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About Chatham House

We are a policy institute based in London known for rigour and vigorous independence, with a reputation built on more than a century of convening, research and proposals to solve the world’s most intractable problems. We do this through original research and by convening discussions, through our core teams, our global network of fellows and our invited guests.

At this extraordinary time in international relations, there is tremendous demand for our work. Governments, companies, civil society organisations and individuals come to us to help advance arguments and proposals about the order of the world that may emerge from the immense shifts now underway – from the rivalry between the US and China to the questions about whether arms control, security, migration, new technology and the environment will be governed by agreements.

We are seeking a Senior Manager, Sponsorship to take our partnerships and corporate fundraising activities to the next level in a competitive environment. Sitting within the Corporate Fundraising team, the role will report to the Head of Corporate Fundraising and oversee a small team.

You will be primarily responsible for developing and executing strategies to identify, pitch, and secure high-value, six figure event sponsorships, strategic partnerships and thought-leadership opportunities with external sponsors, aligning with Chatham House’s organisational mission and financial goals.  

You will also have oversight of the institute’s commercial portfolio of revenue-generating conferences, partner events and roundtables. You will lead the sales efforts for sponsorship opportunities across these events to drive revenue generation, while working in close collaboration with the Events Programming team on the curation, planning and execution of events.

The successful candidate will work across the Chatham House and represent the institute externally, so they must have the desire to build strong relationships and be a skilled fundraiser and networker.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and grow your own portfolio of new and established strategic six-figure partnerships, with responsibility for delivering on new business development objectives and team financial targets.

• Responsible for developing a target partner and prospects pipeline and creating compelling proposals that align with Chatham House’s goals and mission, while supporting team members with best practice proposal writing and pitching.    

• Oversee planning and execution of thought-leadership and sponsorship opportunities across our events portfolio by all members within the team, including conference speaking roles, roundtables and workshops.

• Manage the commercial convening events portfolio and collaborate closely with the  Event Programming team, who will support you with the development of engaging agendas and event concepts.

• Accountable for budgets, invoicing s  and for year-on-year forward financial planning to ensure that we start each financial year with event funding already allocated towards sponsored events.

• Contribute to the Corporate Fundraising Team’s wider goals by securing new business for funding across our range of activities, including but not limited to membership, research support and briefings.

• Provide effective day-to-day management and support to colleagues with direct line management responsibilities.

• Cultivate and steward high‑value relationships with senior business leaders and strategic supporters, building the trust and influence needed to develop and secure six-figure, multi-year funding partnerships.

• Plan and maintain a healthy balance of one-off events and repeat larger six-figure, multi-year events partnerships across the entire sponsored events and partnerships convening portfolio.  

• Ensure all sponsorship agreements are executed successfully and grow key strategic accounts, with a focus on yearly renewals and repeat business.

• Proactively explore and test the feasibility of new and innovative income generation opportunities that do not already exist within the current product mix.

• Contribute to Chatham House's EDI principles. 

Person Specification 

Essential

• Experience in prospecting, pitching, and corporate partnerships. You have experience operating at a senior level, driving and overseeing strategic event partnership and sponsorship sales.

• Proven track record in securing six-figure partnerships or securing funding for thought-leadership campaigns with external partners.

• Skilled at cultivating and stewarding long-term, C-suite relationships with corporate partners, ensuring satisfaction and identifying growth opportunities.

• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of return on investment, in particular for events.

• Adept at translating complex research ideas into compelling event concepts for external audiences.

• Ability to pivot in response to market trends and skilled at identifying commercial opportunities.

• Alertness to political and regional sensitivities and comfortable engaging with world leaders, business executives and policymakers.

• Experience in managing or mentoring staff or contributing to team development.

• Strong organisational and project management skills, able to balance multiple priorities under pressure.

• Sound understanding of global policy, political and economic trends.

Desirable

• Experience with event sponsorship in a B2B events organisation, or a commercial division in a think-tank or policy environment.

• Experience in corporate fundraising in the charity or third sector.

Application link:https://careers.chathamhouse.org/jobs/7118071-senior-manager-sponsorship

We are an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity and we do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics. We encourage applications from all backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to improve your experience or support you, please get in touch at HR@Chathamhouse.org.