Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager

Application Deadline: 1 June 2026

Department: Development

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Reporting To: Head of Development

Compensation: £50,000 - £55,000 / year

Description

The Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager is an essential role leading our work developing and delivering corporate partnerships across membership, sponsorship and corporate philanthropy.

Somerset House does not receive any core public funding, therefore income from partnerships is especially important. We have an excellent track record of working with corporate partners, including a number of Awards at the UK Sponsorship Awards, and have ambitious plans to grow the number and value of corporate partnerships in the coming years.

Working in close collaboration with the Head of Development, the Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager will have a systematic approach to cultivation, stewardship and engagement in support of Somerset House. They will excel at building relationships, account managing a portfolio of existing partners, as well as cultivating a pipeline of prospective partners with a view to converting these into new business.

Somerset House is an inspiring cause to support, and there is a real opportunity to create rewarding associations with corporate partners across activity including public programming, artist studios and our work developing pathways for young people into the creative industries.

Key Responsibilities Strategy

• Lead the development and delivery of the overall Corporate Partnerships strategy, across membership, sponsorship and corporate philanthropy, working closely with the Head of Development to align this with the long-term vision and income targets for the Development department
• Oversee the corporate pipeline ensuring clear prioritisation, systematic cultivation plans, and strategic focus on high-value opportunities
• Working with the Senior Stewardship Manager, develop rights and stewardship frameworks for corporate partnerships that deliver meaningful partner experience whilst balancing cost of delivery
• Work strategically with the Commercial teams to embed ways of working which encourage commercial clients to continue and deepen their engagement as corporate partners
• Contribute to departmental financial planning through oversight of Corporate Partnerships income targets, pipeline forecasting, and long-term growth projections
• Oversee corporate alignment and reputational risk across partnerships, escalating where appropriate to the Head of Development and Senior Leadership

Account Management

• Act as key relationship manager for all corporate sponsors and partners, providing outstanding donor care and cultivating long-term strategic alliances that extend beyond single projects
• In collaboration with the Senior Stewardship Manager and Partnerships Coordinator, oversee partnership delivery to ensure measurable impact and strong partner satisfaction
• With the Partnerships Coordinator oversee accurate tracking of partner benefits, contractual delivery and CRM data integrity across the portfolio
• Work with the Senior Stewardship Manager and Partnerships Coordinator to deliver strategic and impactful corporate communications
• Work with the Senior Stewardship Manager to ensure evaluation and reporting is strategic, insightful and delivered to partners in a timely manner
• Review and improve account management tools, reporting frameworks and cross-departmental processes to strengthen consistency and effectiveness
• Liaising with Somerset House Trust's Head of Legal, negotiate and finalise sponsorship and partnership contracts

New Business

• Grow and manage a personal portfolio of constituents, using systematic processes and solicitation plans for the identification, cultivation and stewardship of donors and prospects
• Drive pipeline development through market insight, sector analysis, and networking to position Somerset House as a key cultural partner for corporate companies
• Identify, develop, and secure high-value corporate partnerships across Somerset House programmes and key institutional priorities, with a focus on multi-year strategic partnerships
• Lead the development of well-crafted and persuasive proposals and decks aligned with corporate objectives and Somerset House's mission
• Work collaboratively with the Director, Head of Development and Trustees to strategically cultivate and steward key corporate contacts, preparing briefings and cultivation plans as necessary
• Review the current corporate membership offering, with a view to refreshing this scheme and increasing both numbers and value

Operations & Data

• Provide regular reports, updates and analysis on your portfolio including financial reporting and pipeline analysis
• Record all relationships, activity, pledges, donations and contracts promptly and accurately on the CRM system
• Ensure compliance with the Fundraising Code of Practice, GDPR and Somerset House's Fundraising Policy
• With the Partnerships Coordinator, oversee due diligence and prospect research for corporate partners, producing detailed reports to support cultivation, engagement and risk management

Leadership

• Represent Somerset House at industry events and networking opportunities to build strategic corporate relationships
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Brand Partnerships Manager to manage the workflow of the Partnerships Coordinator
• Develop strong internal relationships in order to support fundraising activity and relationship management
• Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required in the post

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise Experience Essential

• Demonstrable track record of cultivating corporate support, working to income targets and securing contracts / partnerships at the five and six-figure level
• Experience of managing, creating and shaping corporate membership schemes
• Account management experience in a commercial or not-for-profit setting
• Evidence of successful delivery of stewardship and cultivation activity
• Excellent working knowledge of fundraising best practice, including GDPR and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Practice

Desirable

• Experience of securing gifts at the seven-figure level
• Experience of fundraising or account management in the arts or creative sectors

Skills

• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to negotiate, collaborate and influence internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent written skills with the ability to craft compelling proposals and decks
• Confidence in establishing and managing complex stakeholder relationships, with ability to negotiate and manage expectations
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Tact and discretion
• Strong networking skills and ability to build relationships at a variety of different levels
• Willingness to work collaboratively to strengthen and implement Somerset House's Development strategy and to shape compelling team-wide funding propositions
• Excellent administration skills and ability to manage a wide and varied workload
• Confident CRM system user (Raiser's Edge NXT and Tessitura in particular)
• Strong financial literacy and experience of reporting on fundraising activity and the value of the prospect pipeline

Benefits Mental Health & Wellbeing

• Access to our external Employee Assistance Programme (CiC) for free 24/7 confidential advice and support, including up to 6 free counselling sessions per year where needed
• Mental health support and guidance from our in-house trained Mental Health First Aiders

Hybrid working based on having 3 days in the office per week (pro rata if part-time)

Contribution towards eye tests and glasses

Trust life insurance scheme

We offer winter flu vaccination vouchers

dependent on the needs of the role

Holiday

• Enhanced annual leave - 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• Birthday leave - additional day leave
• Celebration day - to celebrate anything of your choice

Other Leave

• Sick leave - 20 days full pay, followed by 20 days half pay (pro rata & following 3 months service)
• Emergency dependent care - option to use 25% of paid sick leave for emergency care of a dependent (pro rata & following 3 months of service)
• Enhanced maternity pay

Benefits

• 8% employer pension contributions, no employee contribution required
• Option for salary sacrifice
• Season ticket loan
• Cycle to Work scheme

following 3 months of employment

Discounts, offers and free stuff

• Tickets to Somerset House events and entrance to other London Heritage sites
• Discounts in Somerset House cafes and restaurants
• Discounts with various high street retailers and restaurants
• Discounts to local leisure centres