Business jobs in United Kingdom

Job Title: Head of Partnerships

Reporting to: Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

Location: Worcestershire County Cricket Club, New Road, Worcester, WR2 4QQ

Contract term: Full time, permanent

Background: Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county cricket clubs which make up the England and Wales Cricket Board. We play to the highest level of professional cricket with a history stretching back over 155 years. Our vision is to become Worcestershire’s premier destination for live sports, entertainment & hospitality, whilst providing great experiences for everyone who comes to New Road. We are passionate about our people and strive to make our working environment a welcoming and inclusive one, fuelling ambition with opportunities and support to help our people achieve their personal and professional goals. Our values of Trust, Inclusiveness, Kindness, Resilience and Togetherness resonate across everything we do at the Club and define our culture and behaviours.

Purpose of the Role: An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Partnerships to lead and grow all sponsorship, partnerships and advertising streams across Worcestershire County Cricket Club. You will form a key part of the Audience, Revenue & Experience (ARX) Department leadership team, working cross‑functionally to align audience growth, revenue and experience outcomes. You will set the sales strategy, build and coach a high‑performing team, deliver robust pipeline and forecasting, and hit ambitious income and margin targets while ensuring outstanding experiences for Club partners.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Strategy, planning & performance
   • Own the multi‑year sales strategy and annual plans for partnership and Hospitality sales
   • Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline coverage and scenario planning; report performance and insight to the CRO and senior leadership
2. Leadership & team development
   • Lead, coach and develop a team of four managers/specialists; set clear KPIs, run regular performance reviews and support professional development
   • Foster a data‑driven, customer‑centric and collaborative culture with of activity, quality and accountability
   • Recruit, onboard and resource the team to deliver peak‑period coverage (matchdays, seasonal demand, major events)
3. Hospitality (B2B)
   • Work with Head of Hospitality to design and package matchday hospitality and year‑round events aligned to client needs and venue capability
   • Drive proactive new business, account‑based outreach and repeat bookings; partner with Operations to ensure delivery excellence and upsell pathways
4. Sponsorship & advertising (B2B)
   • Lead sponsorship and advertising sales from prospecting through to negotiation, contracting and onboarding
   • Shape rights packages, pricing and proposals; collaborate with Marketing on creative brand activations and with Delivery on measurement/fulfilment
   • Maximise renewals and multi‑year agreements through demonstrable ROI and stakeholder relationships

Key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Total Partnership revenue & gross margin
• Hospitality revenue, conversion rate and repeat bookings
• Sponsorship new business won, renewal rate and average contract term/value
• Pipeline coverage, win rate, forecast accuracy and debtor days (with Finance)
• Net Promoter Score/CSAT and partner satisfaction

Other responsibilities: We expect our people to demonstrate and promote our values at all times to ensure Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s brand is always held in the highest regard both internally and in public. It is expected that you will:

• Be proactive in promoting inclusiveness across the club and reporting any discrimination that you witness
• Be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk that visit the Club
• Promote a positive environment that is welcoming, friendly and supportive
• Foster a culture of togetherness and commit to contributing to a strong team ethic
• Be passionate about delivering excellent customer service to everyone that comes through our doors

The nature of our work and the size of our team here at Worcestershire County Cricket Club requires everyone to be flexible, motivated and an excellent team player. This Job Description is not an exhaustive list of tasks but represents the key duties and responsibilities required by the role. You may be required to take on such reasonable additional or other responsibilities and tasks as we need from time to time.

Essential

• Proven senior sales leadership in a multi‑revenue environment (sports, entertainment, venues, hospitality or similar)
• Track record of delivering (and exceeding) seven‑figure targets across B2B and B2C streams
• Advanced pipeline management, pricing/yield and forecasting skills; highly data‑literate with CRM
• Excellent relationship building, negotiation and presentation skills from C‑suite to community partners
• Strong people leadership: hiring, coaching, performance management and creating a positive, high‑accountability culture
• Flexibility to work evenings/weekends and be hands‑on during peak periods and matchdays

Desirable

• Experience selling sponsorship/advertising rights and creating activation plans
• Knowledge of cricket and the regional business landscape

You will need to have the Right to Work in the UK or be able to obtain this by the start date. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

This is a full‑time role working 35 hours per week over 5 days. This will include working some evenings and weekends, particularly during the Cricket season. The salary for this role is up to £45,000 per annum, plus commission.

Our benefits:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Death in Service Cover at four times your annual salary
• Paid time off over Christmas and New Year
• Paid day off for your Birthday or celebration day of your choice
• Access to Pluxee employee benefits and discount platform
• Employee Assistance Programmes and Wellbeing support
• Free city centre parking
• Stunning city centre location with iconic cathedral view

The closing date for applications is 4th January 2026. Worcestershire County Cricket Club recognises the positive value of diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. The Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.