Senior Commercial Manager

About Us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world.

In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing.

Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere.

Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role

FT Live Forums are exclusive communities for senior leaders and board members, convened by the Financial Times. Rooted in the FT’s editorial authority, each Forum brings together leaders for year-round collaboration and insight around important business issues. Our portfolio includes the Tech for Growth Forum, Due Diligence Forum, AI Forum, Supply Chain Forum, Chair’s Forum and Energy Source Forum.

We are looking for a Senior Commercial Manager to work closely with the Head of FT Live Forums to take our partnership propositions to market and support the next phase of growth for the business.

This is an international, sales-driven and client-facing role with responsibility for acquiring new partners, developing new commercial opportunities and supporting the launch of new Forums. You will build long-term relationships with senior decision-makers while helping FT Live Forums deliver ambitious and sustainable revenue growth and protecting the credibility of the FT brand.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive lead generation, working closely with the marketing team to research, identify and engage prospective partners.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of high-quality commercial opportunities.
• Lead the approach to prospective client communication and outreach, developing trusted relationships with senior decision-makers including CMOs and marketing directors.
• Develop long-term commercial partnerships and take FT Live Forums’ partnership propositions to market.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the FT Group to identify and maximise revenue opportunities.
• Proactively identify new revenue streams and develop strategies and tactics to deliver them.
• Support the development of the FT Live Forums growth strategy, adapting the commercial approach as markets and opportunities evolve.
• Maximise commercial opportunities while protecting the credibility and reputation of the FT brand.
• Represent FT Live Forums and the wider FT at relevant events and conferences, using these opportunities to develop relationships and expand the commercial network.
• Maintain strong sales management, pipeline reporting and CRM discipline.

Required Skills and Experience

• 5+ years’ sales experience, ideally in media, with a strong track record of building long-term partnerships.
• Proven success delivering against sales targets and developing a high-quality pipeline.
• Confident selling across digital, telephone and face-to-face channels.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, including with senior decision-makers.
• Commercially sharp, with the ability to spot new business and revenue opportunities.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive and comfortable turning opportunities into action.
• Collaborative, with the ability to work effectively across teams and functions.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgement and a customer-focused approach.
• Experience using Salesforce or another mainstream CRM system.

Desirable

• Sales experience within a media organisation or similarly fast-paced commercial environment.
• Experience developing sophisticated, long-term partnership propositions.

What's in it for You?

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning. We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further Information

At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications.

Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.

Please beware of fraudulent job postings and offers claiming to be from the Financial Times. All legitimate opportunities will direct you to apply through the official Financial Times careers site, and the FT will never ask for financial information, payments, or referrals to third parties during the hiring process. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting or suspect any scam activity, please contact [email protected] .

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