Marketplace Partnerships Manager

Job Description:

Marketplace Partnerships Manager - FTC

Manchester | Hybrid - 2-3 days onsite per week

6-month Fixed-Term Contract | Up to £120,000 annual salary (pro rata)

On-site parking available

We're looking for an experienced Marketplace Partnerships Manager to play a key role in the build and launch of a new retail marketplace within an established UK retailer.

This is a hands-on, build-from-scratch role. You'll identify the brands and retail partners that should be part of the marketplace, approach them, develop the commercial relationship and secure their commitment to participate.

We're looking for someone who has done this before - ideally within retail, E-commerce or an established marketplace - and can bring real examples of building brand partnerships, developing a partner pipeline and turning conversations into commercial agreements.

What you'll be doing

• Build a pipeline of high-value brands, retailers and commercial partners from scratch.
• Identify and prioritise partners based on customer relevance, commercial potential and marketplace fit.
• Proactively approach brands and senior commercial decision-makers to introduce and sell the marketplace proposition.
• Develop strategic, potentially two-way partnerships with retailers and brands, exploring opportunities to extend product ranges and reach new customer audiences.
• Build relationships with senior stakeholders across target organisations and become a trusted commercial partner.
• Lead early commercial conversations covering areas such as commission, fulfilment, customer ownership, data, brand control and operating models.
• Secure expressions of interest, commitments and commercial agreements ahead of marketplace launch.
• Use conversations with prospective partners to test and refine the marketplace proposition.
• Feed market insight back into internal Commercial, Ecommerce, Technology, Finance, Legal and Operations teams.
• Track pipeline, engagement, conversion and launch readiness, ensuring priority partners are ready to progress.

What we're looking for

This isn't a role for someone learning marketplace partnerships for the first time. You'll need to be able to come in, understand the opportunity quickly and start building credible conversations with prospective partners.

Ideally, you'll have:

• Strong experience in marketplace partnerships, marketplace business development, brand partnerships, E-commerce partnerships or a closely related commercial role.
• Experience working within retail, fashion, E-commerce, consumer brands or an established marketplace/platform business.
• A proven track record of building a brand or partner pipeline from scratch.
• Experience personally approaching and securing recognised brands, retailers or suppliers.
• Strong understanding of how retail marketplaces operate commercially.
• Experience negotiating marketplace or partnership terms and navigating areas such as commission, fulfilment, data/customer ownership and brand control.
• Evidence of taking a proposition that wasn't fully established and successfully selling the opportunity to external partners.
• Confidence dealing with Commercial Directors, Ecommerce Directors and other senior decision-makers.
• The ability to take external partner feedback and influence internal commercial, operational and technology decisions.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial approach - you'll be comfortable working in an environment where not everything has been built yet.

The opportunity

You'll be joining at the point where the marketplace is being created, rather than inheriting something already established.

That means you'll have genuine influence over which brands join, how the partner proposition develops and ultimately what the marketplace looks like at launch.

It's a six-month FTC initially, paying up to £120,000 annual salary pro rata, with 2-3 days per week onsite in Manchester.

£120000/year

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