Account Director (Sports Sponsorships, Brand Asset Management and Rights Approval) NEW

OCTAGON

We’re excited to be looking for an exceptional Account Director or Senior Account Manager looking to step to the next level. Working with some of the biggest rightsholders across motorsports, football, golf and cricket, you will lead the rights approval, IP and brand guidelines management for a key client. This is a fixed contract until April 2026 with possibility to extend – no promises, though!

Based in our London office, this crucial role will see you sit within the wider agency team and be integral to the client’s sponsorship management team, serving as an extension of their sponsorship team. You will build trusted partnerships with the rightsholders and wider agency resources, ensuring that collaboration, insight and best practice flow seamlessly between all parties.

We are seeking an individual who can work independently and with the client’s business units and affiliates to lead all IP and brand asset management. This will include overseeing approvals both internally and externally and managing the client’s centralised digital asset management platform. The right candidate will ideally have a history of working with multinational brands and rights holders, navigating complex approval and compliance processes.

A keen eye for detail, coupled with a genuine enthusiasm for process is essential to success in this fast paced environment. With your strong communication skills, you’ll be a keen collaborator and capable of keeping all stakeholders to timelines, have a full understanding of the client’s branding guidelines and deliver regular reports on the performance of the assets.

This position is designed for someone with a passion for sponsorship governance and brand protection, adept at navigating complex stakeholder environments, and capable of managing several high profile projects simultaneously.

If you thrive in dynamic settings, welcome the adventure of international travel, and excel at building trust across global teams, we look forward to hearing from you.

We’re after someone who:

• has 6-8+ years experience within an agency, client or rights holder environment running sponsorships and managing assets and approvals across multiple properties
• Experience of owning and growing positive and effective relationships with senior client stakeholders and sponsorship partners
• Exceptional attention to detail, alongside organisational, time and project management skills.
• Exemplary verbal and written communication skills; ability to articulate clearly and offer a strong, collaborative and constructive presence in meetings
• Ability to balance multiple sophisticated tasks simultaneously.
• Capacity to quickly become knowledgeable on our clients’ industry, brand and product offerings
• Proven ability to think analytically and strategically.

What you’ll do:

• Provide ongoing support for the management of the client’s sponsorship related branding assets, including images, video footage, and intellectual property (IP) assets, across all sponsorship properties.
• Collaborate with all sponsorship partners to collect, organise, and maintain branding materials, including photographs, video footage, logos, and associated IP rights.
• Coordinate with the client’s internal business units, subsidiaries, and external partners to review and approve all sponsorship related content prior to publication or use.
• Ensure all branding and IP related activities shall be conducted in full compliance with the client’s internal brand guidelines, sponsorship governance strategy, and intellectual property policies, including those related to trademark usage, copyright, and co branding standards.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal stakeholders and external partners regarding the interpretation and application of sponsorship related brand and IP rights.
• Review and approve all content produced in collaboration with the client, partners, and the legal department, as required, to ensure compliance with brand, legal, and IP standards.
• In collaboration with the client, its partners, and external agencies, support the design, development, and documentation of sponsorship related IP rights to ensure consistent brand protection and value creation.

This might be the right role for you if:

• You live and breathe IP and guidelines, details and process.
• You have influencing and stakeholder management capability as a core strength.

THE BIGGER TEAM YOU’LL JOIN

Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Interpublic Group.

We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent.

We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world.

The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker?

We’re pleased to offer wide range of benefits, including but not limited to the following:

• Core benefits (available from start date) – flexible holiday allowance, AXA private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible benefits (available after probation) – Gymflex, dental insurance, travel insurance, health cash plan, Cycleshceme, interest free season ticket loans
• A Flexible Workplace – we have a number of initiatives in place to ensure that our team have the flexibility to balance work with their lives, this includes flexible holiday and flexible working options.
• We also run a number of internal programmes to support physical and mental wellbeing, alongside learning and development opportunities to support career development and progression.

ABOUT US

Octagon is a global creative agency in sports, entertainment and culture.

We’re part of a wider family of agencies – the Octagon R&CPMK – a group of specialist agencies working with brands, athletes, and celebrities. Group agencies include Futures Sport & Entertainment, FRUKT and No2ndPlace. We’re all part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), one of the world’s most respected advertising networks.

Founded in 1982 with over 800 employees around the globe. Our Headquarters is in Stamford, Connecticut with further offices around the world including: New York, LA, Miami, McLean, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Manchester.

We inspire brands and people to play. At Octagon, it’s all in Play.

Octagon is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

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