Commercial Manager APPLY NOW
As the Commercial Manager at Altrincham FC, you will play a pivotal role in driving the commercial strategy and revenue growth.
Your work will directly impact our ability to compete on and off the pitch, helping us secure the financial resources necessary for team development, infrastructure improvements and community engagement initiatives. You will lead our commercial operations, and therefore this role demands a dynamic, innovative approach to commercial activities, with a keen eye for opportunities to enhance the club's brand and increase its commercial success.
About You
The successful candidate will be a driven, energetic individual with a passion for football and a deep understanding of the sports industry's commercial dynamics. Experience of building relationships both externally with clients and brands, as well as internally amongst the wider cross functional teams. You should possess:
Strong commercial acumen and the ability to identify and exploit revenue-generating opportunities
Excellent communication and negotiation skills, capable of cultivating productive relationships with partners, sponsors and stakeholders as well as network to build new connections
Presentation skills in both putting together collateral to present, and confidence to lead presentations
A creative mindset, with the ability to develop and implement innovative commercial strategies
A collaborative team player, with the leadership skills to effectively build, develop and inspire a commercial team, which will primarily consist of volunteers
Demonstrate a supportive mindset and willing to assist other functions of the club where necessary
Resilience and adaptability, able to navigate the challenges and pressures of the sporting industry
Key Responsibilities
Lead on the development and delivery of an annual Commercial Plan, identifying opportunities, setting budgeted sales targets and delivering against them
Maintain good relations with all the club’s commercial partners and sponsors, working with the Media and Communications team and others to deliver on sponsor activations and deliverables. Examples would include the production of advertising collateral to be positioned at the ground, hosting events at the stadium and supporting the production of promotional content to be used on social media
Understand the value drivers of the business and identify profitable commercial opportunities to grow revenue across the entire commercial spectrum
Delivering new revenues both from a cross-sell opportunity with existing sponsors, as well as new business with potential partners. This process starts from lead generation research and networking, making initial introductions, creating sales collateral, negotiation of terms and the ongoing delivery of the agreement
Pipeline management and internal reporting back to the Clubs senior team and board where necessary. This includes reporting against ongoing measurables and being accountable for progress against agreed targets
Become an integral part of matchday operations in order to ensure that all partner / sponsors needs are met. Including the smooth running of the club’s retail store and the sponsors lounge, where sponsors are likely to spend matchdays
Where necessary using negotiation skills to act as a buyer for the club. For example, when looking at introducing new retail items or supporting the club to reduce costs
Skills and Experience
A bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sports Management, or a related field
A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in a commercial role either within the sports industry, preferably in football, or an industry where you can evidence direct parallels with the requirements
Proven track record of achieving commercial targets and driving revenue and profit growth
Strong understanding of the sports sponsorship landscape, preferably with a network of industry contacts
Experience in contract negotiation and client management
Proficiency in CRM and data analysis tools to inform decision-making and strategy
As a minimum the use of Excel, Linkedin and Canva
Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
Other key information
You will be mainly based at the J.Davidson Stadium, work flexible hours to suit the demands of the club, and will be required to work all home matchdays