Sponsorship Sales Manager

About this role

SPONSORSHIP SALES MANAGER

London, UK

In-Person

YOUR ROLE

We're looking for an ambitious Sponsorship Sales Manager to originate and develop major sponsorship opportunities across Playfly International's portfolio of sports properties across football, motorsport, combat sports, cycling and more.

You will be responsible for creating your own pipeline and owning the opportunities you generate from first conversation through to contract. We want someone who loves being in the market: building relationships, developing industry intelligence, networking and consistently creating high-quality conversations with brands through a combination of their existing network and targeted outbound activity.

You will already have a strong network across brands, agencies, rights holders and the wider sponsorship industry, and be confident operating in senior commercial environments. You will have direct access to Playfly's senior leadership and specialist Strategy, Data and Design teams to help progress opportunities, while retaining ownership of the sales process. This is an opportunity to work across major global sports properties with a clear pathway towards more senior commercial leadership roles.

ABOUT PLAYFLY SPORTS

Playfly Sports is a leading sports marketing and media company, helping brands connect with passionate sports fans across the globe through the power of partnerships. From the Premier League and Formula 1 to tennis, MLB, NBA and NHL, we deliver results through smart storytelling, creative thinking, and a relentless focus on commercial outcomes.

We are at the forefront of a new generation of performance-driven sports partnerships and are building an entrepreneurial culture where ambitious people can make a significant impact. Our team combines creativity, data and commercial expertise to deliver market-leading solutions for some of the world's biggest sports properties.

WHAT YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH

· Create Pipeline: Your primary focus will be generating high-quality commercial opportunities across our portfolio. You will be measured across the commercial funnel, including activity, meetings created, qualified pipeline, proposals and ultimately revenue.

· Build and Leverage Your Network: Develop and actively use relationships across brands, agencies, rights holders and the wider sponsorship industry to create opportunities, open doors and gather valuable commercial intelligence.

· Be in the Market: Build a strong presence across the industry through meetings, events, races, matches, conferences and networking opportunities. We want someone who is equally comfortable developing relationships at an industry event, in an F1 paddock or directly with a prospective brand partner.

· Originate New Opportunities: Identify relevant brands and decision-makers, understand what is happening within their businesses and find compelling reasons for them to engage with our properties.

· Own What You Originate: When you create an opportunity, you will own it throughout the sales process, from first conversation through to contract. You will be responsible for maintaining momentum, agreeing and delivering next steps, coordinating internal resources and driving the opportunity forward.

· Bring the Best of Playfly to Every Opportunity: Work collaboratively with senior leadership and our Strategy, Data and Design teams, bringing the right expertise into an opportunity at the right moment to give us the strongest possible chance of success.

· Develop Compelling Commercial Solutions: Understand the objectives and challenges of prospective partners and work with the wider team to build partnership propositions that combine strategic insight, creativity and measurable business outcomes.

· Deliver Commercial Results: Ultimately, success will be measured by your ability to turn activity and relationships into meaningful pipeline and partnership revenue.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING (E = Essential, D = Desirable)

· 5+ years' experience in sponsorship sales, business development or a closely related commercial role within sport or sports marketing (E)

· A demonstrable track record of originating new business opportunities and building pipeline, rather than relying primarily on inbound or centrally generated leads (E)

· An established network across brands, agencies, rights holders and the wider sponsorship industry, with the ability to use relationships to open doors and generate market intelligence (E)

· Confidence operating in senior industry environments and building credible relationships with brand and agency decision-makers (E)

· Evidence of using a combination of networking, referrals, events, research and targeted outbound activity to create new commercial conversations (E)

· Strong understanding of how sponsorship can support brands' marketing and wider business objectives (E)

· Experience contributing to significant sponsorship sales processes from initial conversation through to negotiation and contract (E)

· A highly organised approach to opportunity management, with the discipline to maintain momentum, coordinate next steps and effectively bring colleagues a

· Entrepreneurial mindset with the resilience and drive to thrive in a fast-moving business (E)

· Willingness to travel internationally as required (E)

WHAT WE OFFER

· Competitive salary

· The opportunity to lead commercial sales for some of Europe's most exciting football properties

· Responsibility and autonomy within a growing global sports marketing business

· The chance to work with world-class brands and rights holders

· Career progression towards leading larger commercial sales teams

· A collaborative, entrepreneurial culture where ideas and results are recognised

· International travel and exposure to some of the biggest events in global sport

WHAT WE DO

Playfly Sports is the full-service, leading sports marketing and media company that enables brands to engage with sports fans on a local, regional, and national level…