• Responsible for the sale of brand partnership (sponsorship) opportunities across The R&A’s portfolio, driven by The Open, Women’s Open (professional championships), amateur championships (e.g., Curtis Cup and Walker Cup) as well as non-tournament assets including digital and media.
  • Deliver against an agreed GTM strategy, unlocking the significant commercial potential of The R&A’s assets, maximising sales, and achieving the revenue targets set, with an ability deliver sophisticated partnerships. Contribute to the ongoing review of the strategy.
  • Requirement to gain a deep understanding of The R&A’s business and strategy, working with individual stakeholders to deliver against strategy and objectives.
  • The ability to understand wider opportunities across The R&A’s portfolio and to help grow traditional and non-traditional partnerships, including digital assets.
  • Forward thinking, creative and always looking for new opportunities to attract new partners and maximise investment for existing partners, to maximise the commercial return to The R&A.
  • Working across and within the IMG and Endeavor network, including the Global Partnerships Team, Sales Operations teams, regional offices as well as functions within the IMG and Endeavor group.
  • Research industries, brands and product categories most relevant to The R&A’s vision and brand pillars, targeting brands with a clearly articulated value proposition that demands attention.
  • Ability to identify research and insights requirements, to provide clear briefs to Endeavor Analytics team and be able to assess and analyse any finding to support outreach, meetings, and negotiations.
  • Build and manage a pipeline of sales opportunities, effectively connecting with senior decision makers from target brands and existing IMG and Endeavor clients.
  • Bring creativity, innovation to the commercial programme and sales process and must be able to adapt and bring new ideas the sales process and be able to articulate this to potential partners.
  • Understand the sponsorship and sport marketplace, changing requirements and needs of partners and brands, adapt the sales process accordingly.
  • Build relationships and support colleagues with developing outreach materials to support delivering success.
  • Work with Golf’s in-house creative team to deliver compelling presentations supported by a thoroughly researched, data driven business case, innovative partnership marketing campaigns and activations. 
  • Prioritise those opportunities which deliver the greatest revenue potential, driving the sales process through the pipeline through to contract, leveraging any and all resources.
  • Will need to maintain strong communication and reporting across the partnership.
  • Will have experience working internationally, with golf experience /knowledge and a strong sales background.
  • Results and performance will be linked to revenue delivered.

Unusual Challenges or Circumstances

  • Regular weekend work where you may be required to travel to events domestically and internationally.
  • Outside of event travel there will be a requirement to travel for meetings as part of the role.
  • Able to commit to periods away from home, primarily in St Andrews, Scotland.

Key Results Areas

  • To successfully grow the commercial revenue streams across sponsorship and partnerships.
  • To deliver the agreed growth target identified as part of IMG’s agreement with the R&A 
  • To foster a positive working relationship with the key principals across The R&A.
  • Demonstrate positive business behaviors.

IMG

IMG, the pioneer in golf, was founded by Mark McCormack in 1960 following a gentleman’s agreement handshake between Mark and Arnold Palmer. This was the start of athlete representation as we know it today.Over the years IMG has extended into numerous sports but its roots are firmly set within Golf and we are proud to have staged over 800 events since 1960.

IMG Golf can help drive business’, brands and shape the game of golf through being embedded in all aspects from Academies through golf course design and management to licensing and Tours. We help to grow the game through developing grass route programmes, leveraging our relationships with players and brands to access and influence new participants and fans to the world of Golf. Creating extraordinary experiences through strategic brand activations, world-class hospitality and corporate golf days, IMG now sits within the Endeavor umbrella, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency.

The R&A

The R&A Playbook

https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/a017b024-46e9-470b-9407-20918eeafb5b/The%20RA%20Playbookfinal.pdf

The R&A are the custodians of the game of Golf outside of North America. They manage more than 40 professional and amateur championships each year, including The Open, The Women’s Open, Curtis Cup and Walker Cup. Their purpose is to make golf more accessible, appealing, and inclusive and to ensure it is thriving 50 years from now.

IMG and The R&A have a relationship that spans more than 50 years, primarily across media rights and distribution, partnerships, and event support. As part of an evolution of the relationship, IMG is building a dedicated strategic partnerships team to deliver even greater success in the future. This role is crucial to delivering that success working on some of the biggest properties in golf and arguably the most exciting time in The R&A’s history.

Your Career at IMG

IMG is highly invested in the career development of its employees. If successful in your role, it should provide you with a steppingstone to the next stage and beyond. Examples of roles that people previously advanced to from the role or the level of this position are Vice President. It is important to note that while most people look at the position of their line manager as the next step, there is significant opportunity for cross-promotion across the many different divisions of the company. This is possible because of the vast scope of our company and will be strongly encouraged.

As a valued employee you will have access to development tools to support your career and personal development with IMG.

Knowledge And Experience

  • Demonstrable relevant experience
  • An extensive network of senior client relationships
  • Demonstrable experience of developing high value, consultative, solution focused marketing programmes for mature and/or niche properties
  • Relevant experience selling technology and sustainability focused propositions an advantage
  • Understanding of Golf is a nice to have, but not a must
  • Capable of thinking creatively with a commercially driven, entrepreneurial mindset
  • Demonstrable experience of building, managing, and prioritising a pipeline to deliver effective results with a personal track record of leveraging referrals, developing leads, and securing meetings with prospective partners to close deals
  • Experience initiating and driving sales
  • Can demonstrate experience of responding to brand needs, producing tailored propositions to suit the needs of individual companies
  • A thorough understanding of the end-to-end sales process and the customer buying process (including awareness of the emotional connections required by brands)
  • Experience in effective storytelling of partnership opportunities to and engagement of senior and c-level executives and targeted companies and brands
  • Proven experience of sales in business, having both initiated and executed mid to high value sales in either a B2B or B2C environment
  • Proven track record of successful client relationships and strategic account management/engagement

Skills & Abilities

  • Must have strong written and verbal English language skills.
  • Strong people management skills and ability to excel in a fast-paced environment
  • Working knowledge of MS Office software, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
  • Ability to build long lasting working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
  • Ability to self-direct and motivate
  • A strong team player that is flexible dependent on business demand
  • Excellent time management skills, ability to work calmly under pressure whilst meeting deadlines
  • Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritise
  • Strong verbal and written communications and interpersonal skills with the confidence to create leads in person and on the phone
  • Strong sales, presentation, and negotiation skills. 
  • Strong decision making and awareness of the need for involvement of legal, finance and senior teams at the appropriate stages
  • Ability to monitor own performance at regular intervals and develop alternative strategies if sales plan/own goals are not being achieved
  • Ability to work in a constantly evolving environment and keep focussed on objectives and bigger picture
  • Handles objections to win trust and business
  • Sells business values and negotiates for success
  • Ability to recognise and overcome attitudes, beliefs and emotional blocks that create resistance to change, which alters level of participation because of an emotional point of view.

Working Conditions 

  • This is a permanent position.
  • This role will be based at Chiswick Park, London.
  • Working hours are 9:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday 
  • Occasional travel and weekend work may be required

Endeavor is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.



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