Partnerships Director EMEA

About us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world.

In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing.

Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere.

Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion 

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role

Purpose:

The Business Development team plays a pivotal role in driving our business' expansion, revenue generation, and overall sales success. This critical role requires deep collaboration with regional sales leaders and stakeholders to ensure we are highlighting and pursuing the best opportunities on a global and regional basis to drive revenue growth.

The Candidate:

You are a sophisticated and accomplished sales professional who understands and relishes the opportunity to lead high-level sales conversations with senior FT clients and prospects. You’ll be comfortable discussing all aspects of the FT Commercial portfolio, analysing market trends, the competitive landscape, and identifying potential sectors and clients for growth. You are highly strategic, commercially agnostic, and have a dynamic approach to solving client challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify new organisations and key decision-makers to drive long-term business relationships for the FT.
• Network well within a range of clients and sectors.
• Collaborate naturally as part of a team, representing FT Commercial entities where appropriate.
• Demonstrate a strong business development track record, especially with multi-year, high-value partnerships, primarily at C-Suite levels.
• Proactively engage decision-makers in high-value target organisations.
• Provide ideation aligned with corporate strategies of target organisations.
• Exhibit exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• Show a clear track record of cross-departmental collaboration.
• Identify media-for-equity opportunities and engage with FT Corporate Development and Ventures.
• Establish internal communication channels using CRM and Slack for effective collaboration.
• Introduce wider delivery teams early to ensure deliverables are understood and viable.
• Propose thematic projects with content teams and editorial experts for multiyear activation with values exceeding £750,000.
• Lead negotiation of proposals to sign-off.
• Post-Sale:
• Collaborate closely with Creative Strategists, Program Directors, and Key Account sales teams to establish the account management and project delivery team.
• After contract finalisation, the Global Partnership Team’s direct client engagement is minimised.

Required skills and experience

• Demonstrated success in senior-level business development, particularly in high-value, multi-year engagements.
• Ability to work collaboratively across functions and manage complex, strategic relationships.
• Proven experience in ideation and crafting strategies that align with client corporate strategies.
• Strong networking skills and established contacts across multiple sectors.
• Expertise in delivering value-driven, client-first solutions that address organisational challenges.

What’s in it for you? Our benefits

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We’ve embraced a hybrid working model that promotes flexibility, including remote work options. We will support specific flexibility requests for all roles where feasible.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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