Corporate Partnerships and Events Lead

Dublin Zoo is seeking an experienced Corporate Partnerships and Events Lead to develop and implement a strategic plan for hospitality and events aligned to the Zoo’s mission and to identify and progress to onboarding new opportunities for corporate partnerships or sponsorships.

As a Corporate Partnerships and Events Lead, you will play a crucial role in shaping and crafting new revenue streams for Dublin Zoo. You will be responsible for developing and managing strong partner and client relationships to leverage the best value from those relationships.

The role will collaborate closely with the Marketing Manager and team to create cohesive marketing and activation campaigns that highlight partnership benefits, ensuring visibility at all agreed touchpoints and to ensure that all partnership and sponsorship initiatives align with Dublin Zoo’s mission, values and brand identity while meeting the partner’s objectives and brand guidelines.

This role requires strong leadership, organisations skills, multitasking abilities, and a passion for conservation and wildlife.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Operations, this is a highly visible role, as part of a team working to grow the Zoo’s income. 

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Oversight:

• Develop and implement a sales and operational strategy for hospitality and events aligned with the Zoo’s overall mission and objectives.
•  Identify new opportunities for sponsorship and progress to inception to onboarding phase (at this point there is a need to formalise a specific partner management resource) Create clear expectations of hospitality and events objectives, working with Senior Management to design balance of footfall driving or mission-driven events (not necessarily for profit) and events for commercial benefit. Design and monitor KPIs to ensure agreed benefits are realised.
• Comfortable conveying key strategic data to senior management, Board members, team members, and various other stakeholders.

Sales and Marketing:

• Lead the sales efforts for hospitality, events, and sponsorships, building relationships with corporate and private clients.
• Maintain and grow a pipeline of clients and leads.
• Closely collaborate with marketing team to develop targeted campaigns for promotion of events, hospitality packages and sponsorship opportunities and ensure brand harmony by incorporating consistent messaging, visuals and storytelling in all communications and on-site activations.

Event Management:

• Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of all events, ensuring alignment with budget, customer experience, brand, and conservation goals.
• Create and maintain event planning and execution processes to ensure smooth operation (from pre-booking phase to post-event review).
• Serve as the primary point of contact for corporate partners, event clients and sponsors, ensuring a seamless booking, partnership, and event management process. To include weekend and out of hours coverage driven by event needs or troubleshooting. - Lead post-event review processes to inform continuous improvement.

Budget Management:

• Develop, regularly produce, and monitor budgets and KPIs for hospitality and events, ensuring financial targets are achieved. Making timely decisions to ensure best outcomes.
• Provide regular financial reporting to senior management, including profitability analysis and forecasts.

Team Leadership:

• Mentor and supervise the Events Executive ensuring their professional development and alignment with team objectives and KPIs.
• Foster collaboration across departments to ensure seamless event delivery to include designing, clarifying, and securing buy-in to intra-departmental ways of working to ensure internal and external party expectations are managed and leading to seamless event delivery and strong customer experience.

Sponsorship Generation and Management:

• Develop sponsorship proposals and packages and pitch to potential sponsors.
• Prepare customised sponsorship proposals tailored to potential sponsors’ needs, ensuring mutually beneficial collaborations in line with Zoo and partner brands values.
• Build and maintain relationships with existing and potential sponsors. - Working in close collaboration with colleagues from Marketing, Visitor Operations, Animal Care, Conservation Education, and others, lead sponsorship engagement activities, such as planning, communication, and fulfilment of sponsorship agreements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with integral teams to integrate sponsorships seamless into events and visitor experiences. Taking a ‘no surprises’ approach. 

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in event management, business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in event management and sales, with a strong track record in planning and executing corporate and consumer events, preferably in a hospitality venue or visitor attraction environment.
• Commercially minded, creative, and innovative, and results-focused individual. Can demonstrate experience in pitching for, winning and onboarding new business, sponsors, or corporate partners.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting and profitability analysis.
• Exceptional organisational and project management abilities.
• Excellent communication capabilities and leadership skills – must be adept in leading and working cross-functionally with diverse teams.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations related to events and public spaces is a bonus. A passion for wildlife conservation and a positive attitude is highly preferred.
• Undertake any additional duties as determined by the Head of Commercial Operations. Working Conditions:
• This position will require some weekend, and evening work depending on business needs and project schedule.
• Must be able to work in both indoor and outdoor environments and navigate Zoo grounds. 

This is a permanent and full time role.