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:

• Ensure that commercial principal and official partner accounts are being successfully managed, rights are being correctly utilised, and relationships with partners remain consistently strong.

• Handle account management meetings and deliver regular (monthly and bi-monthly) reports to partners to demonstrate value in line with their objectives.

• Handle partnership renewals, taking responsibility for the end-to-end process.

• Work on match days and oversee match day partnership operations, focusing on rights delivery and ensuring partners are receiving their contracted rights.

• Deliver effective partner activations, both on site and digitally, including ideation, campaign planning, client management, reach measurement, and post-event satisfaction analysis.

• Build excellent working relationships throughout relevant stakeholders, including agencies, suppliers, and central rights holders (e.g., the EFL, Sportsvision, SportFive, Eleven etc.).

• Liaise with partners on their matchday advertising and hospitality requirements and fulfil their execution on a match-by-match basis.

• 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.

• 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.

• Coordinate and deliver operations and partnership events and projects throughout each season.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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:

· Be proactive with workload and interventions.

· Seek to continually develop their skills and knowledge.

· Adopt an organised and structured approach to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of the role.

· Communicate appropriately at all levels.

· Be flexible to fit the development and growth of the organisation.

· Be flexible in hours of work.

· Be trustworthy and adhere to the Club’s Code of Conduct and Ethics.

· 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.

· Consistently demonstrate high standards of behaviour and appearance and encourage the same from others.

· Demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

· Respect others and behave in an inclusive and non-discriminatory manner, taking account of all protected characteristics, as specified in the Equality Act 2010.