Partnership Strategy Manager

Sits within the Partnership Strategy team and supports brand advisory and talent marketing work within the UK. It works closely with premium rights holders to help commercialise their partnership and marketing rights, within a function experienced in identifying, creating, selling, managing, and activating sponsorship deals for brands. Reporting into the SVP or Director of Partnership Strategy, the position supports advisory processes and distils brand marketing and commercial requirements into a process that determines the best partnership routes available.

• Support advisory processes by distilling brand marketing and commercial requirements into a process that determines the best partnership routes available.
• Join brand conversations to crystallise marketing intentions and formulate briefs that lead into active processes.
• Liaise with internal business intelligence and insight teams to decipher viable partnership routes through audience analysis.
• Think strategically to formulate the commercial and marketing benefits of various partnerships, with the lateral ability to guide and direct how partnership rights can deliver tangible and measurable impact nuanced to any given brand need.
• Keep abreast of developments and emerging opportunities within the rightsholder and media landscapes.
• Understand the nuances of what rightsholders offer to project distinct partnership solutions.
• Work closely with creative functions and other third-party agencies on content strategy, production, the development of marketing assets, partnership materials and media plans for global use.
• Generate and present creative and strategic activation concepts, with an inventive ability to think laterally and innovatively.

• Experience in sponsorship, brand marketing or strategic planning, with a track record of shaping partnership strategy, not just delivering it.
• Demonstrable strategic planning and creative aptitude with the ability to generate original, insight-led platform and campaign ideas.
• Proven ability to translate brand objectives and marketing needs into clear, actionable partnership strategies.
• Strong marketing acumen: brand positioning, audiences, and how sponsorship drives measurable outcomes.
• Confidence using data and insight to build a compelling argument and evaluate partnership routes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Flawless attention to detail.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work across multiple concurrent processes.
• Interpersonal skills in working with multiple departments to coordinate and advance workstreams.
• Excellent presentation skills – creating and presenting strategy, partnership concepts.
• Have a real passion and knowledge for sport, with a good understanding of UK and global sport.
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as individually, with strong leadership skills.
• Must be available for travel.

• Brand experience (advantage, not essential).

• Based in Altrincham, Cheshire or London.

• Opportunity to join an organisation that invests in and rewards its staff, provides an enjoyable working environment, and offers genuine responsibility and scope to shape a role and add real value.
• 25 days annual leave plus an additional gifted day over the Christmas period.
• Full Vitality health cover including dental, optical and mental health support.
• Enhanced family leave entitlements.
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme.
• Electric car scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Hybrid, flexible working model: 4 days in the office and 1 at home.
• A day off for moving house or getting married.
• Regular social events such as summer and Christmas parties.
• Life assurance at x4 annual salary.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

SPORTFIVE is a global agency working across sponsorships, advertising, talent, activation and hospitality within sports. Globally, it has over 1,200 employees who strategically and creatively connect brands, rights-holders, media platforms and fans across Football, F1, NFL, NBA, Golf, Esports, Olympics, and more. It supports Premier League football clubs to secure front of shirt sponsors, curates deals for brands to showcase advertising during games televised to millions, and represents talent in the industry, with connecting sports organisations to brands and partners at the heart of what it does.