Account Manager Partnerships - Rugby

Company description

160over90 is an award-winning global marketing agency which forges stronger human connections and creates shared moments where people feel something real. With over 600 thinkers, doers, and makers across every cultural corner of the world, the agency offers a full-service, channel-agnostic approach and a deep connection to the people, places, and properties that drive the conversation of tomorrow. 160over90 works with leading brands including AB InBev, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Marriott International, McDonald’s, Verizon and Visa.

160over90 is part of Publicis Groupe. Follow our story at 160over90.com

Overview

160over90 is seeking an Account Manager, Partnerships to join our Sydney team and support the management and activation of a major global rugby partnership.

Working as part of an integrated global partnership team, the Account Manager will play a key role in the day-to-day management and delivery of the partnership, with additional focus on activity within Australia. The role will report to a Senior Account Manager based in London and work closely with client, agency and rightsholder teams across multiple markets and time zones.

The ideal candidate brings experience in sports partnerships, sponsorship activation and property management, with rugby experience strongly preferred. We are looking for someone who understands both the strategic opportunity and operational complexity of a major sports partnership and can confidently manage workstreams, stakeholders and deliverables across a global organization. Experience working with rugby talent, athletes or ambassadors would be an additional advantage.

Responsibilities

• Support the day-to-day management and activation of a major global rugby partnership, working closely with the Senior Account Manager and broader global Client and account team.
• Build strong working relationships with client stakeholders, rightsholder contacts, agency colleagues and external partners across Australia and international markets.
• Serve as a key on-the-ground resource in Australia, helping connect global strategy and planning with local market needs, opportunities and delivery.
• Manage rights and assets across the partnership, including tracking, usage planning, approvals, deadlines and reporting.
• Support planning and delivery for major rugby tournaments and partnership moments, with increasing responsibility as activity moves into the Australian market.
• Coordinate partnership workstreams across ticketing, hospitality, brand integration, content, talent and other rights and assets.
• Help translate contractual rights into activation opportunities that support client brand and business objectives.
• Support the development of client-ready recommendations, presentations, status materials, timelines and post-activation recaps.
• Manage project timelines and deliverables across multiple stakeholders and time zones, ensuring teams remain aligned on responsibilities, decisions and next steps.
• Work closely with global, regional and local agency teams to ensure partnership programs are strategically consistent while responding to market-specific needs.
• Support direct client communication and meetings, providing clear updates, recommendations and follow-through across assigned workstreams.
• Liaise with rightsholder and tournament stakeholders to support planning, approvals and delivery of partnership activity.
• Where relevant, support rugby talent and athlete-related workstreams, including talent identification, rights and usage considerations, appearances, content opportunities and coordination with talent representatives and specialist agency teams.
• Collaborate with strategy, creative, experiential, communications, talent and other specialist capabilities to support integrated partnership programs.
• Monitor developments across rugby and the broader Australian sports and cultural landscape, proactively identifying opportunities relevant to the partnership.
• Support tournament-time and on-site delivery as required, including coordination among client, rightsholder, talent, agency and external partner teams.

Qualifications

• 4–6+ years relevant experience in partnerships, sponsorship activation, property management or partnership marketing, ideally within an agency, brand or rightsholder environment.
• Experience working within rugby or across major sports properties, with a strong understanding of the rugby sports landscape; direct rugby experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing partnership rights, assets and activation workstreams from planning through delivery.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders across complex organizations, ideally including global and regional teams.
• Strong client-management skills and confidence communicating directly with client and other key external stakeholders.
• Ability to operate effectively across geographies and time zones, including close collaboration with team members based in London and other international markets.
• Experience working with athletes, ambassadors or sports talent is highly desirable, particularly within rugby.
• Understanding of talent rights, appearances, content or athlete activation is an advantage.
• Strong project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, timelines and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing clear client-facing presentations, recommendations and status materials.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach with strong attention to detail and the judgment to know when to escalate issues or seek senior guidance.
• Collaborative working style and comfort operating as part of an integrated global team.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally, including around major rugby tournaments and partnership activations.

Additional information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. 

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [email protected].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

 

Compensation Range: USD $ - . This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 12/25/2026.