Director / Head - Sales, Brand Partnerships & Product Placements
Posted 1 day 7 hours ago by SkyBlue Group
The Director - Strategic Brand Partnerships & Product Placements will define and lead the company's approach to branded partnerships, in-content integrations and product placement opportunities across TV, OTT, digital, social and live events. This role combines strategic business development, commercial negotiation, creative partnership development and programme delivery to generate new revenue streams and elevate brand collaborations that align with editorial and creative objectives.
Key Responsibilities- Strategy & Pipeline
- Develop a forward-looking partnerships strategy and build a robust pipeline of brand opportunities aligned to content, audience and commercial goals.
- Identify and prioritise categories, partners and channels that deliver strategic value and incremental revenue.
- Work with insights and research teams to translate audience data and content opportunities into compelling commercial propositions.
- Commercial Leadership & Negotiation
- Lead commercial negotiations, contract terms and pricing structures for brand partnerships, sponsorships and product placements.
- Establish frameworks for valuation, rights, exclusivities and deliverables to protect editorial integrity while maximising commercial outcomes.
- Manage and forecast partnership revenue, ensuring accurate reporting and reconciliation with finance.
- Creative Partnership Development
- Collaborate with creative, production and editorial teams to design seamless, audience-first integrations that enhance content and meet brand objectives.
- Champion innovative formats (in-stream, product placement, branded content, experiential) and ensure high production standards.
- Oversee briefs, approvals and delivery to ensure brand commitments are met on time and to specification.
- Campaign Execution & Activation
- Own end-to-end delivery for partnership activations, coordinating cross-functional teams to deliver against timelines, budgets and KPIs.
- Implement measurement frameworks to assess impact on reach, engagement, brand metrics and commercial ROI.
- Drive optimisation and post-campaign analysis to surface learnings and scale successful formats.
- Stakeholder Management & New Business
- Act as the senior point of contact for strategic brand partners, agencies and commercial stakeholders.
- Support sales and new business pitches with partnership propositions, commercial modelling and creative ideas.
- Build and sustain long-term relationships to convert one-off deals into strategic, recurring collaborations.
- Team Leadership & Process
- Lead, mentor and grow a high-performing partnerships team; set goals, guide professional development and establish clear processes.
- Implement scalable workflows, templates and governance to ensure consistency, compliance and efficient deal execution.
- Champion best practice in rights management, editorial safeguards and commercial transparency across the business.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Media, Communications or related field.
• Experience: Minimum 8+ years in brand partnerships, sponsorships, content commercialisation or product placement, with at least 2 years in a senior or leadership role.
• Proven track record of negotiating and closing commercial deals across broadcast, OTT, digital and experiential channels.
• Strong commercial acumen, financial modelling skills and comfort managing revenue forecasts and P&L impact.
• Excellent stakeholder management, presentation and negotiation skills; experience dealing with brands, creative agencies and production partners.
• Deep understanding of content production workflows, editorial considerations and rights management.
• Data-driven mindset with experience setting KPIs, measurement frameworks and reporting partnership performance.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and managing multiple high-priority projects concurrently.
Opportunity to lead commercial innovation within an international media group and shape brand collaborations across high-profile content.
Exposure to cross-functional teams and strategic senior stakeholders in a growing business.
Competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience.
Supportive environment with opportunities for professional development and career progression.
SkyBlue Media is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. Please submit your CV and examples of relevant deals or case studies demonstrating your commercial and creative impact.