Partnership Management - Team Lead

Elevate; Saudi Arabia; Hybrid; SAR 299,000 - 375,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports and entertainment company in Saudi Arabia is seeking a Brand Sponsorship Manager to lead their team. The ideal candidate will have at least 10 years of experience in sponsorship roles and a strong understanding of the sports industry. This position involves managing client relationships and developing innovative sponsorship strategies. Competitive salary and working conditions in Riyadh, with frequent remote work opportunities.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum ten years’ experience in a sponsorship role.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of off-the-book football sponsorship.
• Proficient in reporting, analysis, and budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the brand sponsorship team and manage client partnerships.
• Develop and implement sponsorship strategies.
• Ensure account growth, retention, and satisfaction.

Skills

People Leadership

Sponsorship Consulting Leadership

Client Management

Negotiation

Public Speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

PowerPoint

Word

Excel

Job description

Overview

RISE is a leader in Saudi Arabia’s sport, culture and entertainment (SCE) sectors. With offices in Dubai (UAE) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), RISE specialises in providing data‑driven, sustainable sponsorship services to some of the region’s leading brand and rights holder clients. The successful candidate will join on a fixed‑term contract to provide maternity cover, leading the brand sponsorship team and responsible for leading and managing the day‑to‑day partnership management of our brand clients. They will be passionate about the SCE industry and have a track record of success in partnership management and the development of brand strategy.

Role & Responsibilities

Working closely with the leadership team, the role requires someone who is passionate about sponsorship, its role in the brand marketing mix and has a good working knowledge of sport, culture and entertainment industries across the GCC region. The successful applicant will collaborate with the team to support and lead numerous Brand Sponsorship accounts across the business. The role will be best suited for someone who can manage complex partnerships, has experience working with rights holders and a track record of achieving ROI for brand clients. They will need to hold extensive knowledge of the sponsorship lifecycle, the main value drivers of sponsorship and have expertise in client leadership, broad consulting, sponsorship activation, integrated marketing and team management. Someone with proven abilities in providing strategic recommendations to clients and leading the date is essential. The successful applicant will serve as the leader and driving force of the Brand Sponsorship unit of the team, be responsible for client business, accountable for the unit’s overall profitability and leader of the team’s recruitment, development and performance.

Key Focus Areas

• People – build partnerships and foster collaborative relationships among clients, employees, partners and board members.
• Clients – facilitate strong business relationships with new and existing clients while striving to align with the company’s operational and financial objectives.
• Business Acumen – act as a business leader, responsible for building and managing a diverse team while operating in a multifaceted organisation effectively.

Core Leadership & Team Management

Embodies and reflects RISE’s performance‑based culture and commits themselves and their team to the highest standards for all agency work. Works effectively with cross‑functional teams to deliver planning, consulting and execution excellence. Applies genuine eagerness to mentor, grow and develop a diverse and talented team. Manages and trains the brand sponsorship and activation team members with responsibility for goal setting, feedback and constructive guidance. Works closely with engagement teams to ensure account work is projected accurately and efficiently planned and staffed with all deliverables prioriti­ised accordingly. Serves as a subject‑matter expert on football and related industry trends, sponsorship landscape and competitive activities. Proactively communicates insights and experiences with colleagues and clients. Builds relationships with third‑party suppliers and manages team engagement to deliver brand activations in the digital and physical realms. Guides brainstorming and idea‑generation sessions with cross‑functional teams. Oversees the hiring, development and training of the team, adapting the team’s focus based on the needs of RISE and its clients.

