Job Summary / Description
Our Partner is seeking an experienced and results-driven Business Development & Partnerships Manager to lead sponsorship acquisition, strategic partnerships, and stakeholder engagement for a flagship cultural event taking place in November 2026.
This is a revenue-generating role responsible for identifying, engaging, and converting corporate sponsors, government agencies, diplomatic missions, cultural organisations, media partners, and strategic stakeholders into long-term collaborators.
The successful candidate will own the partnership pipeline from prospecting through negotiation and contract execution while ensuring an exceptional partner experience before, during, and after the event.
If you thrive on building relationships, closing high-value partnerships, and driving commercial growth, this opportunity is for you.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Sponsorship Acquisition:
Develop and execute strategies to secure sponsorships and strategic partnerships.
Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective sponsors, partners, and stakeholders.
Identify opportunities across corporate organisations, government ministries and agencies, tourism and culture boards, embassies, development organisations, cultural associations, media houses, and private institutions.
Conduct market research to identify high-value partnership opportunities.
Sales & Partnership Management:
Lead outreach through calls, emails, networking events, referrals, and meetings.
Secure qualified meetings with senior decision-makers and key stakeholders.
Present sponsorship opportunities and negotiate mutually beneficial partnership agreements.
Drive negotiations through to signed agreements and successful onboarding.
Proposal & Pitch Development:
Collaborate with the project team to develop sponsorship packages, partnership proposals, pitch decks, and customised presentations.
Tailor partnership opportunities to align with prospective sponsors' business objectives, CSR initiatives, ESG priorities, and brand visibility goals.
Prepare partnership agreements, budgets, and supporting documentation.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Build and maintain strong relationships with sponsors, partners, cultural organisations, vendors, embassies, and government agencies.
Serve as the primary relationship manager throughout the partnership lifecycle.
Ensure timely communication and excellent stakeholder experience from onboarding through post-event reporting.
Event Coordination & Sponsor Fulfilment:
Coordinate sponsor onboarding and activation activities.
Work closely with the project team to ensure all sponsorship deliverables and visibility commitments are fulfilled.
Collaborate with the Content Creator and Photographer to provide sponsors with post-event reports, photographs, videos, and visibility evidence.
Support coordination of cultural groups, vendors, performers, and strategic partners throughout project delivery.
Pipeline Management & Reporting:
Maintain an accurate and up-to-date partnership pipeline and CRM.
Track meetings, proposals, negotiations, revenue, and signed agreements.
Submit weekly reports covering pipeline progress, partnerships secured, revenue generated, and key business development insights.
Event Support:
Attend stakeholder meetings, networking engagements, and sponsor presentations.
Transition to increased on-site coordination during the final weeks leading up to the event.
Be fully present on-site during the event to manage sponsor relations, VIP engagement, and partnership fulfilment.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Success in this role will be measured against:
Number of qualified stakeholder meetings booked each week.
Number of sponsorship proposals submitted.
Sponsorship and partnership conversion rate.
Total value of sponsorships and partnerships secured.
Growth and quality of the partnership pipeline.
Sponsor satisfaction and fulfilment performance.
Accuracy and timeliness of weekly reporting.
Revenue generated against agreed sponsorship targets.
Requirements
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Event Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years' experience in business development, strategic partnerships, sponsorship sales, account management, marketing, or corporate engagement.
Experience within events, media, tourism, hospitality, advertising, culture, or the development sector is highly desirable.
Demonstrated experience securing corporate sponsorships or strategic partnerships.
Strong network across corporate organisations, government agencies, embassies, NGOs, or cultural institutions is an added advantage.
Excellent negotiation, presentation, proposal writing, and stakeholder management skills.
Strong commercial acumen with a proven ability to close high-value deals.
Highly organised, proactive, and able to manage multiple partnership opportunities simultaneously.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, CRM platforms, and presentation software.
Core Competencies:
Business Development
Strategic Partnerships
Sponsorship Sales
Relationship Management
Proposal Writing
Negotiation & Closing
Stakeholder Engagement
Corporate Communications
Commercial Awareness
Project Coordination
Time Management.