Overview of role
The Head of Sponsorships & Partnerships is an experienced leader responsible for overseeing the strategic development and execution of Orchard's Sponsorships & Partnerships team.
The Head of Team will work closely with the Director of Sponsorships & Events to set and deliver the team plan for S&P, aligned to Orchard's wider Company Strategy and objectives. This role will play a key part in driving a robust new business pipeline, ensuring best-in-class client delivery, and embedding the operational processes required to scale the team sustainably.
The role requires a balance of strategic leadership and hands-on delivery. The successful candidate will be expected to lead on key strategy and sales projects, support pitches and tenders, build Orchard's profile in sponsorship, and manage team resources effectively to ensure delivery excellence and commercial performance.
General responsibilities
Strategy & Leadership:
Work with the Director of Sponsorships & Events to develop and implement a comprehensive S&P team plan aligned to the overall Company Strategy and objectives.
Take responsibility for developing and maintaining a healthy and mixed new business pipeline.
Be accountable for delivering client excellence by putting the client at the heart of everything we do.
Provide hands-on leadership across pitches, tender writing, bid strategy and delivery, ensuring long-term capability is embedded within the team.
Drive continuous improvement in Orchard's sponsorship offer, tools and ways of working, ensuring consistency and quality across the team.
Champion the team's work internally and externally, supporting Orchard's wider profile and growth ambitions
Sponsorship Sales & Commercial Delivery
Oversee sponsorship sales activity across the team, ensuring consistent prospecting, outreach, pipeline progression and conversion.
Support Sponsorship Managers and Executives in progressing priority opportunities, including attending senior-level meetings where required.
Provide guidance on negotiation strategy, commercial terms, contract structure and deal closing.
Ensure sponsorship programmes are deliverable, commercially viable and scalable for clients and the agency.
Ensure team performance is aligned to agreed income targets and commercial KPIs.
Client Excellence & Account Leadership
Oversee, support and where necessary lead on client work, particularly high-value work in sponsorship strategy and sales.
Maintain strong senior relationships across key accounts, ensuring confidence in Orchard's strategic and commercial delivery.
Ensure consistent client communication, governance and reporting across all S&P projects.
Support clients in stakeholder management by providing clear commercial narratives, progress updates and impact-led reporting.
Ensure sponsorship programmes are delivered with integrity, strong brand fit and responsible partnership principles.
Team Management:
Inspire and challenge the team to innovate and deliver best-in-class service.
Lead and manage direct reports, ensuring clear responsibilities, high performance and team wellbeing.
Mentor and coach individuals, supporting development and succession planning.
Conduct regular 1:1s, appraisals and performance reviews, ensuring clear objectives and accountability.
Recruit and retain top talent, supporting the growth and long-term sustainability of the S&P team.
Manage team resource planning and utilisation, ensuring workload is balanced across client delivery, new business, and internal development.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
Collaborate with all internal teams to ensure consistency in messaging, branding and identification of new opportunities.
Work closely with other solution areas to identify and deliver cross-sell opportunities (e.g. sponsorship plus media, creative, digital, content or events).
Act as a key liaison between internal teams and external partners, ensuring joined-up delivery and strong stakeholder experience.
Attend relevant HOT meetings and contribute to agency-wide planning, integration and performance
New Business, Pitching & Market Profile
Work closely with the Director of New Business and the Tenders Team to identify, source and develop new opportunities.
Lead or support sponsorship-related pitches, proposals and tender submissions, ensuring high quality, commercial rigour and strong positioning.
Support the development of case studies, credentials content and marketing collateral to strengthen Orchard's sponsorship positioning.
Be a visible ambassador for Orchard's sponsorship offer in the market, building relationships and strengthening industry presence.
Governance, Systems & Reporting
Ensure CRM, pipeline and forecasting systems are kept up to date and consistently used (e.g. HubSpot, Synergist and internal trackers).
Ensure clear reporting frameworks are in place for clients and internal stakeholders.
Ensure sponsorship projects follow Orchard processes for budgeting, estimating, job set-up and delivery governance.
Maintain oversight of sponsorship contract processes, ensuring appropriate internal approvals and compliance.
Budgeting & Resource Management:
Work closely with the Director of Finance & Business Partnering and the Director of Sponsorships & Events to develop and manage budgets for the team.
Take accountability for gross and net profitability across the team, supporting margin improvement and commercial sustainability.
Ensure client proposals and delivery meet job profitability expectations.
Monitor expenses and allocate resources effectively to meet business objectives.
Report monthly on job profitability, new business performance and overall team delivery.
Evaluation and Reporting
Ensure sponsorship programmes include clear measurement frameworks aligned to client objectives.
Ensure clients receive consistent progress updates and impact-led reporting.
Lead post-programme reviews to identify learnings, improvements and future growth opportunities.
Track market trends, competitor activity and emerging partnership models to ensure Orchard remains current and competitive.
Skills and Attributes
Skills
Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.
Proven ability to lead sponsorship strategy and commercial delivery.
Strong negotiation skills and commercial judgement.
Ability to manage multiple workstreams and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Confidence in building client trust and operating as a senior adviser.
Strong organisational and operational capability, including systems and reporting.
Attributes
Proactive and results-oriented mindset.
Strong business acumen and strategic thinking.
High level of integrity and ethical standards.
Confident, calm and credible under pressure.
Adaptability and willingness to embrace change.
Collaborative leadership style that develops and motivates others.
Experience & Knowledge (Essential)
Minimum 6+ years' experience in sponsorship, partnerships, commercial strategy or a related field.
Experience of leading sponsorship programmes and managing teams.
Strong understanding of sponsorship sales, pipeline development and partnership negotiation.
Experience working in an agency, rights holder, media owner, brand partnership, or multi-stakeholder environment.
Orchard's benefits package
Our people are what makes us so special. That's why we offer a generous benefits package to all who are part of our team. Here's an example of the benefits that are available:
Flexible working opportunities
10 – 4 core hours
25 days annual leave
Monthly wellbeing hours
Quarterly Employer Supported Volunteer Days
A generous training budget
Private medical cover
Cycle to work scheme
8% pension (that's 4% matched from you and us)
Social events and activities (such as end of month drinks, film club and 5 a side football)
How to apply
To apply, please send a cover letter and your CV to
We're an equal opportunity employer, which means we'll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion and we're committed to an inclusive environment for all employees.
Progressive. Respectful. Imaginative. Mindful. Excellence.