Client Engagement & Strategic Partnerships

Demonstrates an understanding and passion for clients’ industry, business, brand and consumer target(s). Establishes themselves as a trusted strategic business partner to the client and demonstrates leadership in meetings and client interaction. Leads client relationships in the key verticals and with selected rights holders and brands. Ability to identify needs that the client may not recognise and ensure that approaches and solutions are linked to objectives and future needs. Consistently manages client expectations, ensures delivery of the highest quality service, solicits and acts on client feedback. Ensures goals for client account growth, retention and satisfaction are met with consistency and best‑in‑class conceptualisation, planning, execution and analysis. Uses a methodical approach to maintaining and developing strong relationships with clients, partners, properties and throughout the industry to uncover and commercialise insights and new business opportunities. Leverages relationships with rights sales teams to support efforts between RISE and rights holders, supporting negotiation discussions on behalf of clients when necessary. Deliverables include consumer insights, landscape analysis, business planning considerations, perspective on portfolio and property evaluations, multi‑channel messaging and activation strategies, asset valuation and negotiation, etc.

Strategic Development & Service Offering

Leads RISE’s Brand Sponsorship service offering, providing strategic advisory to brands and rights holders on their sponsorship programming. Develops, refines and advances RISE’s sponsorship offering to best leverage marketplace intelligence, best practices and creative innovation. Owns accountability of the service offering P&L across strategic planning, reporting and analysis and resource planning (in collaboration with senior leadership). Manages profitability by collaborating with key stakeholders to develop and negotiate statements of work and ensure the work is delivered on budget. Leads strategic development of new business pitches from RFP response to closing accounts, including contract negotiations. Maintains strong presentation, verbal and written skills and proven ability to develop well‑positioned and thoughtful documents and presentations. Oversees various initiatives across RISE’s sports, entertainment and cultural client portfolio, applying focus on sponsorship strategy, evaluation and execution, and sponsorship best practice. Oversees team‑leading vendor relationships, including contracts, negotiations and oversight of the deliverables and quality of work. Leads RISE IP development, marketing and thought‑leadership initiatives that generate business impact for the Brand Sponsorship team. Acts as the authority on program and partner review debriefings and analysis and evaluation of individual programs and partnerships. Oversees team‑providing asset valuations and points‑of‑view for current and new partnership opportunities with RISE’s team. Collaborates with the internal account team to lead the continuous improvement of client deliverables with brand, consumer and in‑market learning. Ensures accuracy of scope and comprehensive budget management, including development and management of activation budgets to achieve client needs. Ensures partnership activation projects remain on budget, with clear, timely and accurate financial reporting.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be a true self‑starter with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong critical‑thinking skills with proven success in leading multi‑disciplinary teams and a demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional work within budget parameters. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree plus. Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in a sponsorship role at an agency, brand, sports or entertainment property, or related organisation. Strong experience, knowledge and understanding in off‑the‑book football sponsorship, ideally with previous experience in the GCC. Demonstrable expertise in select focal areas with a senior‑level network of professional contacts. Ability to lead clients and manage account teams in the midst of multiple programmes/projects concurrently in an fast‑paced and high‑intensity work environment. Excellent reporting, analysis and budgeting skills. Exceptional relationship and influencing skills with highly developed presentation and delivery skills. Proven effectiveness in leading, managing and mentoring junior team members. Superior prioritisation and time‑management skills. Proactive, team‑player with a strong work ethic and the ability to work independently. Exemplary written and oral communication skills with proficiency in PowerPoint, Word and Excel. Good working knowledge of the Middle East. Arabic language proficiency is a plus. Specialist skills include People Leadership, Sponsorship Consulting Leadership, Strategic Planning, Client Management & Communication, Sport & Entertainment Strategy and Activation, Public Speaking, Pitching, Sales & Business Development, Talent Management, Negotiation, Brand Building. Reporting and Analysis, Budget & Financial Management.

Compensation & Working Conditions

This is a fixed‑term contract. Competitive salary and benefits. Role will be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Remote working from client offices is frequent. Working hours are 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday to Thursday. Occasional travel and weekend work may be required. The right candidate for this role will be highly motivated, ambitious and hungry for responsibility, client interaction and the opportunity to make a difference within RISE.