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Commercial Partnership Business Development Lead
England Rugby
The Rugby Football Union is the national governing body for grassroots and elite rugby in England. Its purpose is to encourage rugby, and its values, to flourish across England.
Job Posted- 5 Jun 2026
Status- Full Time
Location- England
Closing date- 17 Jun 2026
The Role:
The RFU’s Commercial Partnerships Programme currently generates in excess of £39M per annum for England Rugby and is a major component of our investment back into the game to fulfil our core purpose of enriching lives through Rugby
The Commercial Partnership Lead will help maximise the organisation’s commercial revenue in line with both the Commercial Partnership Strategy and the RFU’s 2030 Strategy. The role will lead on both new prospects sales and renewals, working closely with external Sales Agencies and the internal Partnership team.
What will you be doing?
Some key responsibilities include:
- Sales – shape and execute the ‘go to market’ strategy of major assets; direct and lead existing Sales Agency to develop leads, secure meetings and build relationships with prospective partners at senior levels through outbound approaches, existing corporate relationships and generally building an industry network and profile.
- Building a Business Case – Define and champion the RFU’s partnership narrative incorporating core belief/purpose, collaborating with internal senior stakeholders to shape commercial assets and properties to help secure new commercial partners to the organisation.
- Asset Development – lead cross-departmental initiatives at the RFU to evolve and diversify valuable partnership assets in line with the needs of the business
- Strategic Renewals & negotiation – Lead on renewal discussions, in line with the Commercial Partnership Strategy, implementing competitive frameworks to maximise long-term revenue streams in line with the Commercial partnership strategy.
- Talent Development & Mentorship: Provide strategic direction and professional mentorship to the Commercial Partnership Sales Executive, fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring departmental targets are met.
- Executive Support & Business Acumen: Act as a strategic advisor to the Commercial Senior Leadership Team, contributing to broad-scale commercial projects that impact the organization's long-term financial health.
- Insight-driven Business Development – Direct the research and analysis of emerging business models and prospective partners, leveraging data to build compelling, evidence-based business cases for investment
- Research Analysis – Liaison with the RFU’s current commercial partnerships research agency as well as the commissioning of new research reports to provide robust data and analysis to support the business case for an RFU partnership.
- CRM Management – Lead the evolution of the CRM ecosystem, governing data integrity and lead-tracking processes to ensure a transparent, high-performing sales pipeline.
- Contractual Process – Lead the conclusion of complex partnership agreements, presiding over commercial term negotiations and partnering with Legal to ensure robust risk management and contractual compliance.
- Act as an ambassador for, and promote the best interests of the RFU at all times, including the promotion of the RFU Core Values.
- Undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of the RFU.
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Significant experience of undertaking the full sales process from the initial outreach right through to closing out high value commercial deals. Rights holder experience preferential.
- Proven track record of building valuable commercial relationships and the ability to influence and sell new concepts at a senior level.
- Demonstrable track record of developing and sustaining internal relationships across multiple business units / departments to aid the scoping and packaging of commercial propositions.
- An ability to construct best-in-class sales materials and presentations.
- Understanding and utilisation of a CRM system to help deliver against specific business objectives
- Credible experience of effectively commissioning, utilising and analysing research and insight data to develop lead generation.
- Good knowledge and understanding of sponsorship and sports marketing industry.
Skills and Personal Attributes:
- Proven sales experience.
- Excellent presentation skills.
- First class relationship builder.
- Organised and process driven.
- Financially literate.
- High commercial acumen.
- Passion, energy and drive with a results-oriented approach.
How to Apply
Please click APPLY NOW to begin the application process.