Partnerships manager
Sponsorship manager, commercial manager, partnership executive
Partnerships managers find and look after a club’s sponsors and commercial partners, from the first meeting to activation on match days.
Average salary (a year)
£30,000£60,000
StarterExperienced
Starter £30,000 to experienced £60,000
Typical hours (a week)
37 to 42
You could work
evenings and weekendson match days
How to become a partnerships manager
You can get into this job through:
University
You can do a degree in a relevant subject.
A degree in business, marketing or sport management is useful but not essential.
Apprenticeship
You could get into this career through an apprenticeship.
You could start with a sales or marketing apprenticeship and progress into partnerships.
Applying directly
You may be able to apply directly to clubs and organisations.
Experience in sales, account management or sponsorship in any industry is valued. Many people start as a partnerships executive.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You’ll need:
- sales and negotiation skills
- the ability to build long-term relationships
- confident presentation and writing skills
- commercial awareness
- creativity in designing partnership ideas
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
In your day-to-day tasks you could:
- find and pitch to potential sponsors
- negotiate and manage partnership contracts
- plan activations and match-day hospitality
- report results to partners
- work with marketing and media teams
Working environment
You’ll work in an office, meet clients and host partners at matches.
Career path and progression
You could become head of partnerships or commercial director.
Current opportunities
There are no partnerships manager jobs open right now. New jobs are added every day: set up a job alert to hear about them first.
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Salaries and hours are typical figures for the UK and vary by club, league, location and experience. Last updated November 14, 2026.