Partnership Activation Lead in Reading - EFL (English Football League)

About The Role

Job Purpose

The Partnerships Activation Manager is responsible for leading the delivery and optimisation of Reading Football Club’s commercial partnerships, ensuring all contractual rights are executed to an exceptional standard and generate measurable value for both the Club and its partners. The role will drive strategic, insight led activation programmes that enhance brand visibility, deepen supporter engagement and contribute to sustainable revenue growth.

Key Accountabilities

To lead the management and delivery of all contracted commercial rights, ensuring full compliance and maximum value for partners.
To provide day to day account management for the Club’s Official Partners, building strong, trusted relationships across all levels of partner organisations.
To collaborate with partners to develop and implement strategic activation plans that deliver against agreed objectives and exceed KPIs.
To coordinate with internal Marketing and Media teams to support partner campaigns, ensuring alignment with the Club’s overarching strategy and effective engagement with target audiences.
To develop a deep understanding of partner brands and businesses to identify opportunities for added value and long term growth.
To produce and deliver insight led evaluation reports and presentations, providing regular updates on campaign performance and partnership success.
To oversee the delivery of sponsor rights including player appearances, content creation and other contracted assets.
To contribute to the overall commercial strategy, supporting new business initiatives and identifying opportunities to enhance revenue generation.
To lead partner renewal negotiations and manage the contractual process through to completion.
To embed partner activations within wider Club marketing activity to ensure mutual benefit and maximum visibility.
To contribute to sales pitches, proposals and meetings where relevant
To lead on partner renewal conversations alongside sales team
To identify and develop creative activation ideas that enhance partner engagement and supporter experience.
To manage relationships with external agencies to ensure partner rights are delivered efficiently and to a high standard.
To ensure all partner and fan engagement activations, communications and campaigns comply with Club policies and governance standards.
To undertake ad hoc duties and provide support across the team as required in line with business needs.

About The Candidate

Skills & Capabilities

Excellent internal and external stakeholder management skills.
Confident communicator, able to manage fan-facing activities and sensitive supporter communications.
Organised and delivery-focused, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.
Creative and ideas-led, with the discipline to evaluate performance and optimise activity based on results.
Clear understanding of EDI principles and the ability to embed inclusive thinking into fan engagement activity.
Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
Proactive and positive attitude.
Resilience in challenging situations.
Good computer literacy and numeracy skills.
Ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
Strong understanding of customer satisfaction and behaviour.
Takes ownership, follows up on issues, and makes well-considered, timely decisions.

Skills & Capabilities

Essential

Demonstrable experience in a fan engagement, audience development, or customer engagement role.
Experience coordinating multiple internal and external stakeholders.
Experience delivering fan-facing activations, events, or engagement initiatives.
Experience working in a fast-paced, live environment, managing competing priorities and stakeholders.
Ability to obtain and retain all required certifications.
Willingness to undertake Continued Professional Development organised by Reading Football Club.
Completion of Safeguarding Training.
Completion of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion training.

Desirable

Experience within professional sport or entertainment based organisation.
Experience managing Partners and Sponsors.
Experience contributing to commercial or revenue-driving activity.

About The Club

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Reading Football Club are committed to ensuring equal opportunities are given to all and welcomes applications from all areas of the community regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnerships

Safeguarding Statement

Reading Football Club recognises that the safety and protection of children and young people engaged in club activities must take priority over all other considerations. Due to this post being in regulated activity, the potential employee will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check at the appropriate level. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to attempt to engage with vulnerable group. Engagement will be subject to sight of a satisfactory DBS disclosure and stringent background and reference checks

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Partnership Activation Lead

About The Role

About The Candidate

Essential

Desirable

About The Club

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