Partnerships Manager

Huddersfield Town AFC; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Partnerships Manager to join their dynamic Commercial department. This full-time role involves managing and developing partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, ensuring that all contractual rights are fulfilled effectively. The ideal candidate will have a proven background in account management, excellent communication skills, and the ability to build strong relationships with clients. You'll play a key role in driving revenue growth and enhancing the Club's reputation while contributing to its commitment to equality, diversity, and sustainability. If you're passionate about sports and looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a difference, this position is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in successful account management required.
• Excellent communication and networking skills essential.

Responsibilities

• Manage commercial partner accounts and maintain strong relationships.
• Deliver regular reports to partners demonstrating value.
• Coordinate partnership events and ensure rights delivery.

Skills

Account Management

Communication Skills

Relationship Building

Presentation Skills

Sponsorship Planning

Education

Degree in Business or Related Field

Job description

Job Description

Post Title

Partnerships Manager.

Department/Location

Commercial, the John Smith’s Stadium.

Reports To

Chief Revenue Officer.

Responsible For

Partnerships Executive.

Purpose of the Role

This is a full spectrum account management role, spanning sponsorship planning and activation, asset management, account management, onsite and offsite activation, administration, and contract performance evaluation.

The post holder will play a key role in developing and managing effective relationships with commercial clients and all stakeholders, both internally and externally, and consistently portraying a high-quality and professional image that reflects the standards of the Club.

The post holder will also support the Club’s aspirations in terms of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), Safeguarding, and CSR/Sustainability, by ensuring that all Club sponsors and partners subscribe to inclusive and responsible ways of working and that good employment practices and ethical ways of working are guiding principles in determining those client relationships to develop and maintain.

Functional Links

Internal: Commercial team, Ticket Office team, Supporter Services team, Retail team, Finance team, Marketing and Communications team, Staff and managers throughout the organisation.

External:Current partner organisations, Local, national, and international businesses, Supporters, External partners and agencies, Kirklees Stadium Development Limited (KSDL).

Key Performance Indicators

·Number of meetings held per month.

·Number of meetings converting to agreements per season.

·Renewal rate (%) of current partnerships.

·Uplift in revenue YoY from existing partnerships.

·Partner satisfaction levels (Half season/Full season evaluations).

Role Specific Responsibilities

The post holder is required to:

1. Ensure that commercial principal and official partner accounts are being successfully managed, rights are being correctly utilised, and relationships with partners remain consistently strong.
2. Handle account management meetings and deliver regular (monthly and bi-monthly) reports to partners to demonstrate value in line with their objectives.
3. Handle partnership renewals, taking responsibility for the end-to-end process.
4. Work on match days and oversee match day partnership operations, focusing on rights delivery and ensuring partners are receiving their contracted rights.
5. Deliver effective partner activations, both on site and digitally, including ideation, campaign planning, client management, reach measurement, and post-event satisfaction analysis.
6. Build excellent working relationships throughout relevant stakeholders, including agencies, suppliers, and central rights holders (e.g., the EFL, Sportsvision, SportFive, Eleven etc.).
7. Liaise with partners on their matchday advertising and hospitality requirements and fulfil their execution on a match-by-match basis.
8. Identify new opportunities to add value to our partnerships whenever available, by keeping abreast of industry best practice and what is happening in each partner’s business.
9. Build strong working relationships within other Club departments, enabling a collaborative environment to maximise value for our partners, and to ensure rights are being delivered effectively.
10. Coordinate and deliver operations and partnership events and projects throughout each season.
11. Ensure all partnership and sponsorship agreements include the Club’s Third Party Code of Conduct, and that signed copies are returned to the Chief Operating Officer.
12. Effectively line manage the Partnerships Executive position and ensure that all duties are carried out as per the job description and outcomes are achieved as expected.
13. Ensure the Partnerships Executive has a live Performance Development Plan (PDP) each season, with appropriate performance-related objectives, and that these are reflected and updated in You Manage, the Company’s HR system.
14. Provide regular reports on partnerships for the Senior Leadership Team as required.

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive, and the post holder is required to undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required by the Chief Revenue Officer and any other Senior Leader within the Club, commensurate with the level of the post.

