PARTNERSHIPS’ MANAGER

We are looking for a dynamic and strategic Partnerships’ Manager to help drive the growth and long-term sustainability of our charity. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the development, management, and delivery of impactful corporate partnerships that make a real difference.

In this role, you will take ownership of both securing new business and strengthening existing relationships, creating meaningful collaborations that align with our mission and strategic goals. You will identify opportunities to generate income, boost brand visibility, and deliver measurable social impact through innovative partnership models.

Working closely with teams across the organisation, you will design tailored proposals, manage stakeholder engagement, and ensure the smooth delivery of partnership activities that create value for both our charity and our corporate supporters.

If you are a confident communicator, a creative thinker, and passionate about building partnerships that change lives, we would love to hear from you.

Cheltenham Festivals is an equal opportunities employer who embraces the benefits of diversity so that everyone, irrespective of individual differences in their identities, background or any personal characteristics, receives fair and equal treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment

Job Description

Job Title: Partnerships’ Manager
Location: 53-57 Rodney Road, Cheltenham GL50 1HX 
Minimum of 2 days working in the office 

Responsible to: Head of Partnerships

Some evening and weekend work during Festivals

Salary: £30,000 to £32,000 per annum depending on experience

Benefits:

• 33 days holiday per annum including bank holidays
• Pension - 5% pension employer contribution and staff ticket allocation
• Staff Ticket Allocation
• Westfield Health Cash Plan
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Background information

Cheltenham Festivals is a pioneering charitable organisation that creates world-class cultural experiences through its annual Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals and outreach programmes. 

Our mission is to collaborate to create experiences which bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change, to create a world in which everyone can explore and create culture.

We are a catalyst for creativity, learning, and innovation—fostering talent, building community engagement, and championing access to culture. 

The Role

The Partnerships’ Manager will play a key role in driving the growth and sustainability of the charity by leading on the development, management, and delivery of corporate partnerships. Responsible for securing new business as well as nurturing and expanding existing relationships, the role will focus on creating mutually beneficial collaborations that align with the organisation’s mission and strategic goals.

The postholder will identify opportunities to generate income, enhance brand visibility, and deliver social impact through innovative partnership models. They will work closely with internal teams to design tailored proposals, manage stakeholder engagement, and ensure the effective delivery of partnership activities that deliver measurable results for both the charity and its corporate supporters.

Detailed Job Description

• To manage a portfolio of existing and new corporate partners, ensuring that each partner is supported and reaching its full potential – implementing the highest standard of account management and building strong relationships aligned with our charitable objectives.
• To work alongside the Head of Partnerships and the Corporate Partnerships Team ensuring we deliver a professional, consistent level of service to internal and external stakeholders
• Develop and understand the clients marketing objectives, identifying opportunities for growing accounts
• Manage partner contract negotiations to secure financial investment and long-term partnerships
• Work collaboratively with the Head of Partnerships and Development Team, and across other Festival teams, including programming teams, Marketing, Finance, Education, Operations and Production to maximise Partnership opportunities
• Researching industry, market insight, trends and identify opportunities for existing and new partners.
• Provide regular partner contact reports and communicate efficiently to the partnerships team
• To ensure that all records, files, and administration on each account you have responsibility for are up to date, organised and accurately recorded on Spektrix.

General responsibilities

In addition to the specific responsibilities of the role above, all the Cheltenham Festivals team are expected to: 

a. Diversity and Inclusion: ensure that our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies are followed and embrace the benefits of diversity so that everyone – irrespective of individual differences in their identities, background or any personal characteristics – receives fair and equal treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment.
b. Performance Improvement: be responsible for your own performance, participate in our performance review procedures and propose better, faster or less expensive ways to do things which help our overall mission.

c. Health and Safety: be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of the team and yourself by following safe systems of work, and by meeting the requirements of the health and safety policy.
d. Compliance and Integrity: be compliant with the law and the Festivals’ policies especially with regards to data protection and IT security and ensure other policies as advised from time to time are followed.

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive and the nature of our work and the size of our team at Cheltenham Festivals requires everyone here to be flexible. You may be required to take on such reasonable additional or other responsibilities and tasks as we need from time to time.

Person Specification

Criteria Description

Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience of hitting sales and/or fundraising targets and a high standard of account management
• Record of managing and activating partnerships and sponsorships
• Outstanding organisational skills, excellent time management; ability to prioritise, work under pressure, and meet deadlines
• Building relationships: excellent relationship development skills
• Excellent communication and influencing skills both written and verbal, ability to negotiate
• Good numerate and presentation skills, meticulous attention to detail
• Experience of researching and identifying prospects desirable
• Compliance: understands legal/regulatory frameworks relevant to business & charity development/partnerships and works with integrity
• IT skills – competent with MS Office suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; some experience of customer relationship management (CRM) databases desirable

Disposition

• Team player who is inclusive, respectful and will support and encourage collaboration amongst colleagues
• Makes things happen - sets goals and targets; accountable, takes responsibility, persistent, tenacious achieves results, seeks to continuously improve
• Interest in supporting a charitable purpose and appreciation of arts, science and culture

Qualifications

• English and Maths at GCSE level or equivalent experience within a partnerships environment

Cheltenham Festivals is an equal opportunities employer who embraces the benefits of diversity so that everyone, irrespective of individual differences in their identities, background or any personal characteristics, receives fair and equal treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment

For a downloadable job description and application form please click on Apply Now.