Partnerships Director

About us

You’ve probably heard of Autotrader, but do you know what we’re all about?  

We’re the UK’s leading automotive marketplace, a heritage brand, and a tech darling of the stock market. We bring together vehicle buyers and sellers to give them real choices. Cars may be what we're best known for but we’re also the place for pretty much everything else on wheels, from e-bikes to caravans. 

In the automotive world, change is a constant, that’s why we take our job of untangling the complex car-buying journey very seriously. 
 
At our core, we’re all about people. We go our own way while embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. We dedicate ourselves to the idea that we work better together. 

Autotrader is a beautiful, surprising and vibrant place to work. We might not be for everyone, but we could be perfect for you. 

About the job

As a Partnerships Director at Autotrader, you’ll play a pivotal role in developing and nurturing strategic relationships with automotive manufacturers and their media partners. Your focus will be on driving mutual value through long-term partnerships that contribute directly to revenue growth, brand differentiation, and market leadership.

You will act as a trusted consultant to senior OEM stakeholders, using your in-depth industry knowledge and ability to turn data into compelling insights to help solve complex business challenges. Working cross-functionally with internal teams, you'll craft innovative commercial solutions that meet both partner objectives and Autotrader’s strategic goals.

This role requires a strong combination of commercial expertise, relationship management, and market insight. You will take ownership of key accounts, lead high-level negotiations, and ensure the consistent delivery of excellent service and measurable results — making a lasting impact on the success of our manufacturer partnerships.

You'll be responsible for developing and executing strategic account plans to drive short- and long-term revenue growth while strengthening relationships with key OEMs and media partners. You’ll serve as the single point of contact for all Autotrader-related matters, providing expert consultative support to manufacturers and media agencies. This includes educating clients on product offerings, creating tailored media proposals, and guiding them through business challenges using data-driven insights and innovative solutions.

You'll own the delivery of KPIs across manufacturer partnerships, media spend, and revenue targets—monitoring performance, adjusting strategies, and ensuring alignment with objectives. Regular engagement is key, with activities such as QBRs, planning sessions, and campaign performance reviews forming a strong operating rhythm. Internally, you’ll collaborate with support teams and potentially lead initiatives beyond your core remit, such as product expertise or cross-team collaboration within strategic accounts.

A strong focus on CRM accuracy, stakeholder management across franchise retailers, and influencing product development rounds out the role, making it ideal for someone who thrives on accountability, strategic thinking, and delivering measurable outcomes.

What we're looking for

• Strong experience managing automotive manufacturer partnerships and good understanding of OEM structures & strategies    
• Knowledge of UK automotive industry trends and market dynamics.  Including automotive technology developments, electrification trends, and regulatory changes affecting the industry, with awareness of vehicle pricing models, manufacturer incentives, and promotional strategies 
• Excellent relationship management skills to secure high-value partnerships     
• High-level strategic thinking to identify partnership opportunities, partnership blockers and resolve complex relationship challenges 
• Experience of working to commercial targets or KPI’s
• Ability to translate complex data into compelling partnership narratives 
• Excellent presentation abilities for delivering proposals to senior manufacturer & media agency executives 
• Ability to challenge decision-making and consult to deliver a positive outcome for our manufacturer & media partners at Director level
• A collaborative approach to successfully deliver through coordinating with your peers across the business
• Show curiosity towards competitor activity, market announcements, or manufacturer changes, and use these to inform strategic recommendations.
• Demonstrates a proactive and tenacious approach to resolving queries

Benefits

We’re offering a salary of £55,000 – £80,000, plus an additional 10% of your salary awarded to you in shares each year. These awarded shares will become yours in yearly instalments over the next three years, and you can choose to either sell them or keep them as shares. 

You'll have 28 days holiday per year, and that's in addition to bank holidays and half-day closures on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That’s not all. You'll be enrolled in our pension scheme, where our standard contributions are 7% and employee contributions are 5%. We also have comprehensive private medical cover, enhanced family leave provisions, a car salary sacrifice scheme, share-save options, and much more. 

We always want to give you the support you need and help prioritise your wellbeing, that’s why we provide access to 24/7 online GP and dentist, as well as specialist support for assisted fertility, gender dysphoria, menopause, period care plans and lots more.  

Whilst this is a remote-based role, it's expected that you will have regular travel to customers and the London office.