Sponsorship Sales Executive

ABOUT THE ROLE
The company is seeking an ambitious Sponsorship Sales Executive to join our UAE commercial team. This role presents an exciting opportunity for someone at the early stages of their commercial career who is eager to gain experience in sponsorship sales within the sports, entertainment, and culture sectors. You will work closely with experienced commercial team members to build the sales pipeline by researching potential partners, identifying key decision makers, conducting outbound prospecting, and securing qualified meetings with prospective sponsors. This position will expose you to the broader sponsorship sales process, allowing you to learn how successful partnerships are developed, pitched, and ultimately converted, while directly contributing to our clients' commercial success. We are looking for a candidate who thrives on challenges, is curious, resilient, commercially minded, and possesses the confidence to establish new connections, foster conversations, and convert research into opportunities.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
As a Sponsorship Sales Executive, you will support the commercial team in developing a robust and consistent pipeline of prospective partners. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Researching and identifying prospective brands and commercial partners aligned with client sponsorship opportunities.
• Identifying relevant decision makers and building accurate prospect lists across priority sectors and categories.
• Conducting proactive outbound prospecting using appropriate channels.
• Generating interest in client partnership opportunities and securing qualified meetings for the commercial team.
• Qualifying prospective partners by understanding their business, marketing objectives, audiences, and potential interest in sponsorship.
• Developing tailored outreach messages that clearly communicate the relevance and commercial value of opportunities.
• Maintaining consistent prospecting activity and following up to advance opportunities through the early stages of the sales funnel.
• Keeping accurate and current prospect, activity, and pipeline information within the relevant CRM system.
• Supporting senior sales colleagues with meeting preparations, prospect research, and relevant market intelligence.
• Attending prospective partner meetings alongside senior colleagues, taking on increased responsibilities as experience grows.
• Assisting in the preparation of sales presentations, proposals, and other commercial materials.
• Building knowledge of brands, industries, and marketing trends across the GCC to identify new partnership opportunities.
• Developing a strong understanding of the company's clients, properties, and sponsorship propositions.
• Collaborating with colleagues across the company Commercial, Strategy, Insights, and Account teams.
• Contributing to a high-energy, target-driven, and collaborative commercial environment.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
Success in this role will be measured by your ability to create high-quality commercial opportunities for the wider sales team. This includes:

• Consistent outbound prospecting activity.
• Identification of high-quality prospective brands and decision makers.
• Securing qualified meetings with relevant potential partners.
• Converting outreach into conversations and opportunities.
• Effectively managing and maintaining accuracy in the sales pipeline.
• Increasing commercial knowledge and the ability to qualify opportunities independently.
• Contributing to sponsorship revenue opportunities generated by the wider team.

CRITERIA
The ideal candidate will be ambitious, commercially curious, and motivated by targets and results, bringing:

• 3-6 years' experience in sales, business development, lead generation, partnerships, or another commercial environment.
• A genuine interest and passion for sports, entertainment, culture, and the sponsorship industry.
• Confidence in approaching and engaging new people.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A proactive mentality with a willingness to generate opportunities rather than wait for them.
• Resilience and comfort in an environment where not every conversation leads to an opportunity.
• Strong research skills and the ability to identify relevant companies and decision makers.
• Good commercial judgment and curiosity about how brands leverage sponsorship and partnerships to meet business objectives.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly when managing multiple prospects and follow-ups.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a commercial team.
• GCC experience or knowledge of the regional business landscape is advantageous.
• Fluency in English; Arabic language skills are a plus.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Familiarity with CRM and sales prospecting tools is an advantage.

OTHER
The successful candidate will be driven, proactive, and eager to build a career in commercial partnerships and sponsorship sales. This role will appeal to individuals who derive satisfaction from creating opportunities; researching companies, identifying the right contacts, crafting effective outreach strategies, and ultimately facilitating meaningful conversations with the company. You will have the chance to learn from seasoned sponsorship professionals, gain exposure to major sports and entertainment properties, and develop the commercial skills necessary to advance into a full sponsorship sales role.