Manchester United
Partnerships Innovation Lead
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Application Deadline: 12 October 2026
Description
At Manchester United, we believe that excellence on the pitch starts with excellence off the pitch. Our team thrives in a high-performance environment, united by a shared passion for success. We aim to elevate the standard of performance through collaboration and continuous growth, creating a space where everyone can contribute their best to our common goals.
We work together at our iconic Manchester United offices, enabling connection and innovation as we look ahead to what we can achieve as a global football club. We are excited to bring in passionate people who share our vision and drive for success.
The Partnerships Innovation Lead will work closely alongside the partnership team managing Manchester United’s largest and most complex partnerships. The role will combine insight, creativity, and media strategy to develop distinctive campaign ideas, activation concepts, and measurable programmes that deliver against partners' objectives.
The Partnerships Innovation Lead will be expected to gain category expertise within each partner industry, to create innovative campaigns that deliver against partner objectives, these are built utilizing audience insight, content strategy, media planning, and measurement frameworks. Creating campaigns that deliver measurable impact. The role should challenge established approaches where there is a clear opportunity to deliver stronger outcomes for partners, fans, and the Club.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop innovative, insight-led partnership campaigns for Manchester United’s Principal Partners, translating business objectives into engaging activation concepts, content strategies, and measurable programmes that drive commercial value and fan engagement.
- Lead collaborative workshops with partners and internal stakeholders to identify opportunities, solve business challenges, and generate creative solutions that differentiate Manchester United partnerships in the market.
- Create integrated campaign plans, bringing together activation, content, media, audience targeting, and measurement frameworks to ensure campaigns are strategically aligned and effectively delivered.
- Utilize audience insights, market intelligence, sponsorship trends, and category expertise to develop innovative ideas that meet partner objectives while enhancing the fan experience.
- Advise partners and internal teams on the optimal use of owned, earned, and paid media channels, identifying opportunities to maximize reach, engagement, and overall campaign effectiveness.
- Define clear campaign KPIs, measurement frameworks, and success metrics, ensuring activities are tracked, evaluated, and continuously optimized to demonstrate return on investment.
- Lead campaign reporting and performance reviews, turning complex data and insights into clear recommendations that inform future planning and improve partnership outcomes.
- Act as a strategic consultant to partners, proactively identifying opportunities to maximize the value of their partnership through innovative activations, new technologies, and emerging audience behaviors.
- Monitor developments across sponsorship, sport, media, technology, fan engagement, and key partner sectors, ensuring Manchester United remains at the forefront of partnership innovation.
- Build and maintain a deep understanding of partner industries, consumer trends, and competitor activity to create relevant, commercially impactful campaigns tailored to each partner’s business needs.
- Champion a culture of creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement by encouraging experimentation, testing new approaches, and scaling successful initiatives across the partnership portfolio.
- Collaborate closely with Partnership Management, Data & Insights, Content, Media, and Commercial teams to bring innovative concepts to life and ensure successful delivery against partner and Club objectives.
- Challenge conventional approaches and identify new opportunities to deliver stronger results for partners, fans, and the Club, balancing creativity with commercial and operational practicality.
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Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise
- 8+ years' experience in creative strategy, brand planning, media strategy, sponsorship consulting, or partnership strategy, with a proven track record developing integrated campaigns and marketing ideas for global brands.
- Strong expertise in sponsorship, sports marketing, media planning, audience strategy, content effectiveness, and commercial communications across digital, social, and emerging platforms.
- Demonstrable success creating insight-led campaigns, translating consumer insights, market trends, and business objectives into distinctive ideas and practical recommendations.
- Highly analytical and data-literate, with strong knowledge of marketing effectiveness, media analytics, measurement frameworks, performance reporting, and optimization.
- Deep understanding of digital media ecosystems, consumer behavior, emerging technologies, and trends across AI, fan engagement, content platforms, and marketing technology.
- Experience presenting to and influencing senior stakeholders, with the ability to communicate complex insights through clear, compelling, and actionable narratives.
- Naturally curious and innovative, with strong problem-solving skills, category expertise, and the ability to identify growth opportunities across multiple industry sectors.
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Personal Attributes
- Credible and influential creative strategist with the gravitas to build trusted relationships and influence senior stakeholders.
- Commercially minded, intellectually curious, and creatively strategic, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Bold and thoughtful innovator who brings fresh perspectives, challenges established creative approaches constructively, and is prepared to make brave, well-reasoned recommendations.
- Excellent communicator, presenter, and storyteller, capable of turning complex insights into compelling narratives.
- Collaborative self-starter with a positive, solution-focused mindset, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Ambitious, resilient, and driven to deliver impact, inspire others, and achieve high-performance outcomes.
What we offer
At Manchester United, we recognize that our people are at the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a range of rewards designed to support your professional and personal well-being:
- Annual Incentive Scheme to reward your dedication and hard work
- 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and an opportunity to purchase additional holiday days
- Electric Vehicle scheme via Octopus and cycle to work scheme
- Simplyhealth Cash Plan: Supporting you with your everyday healthcare needs
- Wellness Support with access to mental health resources, digital health checks, and nutritionists through Aviva Digicare+ Workplace
- Exclusive Discounts through our United Rewards platform, giving you access to exclusive deals from the club and partners
- Gym Facilities in our onsite locations and opportunities for regular social events and team-building activities
- Enhanced family Leave Benefits and policies
- Enhanced Career Development with access to professional learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning, and internal training programs
- A Supportive Work Environment that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and individual growth
Manchester United is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, and as part of this commitment, all candidates will undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check and reference checks.
If you need any adjustments to help you perform at your best during the recruitment process, please contact us, and we will be happy to discuss them with you.
It is unlawful to employ a person in a UK-based job who does not have permission to live and work in the UK. You should make yourself aware of how immigration laws apply to you before applying for any of our roles.
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