Manager Partnerships

About the Role
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is seeking a strategic partnership professional to develop and implement its partnership strategy. This role is critical for securing and managing financial and in-kind partnerships that advance the Prize’s strategic objectives. Collaboration with senior management is essential to build the partnership pipeline, forecast performance against agreed targets and budgets, and ensure the effective delivery of partner commitments.

Key Accountabilities:

• Support in developing and delivering the annual operational business plans and KPIs for the unit and contribute to performance monitoring and reporting for the unit to meet overall objectives.
• Manage and develop the annual partnership strategy for the Zayed Sustainability Prize across relevant sectors, ensuring alignment with the Prize’s strategic priorities, targets, and objectives.
• Develop partnership approaches that secure both financial and in-kind contributions to strengthen the Prize’s reach, impact, and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage the production of monthly forecast reports to evaluate performance against the sales strategy and budget.
• Improve business processes and implement changes to optimally achieve strategies and plans.
• Research potential financial partners to expand available options and achieve optimal results.
• Maintain high awareness of industry trends, climate issues, players, and distribution networks.
• Convert financial prospects by managing the negotiation process, developing contracts, and finalizing invoices in conjunction with Finance and Legal departments.
• Liaise with Prize partners and relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment with agreed partnership objectives, commitments, and deliverables.
• Manage the delivery of all financial and in-kind partnership commitments in collaboration with relevant internal teams, including Communications, Marketing, Events, Programmes, Operations, Finance, and Legal.
• Develop tailored partnership proposals for corporate, government, philanthropic, and institutional partners, clearly outlining financial and in-kind contribution opportunities, partner value, and expected impact in line with the Prize strategy and plans.
• Proactively manage partner relationships throughout the entire partnership lifecycle, from initial engagement and agreement through delivery, reporting, renewal, and close-out, ensuring the Prize’s interests are safeguarded and objectives achieved.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring smooth workflow and collaboration.
• Participate in meetings with stakeholders to facilitate engagement and relationship building.
• Organize and supervise team activities to ensure efficiency consistent with operating policies and procedures.
• Manage team performance, recruitment, training, and development to create a motivated work environment with high engagement and competence levels.

Qualifications

• Preferred Qualifications:

  • MBA or relevant Master’s degree from a top-tier internationally recognized higher education institution
  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, or a related discipline

• Preferred Experience:

  • 6-8 years of experience in partnerships, business development, stakeholder engagement, and project management within large and reputable organizations, demonstrating a track record in securing and managing financial and in-kind partnerships and leading teams.
  • Experience in the UAE with a solid understanding of local rules, regulations, systems, and processes.

• Job-Specific Skills:

  • Exceptional communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, leading to a consultative approach within a corporate/multifunctional environment
  • Strong project management skills and an understanding of the complexities and challenges of delivering and building a project delivery culture
  • Knowledge of the specific industry tied to the Prize’s objectives
  • Proficiency in sales, particularly telemarketing and presentation techniques
  • Excellent computer literacy, with a strong background in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
  • Outstanding ability to plan and organize work while prioritizing multiple projects