Senior Partnerships Manager

Our Story

Our Mission is to produce the safest and most exhilarating events, to create unbreakable bonds between charities and supporters, at no cost to our planet.

Underpinning this is our dedication to operate as a force for good. We are proud to be a Certified B Corp, awarded to Companies that balance profit with people and the planet.

Our team of outdoor enthusiasts and event specialists devise events that are unique, exciting and life-changing. Each year we support charities to raise over £8 million through treks, obstacle races, runs and walks across the UK.

About the job

We’re looking for an experienced and commercially minded Senior Partnerships Manager to lead a portfolio of key accounts, including some of the UK’s leading charities, while owning our new business development activity to deliver ambitious growth goals for Gladiator Events.

This is a senior role, split evenly between account management (50%) and business development (50%), for a strategic and commercially astute relationship-builder who can grow existing partnerships and develop new ones.

The successful candidate will line manage our Partnerships Manager, have direct input into company strategy and growth, and have the opportunity to step up into the Senior Leadership Team within a few months. 

You will set the standard for how our clients experience the GE way of doing things, reflecting our core values and collaborative ways of working, and will lead the partnerships team across account management, reporting, budgets and business development.

The role will be hybrid:

• Remote based (must be in the UK).
• In-person days in London once every 2 weeks, with option for more.
• Working at events from time to time for different charity clients, approximately 5 - 10 per year.

Key Accountabilities

• Account Management (50%): own and lead the full life-cycle of GE’s key client accounts, acting as the senior point of contact for the portfolio. This includes: kick-off meetings, ideation sessions, project meetings, debriefs, review meetings and servicing inbound client requests.

• Business Development (50%): own GE’s business development strategy and pipeline: identifying, pitching to and winning new charity and corporate partners, leading proposals and tender responses, networking and B2B marketing, with accountability for new business revenue and growth targets.

• Line Management: line manage and develop the Partnerships Manager, including regular 1:1s, objective setting, performance reviews and coaching, building a high-performing partnerships function and delegating effectively across the client portfolio.

• Strategy & Growth: contribute directly to company strategy and growth planning alongside the Senior Leadership Team, with the expectation of joining the SLT within a few months. Champion the ‘Happy Clients’ pillar of the GE strategy and shape the Partnerships department’s objectives and KPIs.

• Client & Performance Reporting: own the CRM, Client Tracker, reports, surveys and end-of-season debriefs for the department, driving efficiencies and improvements in processes and client management. Report on progress against personal, departmental and company-wide KPIs.

• Event delivery: support Event Managers with onsite delivery, crew managment and key decision making on live events. When required by the business, support operational planning and event managment.

• Budgets & Commercial: overall accountability for client, Series-level and departmental budgets: creating costings and proposals for new events, leading budget review meetings with clients and holding the wider project team accountable for spending.

• Leadership & Culture: lead by example in Company creative ideation and innovation sessions, contribute towards improving our social and environmental impact as a Certified B Corp, and keep the partnerships team abreast of the latest trends and innovations.

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes

Essential

• At least 4-5 years’ experience in account management, partnerships or business development roles, including experience at a senior level.
• Experience working in the live outdoor events sector.
• A proven track record of winning new business: prospecting, pitching, proposal writing and closing deals with charity or corporate partners. 
• Excellent presentation skills, with the ability to interpret data, pitch and network with a ‘consultative sales’ approach. 
• Experience line managing or mentoring others, with the ability to coach, delegate and develop team members.
• Ability to build trusted and robust senior-level relationships, working as the ‘extension’ of a client’s team as a trusted partner.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience owning budgets, costings, pricing and revenue targets.
• Strong in-person, virtual and written communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple work-streams and prioritise effectively.
• Full UK Driver’s Licence and willing to drive a variety of vehicles including Company vans, ATV and 4x4 vehicles.

Desirable

• Experience contributing to company strategy or working closely with a senior leadership team.
• Experience with CRM systems, Microsoft Teams & SharePoint.
• Experience on any of the types of events organised by GE including treks, walks, OCR & running events.
• Active interest in doing better business, sustainability and B-Corps.

Personality

• A natural leader who can motivate, develop and get the best out of others. 
• Entrepreneurial approach to work to go and make things happen. 
• A strategic thinker who is equally happy to roll their sleeves up and get stuck into all tasks. 
• Strong interpersonal skills with a wide variety of audiences, from event participants to charity leadership teams.
• Aligns with GE core values, has a genuine love for our work and wants to make an impact.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and be self-motivated. 

Working at GE

We are a small and hard-working, committed team. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. That’s why we are continuously building a culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees.

Some of our benefits include:

• 23 days’ annual leave, plus all bank holidays
• Time off in lieu for all weekend days worked
• Additional day in lieu for every 4 weekend days worked
• Flexible working with core hours of 10am – 3pm
• Nationwide Co-Working Office Membership
• £400 per year for Personal and professional development training
• £15 Coffee shop allocation per month
• £100 per year to spend on outdoor kit
• Free spots to other challenge events
• Paid time off for community service
• Regular travel opportunities to discover beautiful parts of the UK
• Annual Company annual Offsite trip and End of Year Socials
• Discretionary Company bonus scheme
• Pension Scheme

Role Location: Hybrid / Remote. 90% Remote based with one day bi-weekly to be spent at our London office (London Bridge). Some UK travel expected in the event season (may be at weekends).

Salary: £40,000 - £45,000 depending on experience

Type of Role: This is a full-time position (37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday), with a 3-month probationary period.

How to Apply:

Please send applications to [email removed - click apply for more details]. Include in your application:

1. Your CV.
2. A covering letter outlining your motivations for applying.
3. In 100 – 200 words, tell us which of our current events most excites you and how you would grow it — for the charity, its supporters and GE.  

Please note you must have the right to work in the UK and only applications answering the above three points will be considered. No agencies please. All applicants will be contacted.

Role Start Date: Role available from end August 2026