Senior Operations & Partnerships Manager

WHO WE ARE

AVA & UP Productions is in the business of making moments.

We are part creative agency, part cultural institution - built to connect audiences and brands with music, fashion, and youth culture through experiences that endure long after the lights go down.

UP Productions is the agency engine at our core, specialising in the design and delivery of real-world brand experiences. Working across conferences, retail pop-ups, and large-scale event activations, we provide end-to-end services - strategy, creative, design, production, and operations - translating bold ideas into cultural engagement and measurable impact. From intimate brand activations to multi-city touring productions, we don't do ordinary. And we don't work with people who do either.

Our mission is to instigate innovation, collaborate with artistic talent, and develop culture through creative arts, music, design, and discussion.

AVA Festival & Conference is the flagship expression of that mission. Founded by UP Productions in 2015, AVA was built with two distinct identities: an International Showcase Festival & Conference operating as a ticketed event, alongside community-focused conference and free fringe programme operating as a not-for-profit. What began as a one-day, single-venue event with 1,500 attendees has grown over the past decade into a 30,000+ attendee, multi-venue celebration of Audio-Visual Arts - spanning Belfast and London, with satellite events worldwide and a global online audience of over 25 million viewers.

We're growing our commercial division and looking for a Senior Operations & Partnerships Manager to sit at the heart of our partner relationships and event delivery machine.

THE ROLE

This is a dual-focus position - part partnership & relationship builder, part operational engine.

You'll identify commercial relationships, pitch and secure long-term partners, and manage retained commercial contracts through to on-the-ground activation, while also owning the systems and processes that keep our commercial operations running smoothly.

You'll be detail-oriented, always with a commercial lens. Leading the operations of all of our AVA & UP Productions events and bars, co-ordinating our teams, you'll bring partner commitments to life across physical and digital touch-points - on-site at our events and in the room when it matters, constantly thinking about how we create more value for our audience, our business, and the partners who trust us.

Above all, you'll bring a genuine growth mindset. You'll be eager to help build the business, push boundaries, and evolve our offering - spotting opportunities others miss and having the drive and creativity to pursue them.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN > PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT 50%

• Day-to-day management of commercial & operational partners, ensuring rights and obligations are fulfilled
• Building long-term relationships that drive satisfaction, renewal, and genuine commercial value
• Drafting agreements, ensuring all parties are aligned, and deliverables achievable.
• Regular reporting, recaps, and insights shared with partners and internal teams
• Planning and executing partner campaigns across physical activations, digital, and event platforms
• Acting as on-site partner liaison at our live events, ensuring seamless delivery on the ground
• Close collaboration with our events and operations teams to execute rights efficiently
• Supporting the Founder & Marketing sales cycle
• Building our media partnerships in collaboration with the marketing department.
• Contributing ideas to expand our commercial and experiential offering

WHAT YOU WILL OWN > COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS 50%

• Continue to develope, whilst maintaining internal systems and trackers for real-time visibility of commercial activity
• Creating and implementing a consolidated asset mix as our event portfolio grows, creating value for our partners.
• Leading asset delivery - from rights creation through to execution with event and production teams
• Working with delivery partners and licensees to activate rights on the ground
• Cross-functional collaboration across the bars, marketing, production, and talent teams for cohesive activations
• Owning the event, bar & partnership delivery budget, supplier relations, forecasting, and reporting to the Founder & CEO
• Identifying suppliers, and building long-term valued relationships & economies of scale.
• Map staffing and recruitment requirements, supporting managers with the interview process
• Evolving the company playbook and seek support to implement company policies, presenting and disseminating to the team

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

EXPERIENCE

8+ years in event operations & partnerships Senior-level background

Large, fast-moving bars Premium F&B events across UK & Ireland

Sponsorship / account management Live events or entertainment

Agency management On-site activation delivery £1m+ Budget ownership

SKILLS

Multiple stakeholder management Relationship building

Project management CRM systems, including Notion

Google Workspace Commercial instinct Detailed Contract Management

Confident communicator Rippling HR

WHAT YOU GET

Discretionary bonus scheme

TOIL for all live event days

25 days paid holiday + bank holidays

Social events & free tickets to events

Competitive pension plan

Training & professional development

Enhanced parental leave

Flexible working structure

An inclusive, collaborative & creative working environment

OUR COMMITMENT

UP Productions & AVA is an equal opportunities employer. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We know that the best teams are built on diversity of thought, and we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, included, and able to do their best work.