Behaviour/Conduct

The post holder is required to:

1. Be proactive with workload and interventions.
2. Seek to continually develop their skills and knowledge.
3. Adopt an organised and structured approach to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of the role.
4. Communicate appropriately at all levels.
5. Be flexible to fit the development and growth of the organisation.
6. Be flexible in hours of work.
7. Be trustworthy and adhere to the Club’s Code of Conduct and Ethics.
8. Adhere to protocol and respect confidentiality in all matters, also protecting any data relating to the area of work in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018.
9. Consistently demonstrate high standards of behaviour and appearance and encourage the same from others.
10. Demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
11. Respect others and behave in an inclusive and non-discriminatory manner, taking account of all protected characteristics, as specified in the Equality Act 2010.

CSR and Sustainability:

All employees are required to understand and support the Company's commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives, and to incorporate sustainable practices into daily work activities, as far as reasonably practicable, including responsible resource use, waste reduction, and energy conservation.

The post holder must also consider environmental and social impacts when making business decisions within their scope of responsibility and participate in sustainability training and awareness programmes as required, also representing the Company’s values and commitment to responsible business practices when engaging with external stakeholders.

Safeguarding:

Huddersfield Town Association Football Club (HTAFC) Ltd. is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The post holder will be required to undergo Safeguarding Training, to be agreed with the Senior Safeguarding Manager.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion:

Huddersfield Town AFC is a diverse environment in which we respect all characteristics under the Equality Act 2010; we want everyone to feel valued and included within the Club and to be able to achieve their full potential.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination, and we are committed to the redress of any inequalities by taking positive action where appropriate.All employees are required to support and uphold this zero-tolerance approach and contribute to our ‘Terriers Together’ Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy.

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Huddersfield Town AFC Vacancy

Partnerships Manager

Full-time and permanent (35+ hours per week, including home match days).

The starting salary will be up to £40,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.

We currently have an exciting opportunity to work within the Club’s Commercial department as Partnerships Manager, reporting into the Chief Revenue Officer. This is an important role in our structure as we look to retain existing commercial partnerships and sponsorships, while continuing to develop new relationships and opportunities.

We are looking for candidates with a proven track record in successful account management. This is a full spectrum role, spanning sponsorship planning and activation, asset management, account management, onsite and offsite activation, administration, and contract performance evaluation. The successful applicant must have excellent communication and presentation skills, along with strong networking and relationship building capabilities. You will be working with local, regional, and global brands and will play a crucial role in ensuring we fulfil all contracted rights in a timely and effective manner.

The role will include working on home match days and attending other commercial events throughout each season, liaising with a wide range of stakeholders in a consistently professional manner, and acting as a positive ambassador for Huddersfield Town AFC.

Applicants are encouraged to review the job description and person specification before applying, as these contain full details of what the role entails, and the specific skills, experience, qualifications, and attributes we are looking for.

We receive a high volume of applications for our vacancies and as such, we encourage you to ensure that your application details how you feel you match our requirements. The volume of applications received prevents us from being able to provide feedback at short-listing stage.

To apply, please create an account in our online application portal and ensure you complete the associated questions in full, giving appropriate examples to support your statements as far as possible.

Please also highlight any factors that you would like us to consider, for example, if you have a disability or health condition that may require us to make reasonable adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all staff and other stakeholders to share this commitment.

Applicants must disclose all previous convictions including spent convictions in accordance with the associated legislation. The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

Equality and Inclusion

Huddersfield Town AFC is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community – a place where everyone can be themselves and in which everyone feels valued, included, and supported to achieve their full potential. We offer a range of family-friendly and inclusive employment arrangements, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.

We are committed to the redress of any inequalities by taking positive action where appropriate.

We are a Disability Confident Leader and welcome applications from disabled candidates. We are also seeking to diversify our workforce, particularly by gender and ethnicity.

Further information about the Company and working with us is available from the Careers section of our website:

https://careers.htafc.com/

To apply, please complete the application form in our portal. If you need any assistance and/or would prefer to apply in an alternative format, please contact us by email to [e-mail]

Completed applications must be submitted by 9:00am on Monday 28^th April 2025.

Interviews are likely to take place in mid-May 2025.