Hybrid Partnerships Account Manager

at WRU - Welsh Rugby Union

• Job title: Partnerships Account Manager
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Junior
• Salary: £32,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Cardiff, United Kingdom

About the role

• Partnerships Account Manager responsible for managing commercial partner relationships and ensuring successful account delivery for WRU. Drive commercial growth within the rugby ecosystem through strategic partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead on the day-to-day management and delivery of contractual rights for an agreed set of commercial partners, organising and administering all sponsorship delivery activities.
• Creation and management of a clear and well documented Account Management Plan for each partnership under your management.
• Implementation of a proactive approach to account management ensuring you are planning well ahead of time.
• Develop creative activation proposals for commercial partners that align with their strategy.
• Track partner satisfaction via an NPS style survey and ensure that the partners under your management are achieving the agreed target scores.
• Be the central point of contact internally and externally for all activity relating to the commercial partners under your management.
• Ensure the digital, communications, marketing, ticketing and other internal teams are fully aware of, and committed to all campaign activities for your commercial partners.
• Working collaboratively with Marketing & Comms teams to design digital, social and content campaigns for commercial partners.
• Liaise with event organisers and other national federations to ensure implementation and delivery of commercial partners’ rights.
• Ensure the relevant systems that track the delivery of commercial rights are fully updated for all partners.
• Input all data for key partner contacts in the WRU’s chosen CRM system.
• Work with the partnerships team to ensure the required research is conducted, organised and saved online regarding the WRU Commercial Programme (e.g. media values, consumer research, etc).
• Deliver industry leading post event reporting to the partners that fall under your management to enable data driven decision making is used to guide the development of the partnerships.
• Input into internal reporting processes as required.
• Flag risks and issues early to enable plans to be put in place to mitigate risks.
• Identification of new commercial opportunities to discuss with commercial partners and up-sell, in collaboration with the Commercial Team.
• Involvement in contract renewal negotiations with current commercial partners in collaboration with the Commercial Team.
• Support the planning and delivery of commercial partner workshops.
• Build excellent working relations with other stakeholders – including Welsh Government, local Council, Regional Teams, SNRL, URC, other Unions, etc.
• Support in the inviting and hosting of commercial partners’ at WRU matches, other rugby events (e.g. Rugby World Cups) and other third-party events.
• Play a key role in ensuring that everything runs smoothly with regards to partner rights delivery for across all WRU Partners, but particularly those that fall under your management.
• Ensure budgets are managed to and that all finance process are implemented and adhered to.

Requirements

• Strong project management experience with clear evidence of delivery against tight timescales.
• Ability to plan, proactively thinking 6-12 months down the line.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential with the ability to communicate confidently with a variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience in building and delivering partnership-oriented projects.
• Strong interpersonal skills and relationship management both internally and with key client-side decision makers.
• Experience of presenting to key stakeholders of varying levels of seniority, adapting approach and style accordingly.
• An ability to understand client needs and objectives and then build plans that work hard to deliver against them.
• Ability to balance competing demands and requirements to find mutually acceptable solutions.
• Understanding of the sponsorship market and how sponsorship deals work.
• Understanding of conventional and digital and social media platforms.
• The ability to work on own initiative, both as an individual and as part of a team.
• Previous experience of working in a commercial/client facing environment required.
• Experience of working within a professional sporting environment is advantageous.
• Practical sponsorship account management/activation experience.
• Understanding and experience of management of sponsorship contracts.
• Experience of working with event organisers and national sports federations.
• Excellent IT Skills, specifically Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint.
• Ability to communicate and work through the medium of Welsh is desirable.

Benefits

• Salary Sacrifice Pension (5% employee contribution, matched by WRU)
• Life assurance scheme
• WRU Group Ticket Allocation (in line with ticketing policy)
• One additional paid day off (birthday leave)
• Employee assistance programme
• Team Tactics – hybrid working arrangements
• Free stadium parking and gym
• WRU Group store and tour discounts
• WRU Group partnership offers
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme