Spotlight Sports Group is a global media and technology company specialising in content and data within sports betting, horse racing and fantasy sports. With over 400 employees, the group operates multiple award-winning brands, including Racing Post, the world’s largest horse racing affiliate, Pickswise, myracing and Free Super Tips. We partner with leading operators across the betting industry to produce and build multilingual, best-in-class digital products and content to engage and educate customers. ICS-digital, an international marketing agency including ICS-translate, also operates under the group.
Job Overview:
The Racing Partnerships Manager is responsible for fostering and maintaining strong, long-term relationships with key organisations within the global horseracing industry to enable a viable pipeline of business growth opportunities. This role requires a keen focus on account management, building valuable partnerships, and developing future business opportunities for SSG’s content and services. Working within the Partnerships and B2B marketing team, the role also involves collaborating on marketing campaigns related to horseracing fan engagement, stimulating industry thought leadership, and bringing to life our racing insights and innovation. This individual will be the professional, highly credible point of contact for our core racing clients and projects, ensuring that SSG’s vision for fan engagement is brought to life in the marketplace and supports broader business strategies.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Partnership Building and Account Management:
o Develop and nurture strong, long-lasting relationships with key stakeholders in the horseracing industry globally, including organisations, racecourses and media in order to drive new business opportunities.
o Serve as the main point of contact for all racing clients, providing professional support and guidance on how SSG’s services can help them achieve their goals.
o Promote SSG’s racing innovations and products to clients, demonstrating how these offerings can drive engagement, enhance the fan experience, and improve customer retention.
o Attend face-to-face meetings, exhibitions and conferences to drive lead generation and maintain a pipeline of high level business opportunities.
2. Collaboration with B2B Marketing Team:
o Work closely with the B2B marketing manager to design and execute campaigns that bring to life the issues across fan engagement in horseracing, and raise awareness of SSG’s efforts and innovations in this area.
o Collaborate on thought leadership initiatives, including content creation and distribution strategies that highlight SSG’s expertise in horseracing fan engagement and innovation.
o Help position SSG as a thought leader within the global horseracing sector through the development of creative and relevant marketing materials that resonate.
3. Business Development Support:
o Support the development and execution of SSG’s strategy around horseracing fan engagement, ensuring our offerings are aligned with market needs and industry trends.
o Identify new business opportunities within the horseracing sector, relating to SSG’s core strategies, and explore new partnerships and revenue streams.
o Support the exploration of new initiatives, services, and products that align with the needs of racing clients, assisting in their introduction to the marketplace.
o Ensure that the business is continuously aligned with its strategy in terms of horseracing fan engagement and innovation.
4. Client Relationship Management and Service Excellence:
o Provide exceptional account management, ensuring that all clients receive a high level of service and that their needs are met promptly and professionally.
o Conduct regular check-ins and reviews with racing clients and be proactive in managing expectations, ensuring that clients understand SSG capabilities.
5. Collaboration Across Teams:
o Collaborate with internal teams, including product development, marketing, and operations, to ensure that our B2B horseracing strategy and client output is understood at all levels and delivered effectively.
o Provide input and feedback to product development teams to ensure that the needs of racing partners are considered in future innovations and offerings.
6. Market Insight and Reporting:
o Stay informed of trends and developments within the horseracing industry, ensuring that SSG remains competitive and relevant in the marketplace.
o Provide regular reports on client satisfaction, partnership opportunities, and the impact of marketing campaigns.
o Ensure adoption and proficient use of the departmental CRM tool to track pipeline progress.
Requirements
* Proven experience in account management, partnership building, or client services, ideally within the horseracing or sports industries.
* Strong understanding of the horseracing sector and fan engagement strategies.
* Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish credibility and trust with key stakeholders in the racing industry.
* Ability to work collaboratively with marketing, sales and product teams to create and execute strategies that resonate with the marketplace and our B2B clients.
* Strong communication and presentation skills, with a professional and credible approach when interacting with clients.
* Proactive mindset with the ability to anticipate client needs and provide exceptional service.
* Ability to monitor and report on the success of campaigns and partnerships, providing actionable insights to internal teams.
* Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
Benefits
We offer a range of well-being initiatives, including private medical insurance, excellent parental leave, a working globally policy, mental health support, assistance programs, and social gatherings. We also provide a pension scheme and various other benefit schemes. Plus, we all get our birthdays off work and enjoy 25 days of holiday per year, as well as the opportunity to buy 5 additional days per year and you can be flexible about when you use your public holidays.
We’ve also got you covered with life assurance and exclusive perks like the Star card and our Step Further Awards (our employee recognition program) to recognise your dedication. For those working via the hybrid model (in the office and at home) we’ve made commuting easier with our Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme.
You can also take advantage of complimentary access to our Racing Post Members Club, complete with an Ultimate Membership. We believe in making a positive impact beyond the workplace, and you'll have the chance to volunteer two days per year with our charity partner, Autism in Racing .