Brand Partnerships Manager 

Based: Central London

Reports to: Head of Partnerships

About the Group:

YMU is the UK's largest talent management company, and a leading talent agency globally, representing an elite roster spanning global A-listers, household TV names, chart-topping music artists, digital-first creators, podcasters, comedians, sports personalities, Sunday Times bestselling authors, and prominent thought leaders.

 Surrounding our managers and clients, we have teams of industry-leading experts and specialists in each area – commercial partnership sales & dealmaking, publishing, digital strategy, podcasting, live events, venture-building, brand consultancy, financial planning, legal advice, etc. - that work with our clients to help them achieve their unique creative and business objectives. YMU has offices in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Manchester, and London.

About the Partnerships Team:

Our partnerships team across UK and US deliver culture defining partnerships for leading talent, creators, music artists, actors, athletes, and sports personalities across YMU’s global roster.

They have shaped many of the best known and most successful talent and creator partnerships in the UK – working with a broad cross section of leading brands and partners – such as L’Oreal, Adidas, M&S, Vodafone, Procter & Gamble, O2, Estee Lauder, Next, Boots, Nike, Mercedes, Suzuki, amongst many others.

Beyond partnerships, YMU provides specialist services spanning IP creation, brand and licensing, live events and experiences, digital and social strategy, original content, and international activations.

 About the Role:

Reporting to the Head of Partnerships, within the Group’s partnerships team in our head office in Great Portland Street (London), the role of Brand Partnerships Executive is responsible for proactively approaching brands and their agencies with partnership proposals as well as responding to incoming briefs, to secure income and partnership opportunities for our entire roster.  

You will be an integral part of the commercial team and will work alongside the Head of Partnerships to negotiate and secure the best possible opportunities for clients, as well as working alongside the wider team to build deeper relationships with key decision makers, and build repeat business relationships.

This role will be working across our varied Entertainment, Social, Music and Sport roster, to help secure partnerships with brands, around areas our talent are passionate about, as well as responding to incoming briefs for our clients.

Reporting to the Head of Partnerships, you'll be both a cultural and commercial thinker - someone who understands how audiences connect with talent, and how that connection translates into brand value. You'll be responsible for identifying, pitching and securing partnerships that feel right for clients, not just commercially strong - and for building the kind of brand and agency relationships that generate repeat business and long-term collaboration.

You'll work on everything from ambassador deals and branded content to sponsorship and integrated campaigns, using audience insight, cultural intelligence and market knowledge to build compelling propositions that land.

This role will be working across our varied Entertainment, Social, Music and Sport roster, to help secure partnerships with brands, around areas our talent are passionate about, as well as responding to incoming briefs for our clients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Proactively developing partnership opportunities for focus talent across the roster each month - pitching them into brands and agencies, to secure new partnerships
• Responding quickly to inbound brand partnership briefs from brands and agencies, applying creativity and knowledge of our talent, to negotiate up and upsell each opportunity 
• Building and deepening relationships with key decision-makers across brands, and agencies - to unlock repeat business, and become a trusted long-term partner for future talent and creator opportunities
• Developing high-impact proposals that bring partnership concepts to life through audience intelligence, cultural context, case studies and creative thinking 
• Researching the market proactively each week to identify partnership opportunities around our talent
• Staying close to the cultural and brand landscape - identifying emerging opportunities and ensuring our commercial approach reflects where talent and brand culture is heading 
• Maintaining a clear and accurate view of your pipeline and prospects on our central CRM, keeping the team informed each week of progress and priorities.

About You:

• Minimum 4-5 year brand partnerships sales experience selling in talent and creator partnerships to brands and agencies 
• Ability to pitch and secure talent and creator brand partnerships (from conception through to completion)
• A genuine feel for culture - you understand how audiences relate to talent, and how that translates into brand partnership value
• Experience in a fast-paced partnership sales environment, selling in content and talent-led partnerships to brands and agencies, and delivering stand out long-term partnerships 
• Strong understanding of talent marketing and creator partnerships, and how best in class content and talent partnerships activate cross-platform
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, as well as the ability to build strong relationships quickly with brand and agency contacts, and with talent and their teams
• Ability to bring partnership opportunities and concepts to life through high impact presentations, as well as applying audience insight, case studies, context and research to partnership proposals
• A growing network of contacts across brands, advertisers and agencies 
• Highly organised and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously 
• Genuine passion for the intersection of talent, brands and culture
• Highly driven, energetic, proactive, innovative and creative
• A team player                                          

What we Offer

 We offer a wide variety of benefits including:  

•           Access to flexible working conditions                 

•           Wellhub Silver membership 

•           Life Insurance 

•           Enhanced Family leave 

•           24/7 Employee Assistance Programme  

•           Cycle to Work Scheme  

•           Menopause Benefit  

•           Workplace Nursery Scheme 

•           Unlimited holiday (discretionary) 

Please email your CV and Cover Letter to Careers@ymugroup.com to apply.