Sports & Entertainment Partnerships Associate Director
The Sports & Entertainment Partnerships Associate Director at WPP Media is responsible for overseeing and delivering partnerships across sports, entertainment, live experiences, and cultural platforms. This role involves combining cultural intelligence, commercial acumen, and operational excellence to create authentic, scalable, and measurable partnerships. The Associate Director will work closely with senior leadership to guide partnership strategy, manage key stakeholders, and ensure best-in-class outcomes across the WPP network, rights holders, and suppliers.
Key responsibilities include managing day-to-day client relationships, translating business challenges into partnership-led solutions, and leading responses to briefs and renewal planning with WPP specialists. The role also encompasses end-to-end partnership delivery, including contract and asset oversight, activation and production planning, IP and talent rights coordination, event activations and logistics, and reporting and optimization. Additionally, the Associate Director will manage budgets, forecasting, invoicing, supplier coordination, and financial reporting, while ensuring compliance and risk controls are in place.
The ideal candidate will have strong experience in sports partnerships and sponsorships, preferably within an agency, brand, rights holder, or media owner environment. They should possess excellent stakeholder management skills, be confident in day-to-day client interactions, and have expertise in partnership contracting, asset governance, and activation delivery across multiple channels. Commercial acumen, including budget management and negotiation skills, is essential, along with excellent written and presentation abilities, high attention to detail, and a solutions-focused approach under pressure.
WPP Media offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment, providing opportunities for professional growth and development. Employees have access to a global network of resources and expertise, enabling them to work on high-profile projects and make a significant impact in the industry. The company values cultural relevance and innovation, encouraging employees to contribute to partnerships that create meaningful cultural moments and drive measurable outcomes.