to the Group Account Director – Partnerships & Growth, the Partnerships Lead will provide assistance and co-ordination of various administrative tasks and project work within the commercial partnerships team. The successful candidate will also contribute to the Commercial Partnerships team in the delivery of its objectives and measurable outcomes set prior to each season.

Key responsibilities

Provide high level account management and end-to-end servicing of a portfolio of club commercial partners across the AFL Men’s & AFLW programs including:

• Build and nurture deep relationships with current partners to maximise partnership value, satisfaction and retention.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for allocated partners, including regular communication and work-in-progress (WIP) reporting.
• Coordinate and deliver contractual assets, activations, promotions, programs and sponsorship obligations across match day and non-match day environments.
• Work collaboratively with all departments of the Club to ensure the successful delivery of partnership outcomes and commercial commitments.
• Prepare partnership reports, proposals and evaluations for Partners.
• Manage and track allocated commercial partners budgets, ensuring accurate forecasting and financial accountability.
• Deliver partner activations throughout the AFL and AFLW seasons, including match days, open training sessions and Club events.
• Host and engage Commercial Partners at Club events including official club functions, networking events and other stakeholder experiences.
• Prepare and deliver Mid, Post-season and adhoc reporting.
• In consultation with the Group Account Director, manage the renewal process of allocated Commercial Partners.
• Identify opportunities to enhance existing partnerships and generate new revenue through innovative assets, activations and digital opportunities.
• Manage allocated projects, ensuring effective stakeholder coordination and the successful delivery of agreed outcomes within required timeframes.
• Support commercial initiatives by assisting with the development of partnership proposals.
• Provide administrative and operational support to the Executive General Manager Commercial and Membership & Group Account Director – Partnerships & Growth as required.
• Attend and support Club match days, events and activations as required.
• Undertake other duties as directed.

Skills / Experience

To be successful as the Partnerships Lead, you will be somebody with:

• Minimum 2 years experience in partnership, account or campaign management within a related industry.
• Demonstrated experience managing partner contracts, budgets, campaign deliverables and reporting to a high standard.
• Outstanding relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to navigate complex environments and influence outcomes.
• Excellent communications and presentation skills with the ability to effectively manage multiple projects, deadlines and competing priorities.
• Collaborative and team-oriented with a proven ability to work cross-functionally to deliver shared outcomes and drive success.
• Creative and solutions-focused mindset, with a track record of identifying opportunities and developing innovative partners solutions.
• Strong commercial acumen and relationship management skills, with the ability to understand partner objectives, build long-term partnerships, and deliver outcomes that drive satisfaction, retention, account growth and mutual value.
• Proactive and adaptable, with the ability to problem-solve, manage challenges and maintain momentum in a fast-paced environment.

Football Clubs are fast-paced environments but you will engrain yourself into the Collingwood culture, remain agile, adaptable, and consistently champion our Company values ofDO BETTER, SIDE BY SIDE, A NEST FOR ALL and FLY HIGHER.

What we offer

As a valued staff member of our Sporting Club you will be a part of a fun, inclusive and flexible work environment:

• Access to state of art High Performance Gym Facility
• Access to Professional Development and Learning Development Courses
• Access to tickets to all AFL and AFLW matches
• Access to exclusive partner offers, the likes of Nike, Emirates, AIA Vitality, La Trobe, CUB Economy, Business Class with Emirates, TaylorMade and KGM
• Opportunities to support with Collingwood community outreach and volunteer programs (Magpie Nest Cafe)
• Behind the scenes access to Match-Day, including the ability to support in on-ground activations
• 10 Gifted Leave days every year (on top of your Annual Leave)

To Apply

If you are interested in this position, please send through your CV and cover letter that addresses why you are interested in working with the Collingwood Football Club, how your skills/experience would qualify for the position, and how you would contribute to the culture of the organisation.

Please send this application to*******@collingwoodfc.com.au.Applications close COB Friday 23 October 2026(however, we may close this earlier if we receive a large volume of applications).

Please keep reading…

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply when they check every box.

So if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point above, please still get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.

We believe in being a Nest For All – we champion respect, diversity and inclusion to make our Club a safe and welcoming place for all. The Collingwood Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and diverse candidates. We provide a welcoming, safe and flexible approach to work and provide an environment that benefits from and enables the best from everyone.

As an organization we are committed to protecting children and young people from harm. It is essential that anyone involved with the Collingwood Football Club understands their responsibility in relation to child safety. Our organization requires all applicants to obtain a ‘Working with Children Check’ prior to appointment.

To learn more about working at Collingwood Football Club and our values, please visit https://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/76/careers

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