Partnership Manager, APAC (Contract)

SailGP; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SailGP is seeking a Partnership Manager for the Asia Pacific region to provide leadership across Host Venue and Event Partnership portfolios. You will manage day-to-day relationships, translate rights into delivery plans and coordinate cross-functional activation across APAC events.

The role requires strong relationship management, attention to detail, and the ability to handle multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment with some travel and after-hours work due to international events.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in rights-holder, agency or client-facing role within sport, events or marketing.
• Experience managing commercial or Host Venue partnerships.
• Strong understanding of partnership rights delivery, activation planning and event execution.
• Experience interpreting contractual obligations and translating them into practical delivery plans.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with senior internal and external contacts.
• Strong project-management, organisational and time-management capability.
• Ability to manage multiple partners, events and workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail and confidence in maintaining delivery trackers, reporting documents and action plans.
• Strong written communication, reporting and presentation skills.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary day-to-day contact for assigned APAC Host Venues and Event Partners, managing relationships, communications, meetings, requests and delivery timelines.
• Translate contractual rights, partner objectives and regional requirements into clear delivery and activation plans.
• Coordinate the cross-functional delivery of partnership rights and benefits across APAC events and channels, ensuring all requirements, approvals and deliverables are completed to a high standard and in line with contractual obligations.
• Maintain accurate partnership plans and trackers, providing clear visibility of responsibilities, deadlines, risks, decisions and outstanding actions.
• Lead partnership delivery for agreed APAC events, coordinating internal workstreams, partner requirements, event-time servicing and issue resolution.
• Manage the delivery of partner branding, activations, hospitality, guest programmes and other contracted event requirements.
• Prepare and deliver reporting for assigned Host Venues and Event Partners, including status updates, post-event reports, KPI reporting, case studies and partner presentations.
• Complete priority Host Venue reporting and ensure all contractual reporting obligations are delivered within agreed timelines.
• Identify delivery risks, partner concerns and commercial opportunities, escalating material issues to the Senior Partnership Manager where appropriate.
• Support renewal, extension and growth discussions by identifying opportunities to strengthen partner value and improve future delivery.
• Work as part of the global Host Venue and Event Partnerships team, supporting wider portfolio priorities where capacity and event timing allow.
• Maintain clear portfolio records and complete a structured handover of partner relationships, delivery status, risks, reporting and forward plans before the contract concludes.
• Represent SailGP at selected events and act as an ambassador for the organisation and its values in all interactions with partners and stakeholders.

Skills

Rights-holder experience

Agency/client-facing

Partnership management

Event delivery planning

Project management

Stakeholder management

Reporting & analytics

Google Workspace

Fluent English

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

The Partnership Manager, APAC will provide experienced, short-term leadership and continuity across SailGP’s Host Venue and Event Partnership portfolio in the Asia Pacific region.

The role will hold primary day-to-day responsibility for assigned APAC Host Venue and Event Partner relationships, ensuring contractual rights, event requirements, reporting obligations and partner priorities are managed effectively through the early 2027 event cycle.

This position requires strong relationship management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders concurrently in a fast-paced environment. The role is client-facing and requires flexibility to work outside standard business hours due to the international nature of the events and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary day-to-day contact for assigned APAC Host Venues and Event Partners, managing relationships, communications, meetings, requests and delivery timelines.
• Translate contractual rights, partner objectives and regional requirements into clear delivery and activation plans.
• Coordinate the cross-functional delivery of partnership rights and benefits across APAC events and channels, ensuring all requirements, approvals and deliverables are completed to a high standard and in line with contractual obligations.
• Maintain accurate partnership plans and trackers, providing clear visibility of responsibilities, deadlines, risks, decisions and outstanding actions.
• Lead partnership delivery for agreed APAC events, coordinating internal workstreams, partner requirements, event-time servicing and issue resolution.
• Manage the delivery of partner branding, activations, hospitality, guest programmes and other contracted event requirements.
• Prepare and deliver reporting for assigned Host Venues and Event Partners, including status updates, post-event reports, KPI reporting, case studies and partner presentations.
• Complete priority Host Venue reporting and ensure all contractual reporting obligations are delivered within agreed timelines.
• Identify delivery risks, partner concerns and commercial opportunities, escalating material issues to the Senior Partnership Manager where appropriate.
• Support renewal, extension and growth discussions by identifying opportunities to strengthen partner value and improve future delivery.
• Work as part of the global Host Venue and Event Partnerships team, supporting wider portfolio priorities where capacity and event timing allow.
• Maintain clear portfolio records and complete a structured handover of partner relationships, delivery status, risks, reporting and forward plans before the contract concludes.
• Represent SailGP at selected events and act as an ambassador for the organisation and its values in all interactions with partners and stakeholders.

Skills and Experience

• Significant experience in a rights-holder, agency or client-facing role within sport, events or marketing
• Demonstrated experience managing commercial or Host Venue partnerships.
• Strong understanding of partnership rights delivery, activation planning and event execution.
• Experience interpreting contractual obligations and translating them into practical delivery plans.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with senior internal and external contacts.
• Strong project-management, organisational and time-management capability.
• Ability to manage multiple partners, events and workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail and confidence in maintaining delivery trackers, reporting documents and action plans.
• Strong written communication, reporting and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, including Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Additional Requirements

• This role will work with teams and partners across multiple regions and time zones.
• Flexibility outside standard working hours may be required during peak delivery periods and events.
• Some international travel will be required.