Partnership Manager - Team Lead

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Partnership Management - Team Lead

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RISE GROUP . RISE is a leader in Saudi Arabia’s sport, culture and entertainment (SCE) sectors. With offices in Dubai, UAE and Riyadh, KSA, RISE specialises in providing data-driven, sustainable sponsorship services to brand and rights holder clients in the region. The successful candidate will join on a fixed term contract to provide maternity cover, leading the brand sponsorship team 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 in developing 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 the numerous Brand Sponsorship accounts across the business. The role will best suit someone who can manage complex partnerships, has experience of working with rights holders and a track record of achieving return on investment 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 a team 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. The role has three main areas of focus : PEOPLE : Build partnerships and foster collaborative relationships among clients, employees, partners and board members. CLIENTS : Facilitate strong business relationships with new and existing clients, whilst striving to align with the company’s operational and financial objectives. BUSINESS ACUMEN : Enabled as a business leader, the individual will be responsible for building and managing a diverse team while operating in a multifaceted organisation effectively. PEOPLE : Embody and reflect RISE’s performance-based culture and commit themselves and their team to the highest standards for all agency work. Work effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver planning, consulting and executional excellence. Apply a genuine eagerness to mentor, grow, and develop a diverse and talented team. Manage and train the brand sponsorship and activation team members with responsibility for goal setting, feedback, and constructive guidance. Work closely with engagement teams to ensure account work is projected accurately and effectively and efficiently planned and staffed with all deliverables prioritised accordingly. Serve as a subject matter expert on football and related industry trends, sponsorship landscape, and competitive activities Proactively communicate insights and experiences with colleagues and clients Build relationships with third-party suppliers and manage team engagements to deliver brand activations in the digital and physical realms Guide brainstorming and idea generation sessions with cross functional teams Oversee the hiring, development, and training of the team, adapting the team’s focus based on the needs of RISE and its clients. CLIENTS : Demonstrate an understanding and a passion for his / her clients’ industry, business, brand, and consumer target(s) Establish themselves as a trusted strategic business partner to the client and demonstrate leadership in meetings and client interaction. Lead client relationships in the key verticals and with select 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 manage client expectations, ensure delivery of the highest quality service, and solicit and act on client feedback Ensure goals for client account growth, retention, and satisfaction are met with consistency and best-in-class conceptualisation, planning, and execution Employ 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 Leverage relationships with rights sales team 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 BUSINESS ACUMEN : Lead the company’s Brand Sponsorship service offering, providing strategic advisory to brands and rights holders on their sponsorship programming Develop, refine, and advance RISE’s sponsorship offering to best leverage marketplace intelligence, best practices, and creative innovation Own accountability of the service offering P&L across strategic planning, reporting and analysis, and resource planning (in collaboration with senior leadership). Manage profitability by collaborating with key stakeholders to develop and negotiate statements of work and ensure the work is delivered on budget. Lead strategic development of new business pitches from RFP response to closing accounts, including contract negotiations Maintain strong presentation, verbal and written skills as well as proven ability to develop well-positioned and thoughtful documents and presentations Oversee various initiatives across RISE’s sports, entertainment, and cultural client portfolio, applying focus on sponsorship strategy, evaluation and execution, as well as sponsorship best practice Oversee team-leading vendor relationships, including contracts, negotiations and oversight of the deliverables and quality of work. Lead RISE IP development, marketing and thought leadership initiatives that generate business impact for the Brand Sponsorship team Act as the authority on program and partner review debriefings and analyse and evaluate individual programs and partnerships Oversee team providing asset valuations and points-of-view for current partnerships and new partnership opportunities with RISE’s team Collaborate with the internal accounts team to lead the continuous improvement of client deliverables with brand, consumer, and in-market learnings. Ensure accuracy of scope and comprehensive budget management, including development and management of activation budgets to achieve client needs. Ensure partnership activation projects remain on-budget, along with clear, timely and accurate financial reporting (internally and to the client). Maintain responsibility for client billings and ensure timely payments of invoices and against agreed billing schedules Take an active role in the business development process, leading creative input into RFP responses, new client opportunities and existing client growth strategies (in both UAE and KSA) ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES 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 demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional work within budget parameters. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree is a plus. Minimum ten (10) years’ experience in a sponsorship role at an agency, brand, sports or entertainment property, or related organisation. Strong experience and knowledge in 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 programs / projects concurrently in a fast-paced and high-intensity work environment. Firm grasp on reporting, analysis and budgeting. Exceptional relationship and influencing skills along with highly developed presentation and delivery skills. Proven effectiveness in leading, managing and mentoring junior team members. Application of 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, Excel. Possess a good working knowledge of the Middle East. Arabic language proficiency is a plus. Specialist Skills overview : Practised 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 Seniority level

Mid-Senior level Employment type

Full-time Job function

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