Sports & Entertainment Partnerships Manager

WPP Media Sport & Entertainment (What we do)

In a fragmented media landscape, audiences expect brands to show up meaningfully in the spaces they love. Cultural relevance is a key driver of growth - and partnerships are one of the most powerful ways to earn attention with credibility.

WPP Media Sport & Entertainment is WPP Media’s cultural marketing powerhouse and specialist partner for sponsorship, entertainment-led partnerships and cultural engagement across the WPP network. For 15+ years, we’ve operated at the epicentre of Australian passion points - sport, music, fashion, gaming and entertainment - delivering partnerships that cut through and create cultural moments that matter.

We are part of WPP Media’s Content Ecosystem

• WPP Media Sport & Entertainment- cultural partnerships & sponsorship strategy
• WPP Media Influence- creator-led content & influencer partnerships
• Motion Entertainment- entertainment IP, production & content development

What sets us apart

• Global scale, local relevance: WPP network capability with deep ANZ cultural insight
• Integrated expertise: strategy + creative + commercial + delivery under one roof
• AI-powered precision: leveraging WPP Open and proprietary tools (e.g. Sports Engine)
• Proven track record: partnerships built for measurable outcomes and cultural impact

Role Overview
The Sport & Entertainment Partnerships Manager supports the planning, delivery and optimisation of partnership activity across sport, entertainment, live experiences and cultural platforms. You combine cultural awareness, strong organisation and operational excellence to ensure partnerships are delivered on time, on budget and to a high standard. You are a trusted day-to-day operator for internal teams, rights holders and clients — ensuring smooth workflows, clear communication and strong delivery.
This role reports into the Partnerships Director.

What you’ll do 

Client & Internal Team Support

• Manage day -to -day client communications for assigned projects; escalate issues to the Associate Director.
• Translate briefs into deliverables, timelines and next steps.
• Support the development of responses to briefs and renewal materials.
• Ensure work aligns with brand guidelines, approval processes and stakeholder expectation

Partnership Delivery (End-to-end management)

• Coordinate and track partnership assets, rights usage and deliverables.
• Manage timelines, run -sheets, flighting schedules, and production requirements.
• Support content shoots, creator involvement and on -ground activations (including occasional travel).
• Ensure all approvals, clearances, compliance checks and documentation are completed.
• Maintain up -to -date WIPs, trackers, status reports and budget documentation.

Commercial & Operational Support

• Assist with budget tracking, invoicing, forecasting and reconciliation.
• Support value tracking and assist in negotiations with rights holders under the guidance of the Associate Director.
• Coordinate with procurement, legal and suppliers on contracts and compliance.
• Identify risks early and escalate with recommendations.

Ways of Working & Team Culture

• Collaborate with creative, strategy, influence and production teams across the WPP Media Content Ecosystem.
• Support a proactive, high -quality delivery culture.
• Share learnings, best practice, great work examples and process improvements.
• Contribute to smooth workflow management across the team.

Skills & Experience

• 2–4+ years in partnerships, sponsorship, branded content or project management (agency, brand, rights holder or media owner).
• Strong project management capability — timelines, workflow, approvals, documentation.
• Understanding of commercial processes: budgets, value tracking, invoicing.
• Strong communication skills, written and verbal.
• Ability to juggle multiple workstreams and maintain high attention to detail.
• Calm, organised, solutions -focused operator under pressure.

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