Partnerships Manager

World Sailing is the world governing body for the sport of sailing, officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). World Sailing is responsible for: the promotion of the sport internationally; managing sailing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games; developing the Racing Rules of Sailing and regulations for all sailing competitions; the training of judges, umpires and other administrators; the development of the sport around the world; and representing the sailors in all matters concerning the sport. The principle members of World Sailing are the 145 'Member National Authorities' (MNAs) and the 100 'Class Associations'. We have a clear and ambitious vision: A world in which millions more people fall in love with sailing; inspired by the unique relationship between sport, technology and the forces of nature, we all work to protect the waters of the world. Our mission: To make sailing more exciting and accessible for everyone to participate or watch, and use our reach and influence to create a sustainable future for our sport and the waters of the world. The Commercial and Marketing team has a broad set of responsibilities, focused on securing, developing and servicing key revenue streams, delivering crucial support to the key activities of the wider organisation and supporting the promotion, growth and overall sustainability of the sport of sailing, through: Sponsorship: onboarding and servicing of commercial partners, ensuring their rights are delivered across World Sailing’s activities and events, and working closely with them to enable successful activation of the partnership through varied activities such as customer and employee engagement initiatives, brand visibility, media reach and sustainability projects. Strategic Partnerships: identifying and nurturing opportunities for strategic collaboration (with special events, global sporting bodies, key NGOs and International organisations such as the United Nations, etc.) to help promote and grow the sport worldwide and set standards in sustainability. Purpose Projects: define, deliver and fund, through corporate sponsorship or charitable funding, key purpose and sustainability projects, to deliver against objectives of World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda and improve and amplify the work of our partners. Brand and Marketing: ensuring the effective presentation of the brand across World Sailing owned and wider stakeholder touchpoints and events, working to make sailing more visible, easier to understand, more relevant to more people, more accessible and more sustainable. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES To support the Commercial Director, the Head of Marketing and Sponsorship, and the wider WS team through: Programme Management: Manage key partnerships, covering all aspects of account management and contract delivery, including project management, financial tracking, work-in-progress reporting, evaluation and planning. Work with the wider team to ensure the effective implementation of partner brands and assets across World Sailing touchpoints and events, in accordance with partner contracts, ensuring partner rights are delivered and protected, and assets are used in the right way internally and externally. Work closely with partners and with wider team to identify and deliver activation opportunities throughout contract tailored to partner objectives. Examples include the planning and delivery of bespoke corporate hospitality programmes, creation of partnership videos for internal and external engagement, the creation and delivery of unique product launch showcases, and defining a 12 months activation and storytelling plan. Business Development / Commercial Programme growth: To work with the Commercial Director to identify and bring on board new partners to increase and sustain key revenue streams over the long term. This will involve research, identification of prospects, management of sales pipeline, and creation of pitch documents. To work closely with the Commercial Director and Head of Marketing in the onboarding of new partnerships, identifying key opportunities for collaboration and activation tailored to prospective partner objectives, definition of rights, and supporting in the creation of contracts and of any necessary launch collateral. To work with the wider team to identify opportunities for up-sell, to ensure the longevity of existing partnerships through the selling of additional rights and opportunities. Project Management / Event coordination: Coordination support of the World Sailing Annual Conference, including the management of sponsor activity. This is a large-scale meeting of the global decision-makers of the sport coming together to debate and define the future of sailing over 9 days. ROLE This is a role that will require a broad skill set in all aspects of partnership and programme management. World Sailing currently has three Tier 1 global partners, and three Tier 2 global partners, with differing requirements for servicing and activation throughout an extensive annual programme of activity. This role will therefore require a can-do attitude to getting work done, the ability to multi-task, prioritise and time plan effectively, and the intuitive understanding of what it takes to deliver a broad list of requirements under pressure and to a high standard. This individual will work closely with the Head of Marketing and the Commercial Director, as well as the wider Commercial team, and will become the ‘go-to’ contact for most partners. It is a role that requires the ability to build effective relationships internally and externally with a broad stakeholder family. Excellent communication skills, very high attention to detail and a focus on high standards of delivery are all essential. Alongside proactively planning, you must be able to react swiftly to changing circumstances, both using your initiative and taking direction as required. Experience working with partners, sponsors or clients, agency side or equivalent, is essential. As a team, we are very hands-on. We are all prepared to roll up our sleeves and get the job done – everything from creating high-end presentations for our partners, to ensuring a partner flag is in the right place at the right time. A keen eye for ‘what good looks like’ is crucial. RELATIONSHIPS & INTERFACES Strategic reporting to: Head of Marketing and Sponsorship (Line Manager) Commercial Director Support & Guidance to: Commercial and Marketing team Communications team Key Partners World Sailing staff PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES & EXPERIENCE Essential experience: 3-5 years previous experience working in Commerical or Marketing programme delivery Experience delivering broad programmes of activity, with multiple stakeholders Experience coordinating events / showcases A track record for meeting and exceeding goals within strict timeframes Essential skills: Excellent command of written English (official language of World Sailing) Excellent interpersonal and communication ability, both verbal/presentation and in writing Attention to detail, e.g. grammatical, spotting mistakes, ensuring publication of correct information Ability to prioritise effectively and multi-task across a number of work streams Ability to work within digital platforms such as guest management systems, event app or rights management toolkits Event production and AV knowledge helpful, however, not essential Good IT skills (Microsoft Office) Ability to build and maintain good relationships at all levels Strong project management, budgeting and planning skills Comfortable with some international travel Languages: A second European language is helpful Full driving licence Helpful: Adobe Creative Suite (Indesign) would be an advantage To apply please send your CV and a detailed Cover Letter via the button below. Applications without a detailed Cover Letter will not be considered.