Partnerships Manager (Midlands Region)

From urban energy and industrial heritage to rolling countryside and unexpected escapes, you’ll lead the charge in bringing the Midlands to life through unforgettable experiences. 

As the driving force behind our Geographical Expansion strategy, you’ll deliver a growth plan that doesn’t just widen our reach but also transforms how our customers experience this richly diverse region.

You’ll take ownership of growing and shaping a portfolio that captures the spirit of the Midlands, curating a collection of experiences that blend city creativity with rural charm. Whether it’s discovering emerging cultural pockets, tapping into local food scenes, or turning overlooked spots into must-visit destinations, you’ll turn local brilliance into national bestsellers.

You’ll champion curiosity within the Partnerships team – encouraging fresh thinking and bold ideas that keep us ahead of the curve. From negotiating standout deals to securing one-of-a-kind experiences, your commercial acumen and passion for storytelling will help drive performance across iGP, BIM, and revenue targets.

This is a role for someone who knows how to balance vision with detail; Someone who can spot potential and turn it into real, bookable impact. With your leadership and drive, you’ll ensure the Midlands shines on the map – and that our customers can’t wait to explore it.

This is a fully remote role, so you'll need a comfy home setup and a solid internet connection. That said, we do get together in person so travel to our office on a minimum monthly basis will be required (occasionally more if there are team or company events). 

• To build on and accelerate product growth utilising current experience partners by continually reviewing existing product performance in the Midlands region

• Onboard new, exciting, extraordinary experience partners in the Midlands region 

• Increase overall BIM 

• Use Microsoft Dynamics and Power BI to track, report and understand category performance

• Work with the wider Product team to build a strong competitive product portfolio 

• Lead the development of a standout regional portfolio across all experience categories – growing our presence and performance in key areas including (but not limited to) Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Nottingham and their surrounds, while delivering against both team and individual targets

• Take commercial ownership of key strategic partners across the region – nurturing relationships and driving performance across BIM, product quality, service, and innovation to ensure we’re offering experiences that are fresh, competitive, and built to convert

• Collaborate closely with Partnerships Managers and the Partner Ops team – sharing insight, aligning on goals, and embedding best practice across the board

• Use data-led thinking and emerging trends to your advantage – combining commercial analysis, market activity and customer insight to shape a portfolio that leads the pack, identifying both untapped potential and areas in need of a refresh

• Support the Senior Partnerships Manager and Head of Partnerships in delivering our product growth strategy, with a key focus on expanding our regional footprint in smart, strategic ways

• Work hand-in-hand with Marketing – sharing plans, aligning priorities, and helping shape campaigns that hit the mark and move the needle

• Build meaningful relationships with Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and regional tourism stakeholders to fuel and fast-track growth across the Midlands and beyond

• Hunt down new opportunities and first-to-market experiences – securing partnerships that surprise, excite, and elevate our offering

• Collaborate closely with Marketing to craft clear, timely briefs and build out promotional plans that make the most of merchandising opportunities across all channels

• Keep the wider business in the loop – providing timely updates and insight on new products, partnerships and launches to key stakeholders in CS, Marketing, Sales and beyond

• Create smart, compelling sourcing briefs and sales materials – curating ranges with a strong commercial foundation and a clear story that aligns with campaign, channel and margin needs

• Build annual plans with key partners, shaping fresh product and promotional ideas that sync seamlessly with our seasonal marketing calendar

• Deliver confident, engaging pitch presentations that win trust, secure new partnerships, and bring new product ideas to life

• Research, shape and source best-in-class promotional offers – balancing customer appeal with the commercial needs of our clients, sales partners and margin targets

• A genuine passion, interest and knowledge of The Midlands and surrounding areas. 

• To be well connected throughout The Midlands region, with strong knowledge of market trends. Industry experience within a sales and partnerships focussed role is preferred  

• Exceptional communication skills

• A strong commercial understanding, with the ability to measure partner and product effectiveness and contribution to the bottom line

• Excellent negotiation skills with an ability to convert leads

• Ability to use tools and techniques to profile, benchmark, research and assess the experiences market as a whole

• Account Management, Sales or Business Development experience is essential

• Strong grasp of calculating margins and ability to analyse sales data to make decisions on future products

• Used to working in a dynamic, fast moving, customer focused environment

• Enjoy Flexi-time, working core hours of 7.5 hours per day with one hour for lunch; flexible starting and finishing times 

• Access to an award winning employee assistance programme to support your health and wellbeing

• Generous health cash plan

• £150 to spend each year on our experiences, for you to enjoy our products yourself

• Access to our discounts scheme within the Virgin Group (Virgin Family Membership)

• Share extraordinary experiences with your friends and family with a discount