Commercial Partnerships Executive

About the role

M+C Saatchi Group is looking for a Commercial Partnerships Executive who identifies, develops and closes sponsorship partnerships across sport and entertainment properties. The role sits at the heart of revenue generation, balancing front-end business development (cold outreach, pipeline building) with strategic go-to-market planning and rights evaluation, and demands careful attention to detail in client-facing work.

Key responsibilities

• Identify, target and engage potential partners (brands, agencies, rights holders) through structured outreach and cold calling, and build a pipeline of opportunities aligned to go-to-market strategies.
• Develop and deliver partnership proposals that clearly state value, differentiation and ROI, and lead negotiations and deal closure.
• Manage the full partnership lifecycle, from prospecting through contracting to ongoing relationship management.
• Support go-to-market plans for rights holders, including sector targeting and positioning, and show understanding of sponsorship rights, asset packaging and commercial valuation.
• Contribute to partnership narratives that align brand objectives with rights holder platforms.
• Keep up to date with the UAE and wider regional sport and entertainment sponsorship landscape, conduct market research and analyse competitors' partnership models.
• Build strong relationships with clients, partners and internal stakeholders, act as a reliable commercial point of contact and give informed recommendations on strategy and execution.
• When required, support or oversee partnership activation plans across digital, experiential and PR channels.
• Build a network within the sport and entertainment ecosystem and represent the business at industry events to generate leads.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sports Management or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in business development, partnerships or sponsorship within sport and/or entertainment.
• Proven track record of generating leads, developing opportunities and closing commercial deals.
• Strong understanding of partnership rights, valuation and activation mechanics.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a high-performing team.