Partnerships Manager

Partnerships Manager JOIN OUR JOURNEY Medialab is the UK’s leading independent media agency, and one of the fastest growing in the industry. We’re a media agency that’s made differently: purpose-led, data-driven, founder-run and proudly independent. Our entrepreneurial spirit means success is recognised and rewarded. There are no limits to what you can achieve here, which our employees agree with, evidenced by being a Campaign Best Place to Work for six consecutive years and one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025. As well as this, we’re Campaign’s Independent Agency of the Year 2024 and Media Week’s Independent Agency of the Year 2025. We are IPA Effectiveness accredited, an IPA People-First agency, and All In Champions, with industry-leading work recognised by double-gold at the 2024 IPA Effectiveness Awards for our work with Laithwaites and a 2025 Effie for our work with Alzheimer’s Society. Our independence means we can focus 100% on doing the right thing to secure success for our clients and our brilliant people. We work with a wide variety of clients including Hovis, IG, Sharps Bedrooms, SunLife, Standard Life, Ancestry, Laithwaites Wine, Save the Children, Guide Dogs, Alzheimer’s Society, RNLI and Clearscore. OUR VALUES Commit to Doing the Right Thing (Act with integrity and accountability) Help People Flourish (Invest in people) Dig Deeper to Understand Better (Data driven curiosity) OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU Working at Medialab comes with lots of perks including all the usual things you would expect, such as a competitive salary package, pension, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, weekly social events and big summer / end of year parties. On top of that, we offer extra benefits, which make life at Medialab even more rewarding: Time to Unwind – 22 days holiday (+ Christmas holiday closure), birthday day off, holiday buying scheme, flexi-hours and work abroad scheme. Hybrid Working – Balance between home and office (3 days in office). We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements from the commencement of employment. Career Growth – A meritocratic approach to progression with quarterly reviews, CPD Platinum accredited training, mentoring and leadership support. Health & Wellbeing – Private medical insurance, health cash plan, gym discounts, wellbeing apps Mental Health First Aiders and unlimited free professional counselling. Supporting Families – Enhanced parental leave, flexible working and life assurance. Giving Back – Paid charity days and sustainability initiatives. Perks & Rewards – Retail discounts, long-service trips and an unforgettable team culture. YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE We’re looking for a Partnerships Manager to join our Strategy and Planning Team team. You’ll report into our Partnerships Director and work together as Partnerships champions across the business. You’ll also be working very closely with our planning teams across all levels. In this role, you will own the end-to-end project management and strategic planning of our partnership initiatives. We’re interested in someone who is creatively minded, knows their way around channels, and can confidently pull plans apart to understand value, strategic fit & audience alignment on all partnership projects. You’ll take the lead on moving partnerships from briefing to evaluation and through to delivery with help from the planning teams who lead on the client communications. Process is really important but so is organisation, creative thinking and working in close collaboration with many teams and organisations. HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT You’ll work across all accounts within the agency, this Is across a variety of commercial sectors. You'll support on the strategy, ideation, evaluation and delivery of content partnerships, AV/Audio/Print sponsorships, brand to brand partnerships, charity corporate partnerships as well as measurement and valuation projects for clients. This role will act as a go-to within the agency for all partnership questions and work with clients to sell-In partnership Ideas (supported by Partnerships Director). That means shaping partnership responses working closely with media partners, managing delivery, and keeping everything (and everyone) on track. WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING Act as champion of partnerships within the agency, inspiring others to embed partnerships within media plans and delivering more creative and innovation output. Identifies and passionately recommends proactive opportunities for clients through a data-led approach. Curates well-written and comprehensive proposals for clients. Ensure plans are correct and client-ready. Contributes to new business development by showcasing and shaping how partnerships can unlock competitive advantage. Effectively and efficiently manages the delivery of partnerships with a strong eye for detail. Collaborates with Client Planning and Strategy leads to ensure partnerships complement and enhance paid media delivery. Stays on top of latest industry trends/offers and distressed opportunities. Ensures partnership deliverables clearly tie back to KPIs and with. MUST HAVE SKILLS Previous experience delivering content partnerships and/or sponsorships. Channel planning experience and confidence. Strong organisational and resourceful way of working. Comfortable presenting in front of clients as well as peers. The ability to think creatively and solve planning problems using ideas outside of standard channels. Proven ability to build strong relationships with key client stakeholders and media partners. NICE TO HAVE SKILLS Experience in negotiation. Experience evaluating partnership or sponsorship value using benchmarks and help from other team members. Department Strategy & Planning Team Locations London Remote status Hybrid Employment type Full-time