Partnership Management - Team Lead

OverviewRISE is a leader in Saudi Arabia’s sport, culture and entertainment (SCE) sectors. With offices in Dubai (UAE) and Riyadh Saudi Arabia (KSA), RISE specialises in providing data‑driven, sustainable sponsorship services to some of the region’s leading brand and rights holder clients.The successful candidate will join on a fixed‑term contract, to provide maternity cover, leading the brand sponsorship team, responsible for leading a team 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 the development of brand strategy.Role & responsibilitiesWorking 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 be best suited to someone who can manage complex partnerships, has experience of working with rights holders and a track record of achieving ROI 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:PEOPLEBuild partnerships and foster collaborative relationships among clients, employees, partners and board members.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 execution excellence.Apply an ingenuie age ring 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 engagement 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.CLIENTSDemonstrate an understanding and passion for his/her client’s industry, business, brand and consumer target(s).Establish himself/herself as a trusted strategic business partner to the client and demonstrate leadership in meetings and client interactions.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 sale 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 ACUMENLead 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 plannin