Senior Partnership Manager

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Sports Jobs Limited is seeking a senior Partnerships Manager to oversee a portfolio of Principal and Global Partners. You will drive activation, ensure contractual fulfilment and deliver high-value campaigns across events, content shoots and matchdays.

You will build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, lead a small team, and continuously improve partner servicing standards while championing safeguarding and inclusion policies.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in sponsorship or sports marketing.
• Experience managing global brands.
• Experience activating campaigns across social media.
• Strong strategic and analytical capabilities.
• Commercial, results‑driven mindset with entrepreneurial flair.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Proven team leadership experience.
• Calm, professional, detail-oriented under pressure.
• Willingness to travel and work across locations.
• Commitment to BLUE behaviours and safeguarding policies.
• Compliance with GDPR and related policies.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of Principal and Global Partners, ensuring relationship management and KPI achievement.
• Develop understanding of partners' business objectives for alignment and results.
• Implement efficient delivery processes for contractual rights fulfilment.
• Lead activation strategies delivering measurable value to partners and the club.
• Plan and execute campaigns, events, player appearances, shoots and matchday activations.
• Build senior stakeholder relationships as strategic advisor and contact point.
• Lead partner reviews, activation planning, reporting and ROI evaluation.
• Line manage Partnership Executives and foster high-performance culture.
• Contribute to continual improvement of partnership services and standards.

Skills

Sponsorship industry experience

Global brand management

Social media activation

Strategic thinking

Commercial mindset

Communication skills

Team leadership

Calm under pressure

Travel readiness

Diversity & inclusion

GDPR compliance

DBS check readiness

Job description

About the Role

The role supports the management of a portfolio of the club's Principal and Global Partners, delivering exceptional service, innovative activations and long-term strategic value. Working across the club, the postholder brings partnerships to life, drives partner satisfaction and retention, and identifies new opportunities to maximise the value of the club's relationships. The position includes line management of a Partnership Executive and suits someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys building senior stakeholder relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of Principal and Global Partners, ensuring exceptional relationship management, delivery against contractual rights and achievement of partnership objectives and KPIs.
• Develop a strong understanding of partners' core businesses and partnership objectives to ensure optimum alignment and results.
• Implement efficient delivery processes to ensure consistent and high-quality fulfilment of contractual rights.
• Develop and deliver best-in-class partnership activation strategies that create measurable value for partners and the club.
• Lead the planning and execution of integrated campaigns, events, player appearances, content shoots and matchday activations.
• Build trusted relationships with senior partner stakeholders, agencies and internal departments, acting as a strategic advisor and key point of contact.
• Lead partner review meetings, activation planning, reporting and performance evaluation, demonstrating partnership impact and ROI.
• Line manage and develop Partnership Executives, fostering a high-performance, proactive and commercially focused team culture.
• Contribute to the continual improvement of partnership servicing standards, championing best practice and supporting a world-class partner experience.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Significant experience within the sponsorship or sports marketing industry.
• Experience of account managing brands on a global scale.
• Experience of activating brand campaigns across social media.
• Strategic and analytical capability.
• A commercial, results-driven approach with entrepreneurial capabilities.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to engage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience as a team leader, able to work with less senior team members to manage workflow and ensure team resources are used efficiently.
• A proven team player who is calm, professional, diligent and detail-oriented, and who works well under pressure.
• Willingness to work between locations and to be flexible with working hours, including weekends and international travel.
• Commitment to embodying the club's BLUE behaviours (Brave, Lead, Unity, Edge) in the approach to work and in interactions with others.
• Adherence to the club's policies and procedures, including Health & Safety, Financial Authorisation, Confidentiality and GDPR.
• Commitment to acting as an ambassador for diversity, equality and inclusion, treating others fairly in line with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy and reporting acts of discrimination through appropriate channels.
• Commitment to creating a safe environment and protecting all young people and vulnerable adults in the postholder's care or attending club premises, reporting any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead.
• Willingness to report any misconduct or suspected misconduct to the HR Department.
• Completion of a DBS check prior to starting employment, with other child protection screening required where appropriate.

The Application Process

Applicants who need reasonable adjustments made to the recruitment process can request support.