Associate Director, Commercial Operations

Lead the commercial operations framework supporting sponsorship, partnership and business development activity. Own governance of the commercial pipeline, ensuring clear visibility of opportunities, owners, values, stages, next actions and deadlines. Lead regular pipeline reviews, identify stalled or at-risk opportunities and drive accountability for agreed actions. Oversee CRM requirements, data quality, process consistency and ongoing system improvements. Own weekly, monthly and ad hoc commercial reporting, ensuring information is accurate, relevant and useful for decision-making. Provide senior stakeholders with clear visibility of commercial performance, priorities, risks and required actions. Act as a key operational interface between commercial leads, regional and international sales teams and wider business functions. Resolve operational blockers and escalate material risks, dependencies or delays where required. Oversee regional and international sales processes, including relevant approvals, commission arrangements and commercial records. Ensure sales teams have the processes, information, tools and support required to progress opportunities effectively. Maintain forward visibility of major commercial milestones, events, outreach activity, deadlines and upcoming requirements. Coordinate commercial planning and communications, including relevant market intelligence and business updates. Maintain oversight of key commercial workstreams, priorities, actions and deadlines. Coordinate inputs and deliverables across teams, establishing clear ownership, responsibilities and timelines. Connect commercial opportunities with relevant strategic thinking, insights and specialist expertise to strengthen partner and client conversations. Ensure appropriate internal expertise is introduced at the right stage of the commercial process. Maintain visibility of dependencies across teams and proactively identify potential gaps, risks or blockers. Ensure information, decisions and actions are communicated effectively between commercial and specialist teams. Manage and develop commercial operations resources, providing clear priorities, guidance, coaching and escalation support.

Desired Candidate Profile

Strong experience in commercial operations, sponsorship sales, partnerships, business development or a related commercial environment. Proven experience managing complex sales pipelines and commercial processes. Strong understanding of CRM systems, ideally Salesforce or a comparable platform. Excellent reporting, analytical and stakeholder-management skills. Ability to coordinate effectively across multiple teams, markets and specialist disciplines. Demonstrated ability to create structure, improve processes, drive accountability and resolve operational issues. Strong organisational, communication and prioritisation skills. Confidence working with senior stakeholders and managing competing priorities. Experience managing, coaching or developing team members. Experience within sponsorship, sports, entertainment, esports, partnerships or major events is advantageous.

The Person You are a commercially minded operator who brings structure, discipline and clarity to complex sales environments. You are comfortable working with senior stakeholders, constructively challenging where required and ensuring decisions translate into clear ownership and action. You combine strong attention to detail with an understanding of the wider commercial picture. You are proactive in identifying risks, improving processes and ensuring teams have the information and support they need to perform effectively. You are also a natural connector, able to bring together commercial teams and specialist expertise from across a business so that opportunities benefit from the right thinking, capabilities and resources at the right time.