Impress employers and recruiters.
Choose from hundreds of resume examples.

Target Resume Now

About the Role

As the Senior Partnerships Manager, you will work closely with the Director of Partnerships to support and strengthen existing relationships with major global clients. You will represent tms with confidence, helping to build, manage, and grow strong relationships with brand partners across relevant sectors, territories, and markets. Your role will be to manage and deliver long-term commercial and strategic partnerships, from initial identification and outreach through proposal development, negotiation, activation, reporting, and ongoing relationship management. You will be comfortable working with senior stakeholders, internal teams, and external partners, maintaining a clear focus on commercial value, delivery details, and client expectations. In this senior role, you will help drive the success of the partnership strategy, lead high-profile partner conversations, and manage complex discussions with sound commercial judgment. Your approach will encompass various categories and mechanics, including loyalty, sponsorship, member benefits, brand collaborations, experiential, retail, travel, technology, and culture.

Responsibilities

Manage and deliver long-term commercial and strategic partnerships.
Oversee the entire partnership lifecycle from identification and outreach to negotiation, activation, and reporting.
Build, manage, and grow strong relationships with brand partners.
Represent tms with confidence in partner interactions.
Work with senior stakeholders, internal teams, and external partners.
Drive the success of the partnership strategy.
Lead high-profile partner conversations and manage complex discussions.
Support senior leadership and guide junior team members.
Bring structure to a fast-moving partnerships pipeline.
Identify new business opportunities and bring market intelligence back to the agency.
Monitor partnership performance, spot issues, report value, and improve relationships.

Requirements

Strong experience in developing, nurturing, and managing brand partnerships with a commercial orientation.
Track record of delivering partnerships that benefit both clients and partners.
Practical understanding of building a partner pipeline, qualifying opportunities, and shaping value propositions.
Confidence in managing senior clients and partners.
Detail-oriented and analytical mindset.
Ability to navigate matrixed environments, multiple stakeholders, and workstreams.
Proven ability to lead commercial discussions, support contract negotiations, manage margins, and understand key terms, risks, and dependencies.
Good understanding of partnership models and value exchange.
Ability to translate client briefs into sensible partnership approaches.
Experience managing or mentoring junior team members.
Collaborative approach, working closely with various internal teams.
Calm and professional manner in high-stakes interactions.
Commitment to professional growth and creating positive team culture.
Strong experience in partnership management, License/IP rights, sponsorship, and loyalty programs.
Previous experience working in an agency for global consumer brands.
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex discussions and pipelines.
Strong communication, writing, and presentation skills.
Ability to research market trends, build presentation materials, and perform data analysis.
Sound commercial judgment.
Strong IT skills, particularly Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Strategic and analytical mindset, anticipating market trends.
Ability to identify new partnership opportunities quickly.
Experience preparing senior-level proposals, pitch materials, and commercial models.
Familiarity with emerging trends in the Partnerships and Loyalty industry.

Skills

Partnership management
License/IP rights
Sponsorship
Loyalty programs
Commercial acumen
Client relationship management
Negotiation
Proposal development
Reporting
Strategic thinking
Analytical skills
Communication
Presentation
Data analysis
IT proficiency (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
CRM tracking
Market trend analysis

Location

London office (2 days/week)
Client or partner meeting locations
Potential travel

Work Type

Hybrid
Full-time

Experience Level

Senior

About the Company

tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world's leading brands.
With 1,200+ employees across 26 countries, tms offers solutions from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery.
tms operates as a creative agency, strategic consultancy, sourcing business, and technology provider.
tms engages with over 110 million customers daily for clients including McDonald's, T-Mobile, O2, Samsung, Starbucks, and adidas.
tms is a place where employees can achieve great things and be recognized.
Breakthrough, business-driving ideas come from extraordinary people with the freedom to be their most authentic selves.
Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of tms's business.
tms fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspires to be ever evolving.
tms is a place where brilliant people are better together.

Equal Opportunity

Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of our business.
Access and equity for all are critical elements of our business.
We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspire to be ever evolving.
If you want your ideas to be heard and to contribute to a culture of inclusion and authenticity, bring us your voice!