Commercial, Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager
Reporting to the Marketing Director, this is a senior, hands-on role in a small, dynamic team.
Role purpose
To lead the second and third pillars of Wight BID 3 — Partnerships & representation, and Commercial growth & intelligence. The role grows and diversifies Visit Isle of Wight's income, above all by selling advertising and sponsored content on our consumer website and social media channels, and shows levy payers clearly what their investment delivers. It turns more than 1,300 levy-paying businesses, the Isle of Wight Council, the transport operators, national tourism bodies and commercial partners into a coordinated, revenue-generating network that supports destination growth. Reporting to the Marketing Director, this is a senior, hands-on role in a small, dynamic team — selling, building relationships and reporting results personally, not managing from a distance.
About Visit Isle of Wight
Visit Isle of Wight is the Island's official Destination Management Organisation, delivering the Wight BID on behalf of more than 1,300 tourism and hospitality businesses. With Wight BID 3 now secured for 2026–2031, the organisation is being reshaped around a sharpened purpose and three strategic pillars: Marketing our island; Partnerships and representation; and Commercial growth and intelligence. Marketing sits at the centre, and its impact depends on strong partnerships, an engaged industry and new commercial income. This is a rare opportunity to build that side of the organisation — to be the Island industry's day-to-day partner and voice, and to create the income and insight that will power the next five years and beyond.
| Job title | Commercial, Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager |
|---|---|
| Reports to | Marketing Director |
| Basis | Full-time |
| Location | Isle of Wight — must live on the Island · full UK driving licence and own car required |
| Salary | £53,800 |
| Team | Marketing Director · Marketing Manager · Marketing & Digital Executive · Fractional Finance Manager · outsourced PR & social |
Key responsibilities
Commercial growth & new income
The core of this role
- Sell advertising and sponsored content across our consumer website (visitisleofwight.co.uk) and social media channels — the main source of our commercial income — to levy payers, Island businesses and wider brands.
- Build a clear media pack and rate card for website advertising, social media content and partner packages, grounded in audience and performance data.
- Grow wider income — sponsorship, commercial partnerships, events, funding and new revenue streams — to diversify our finances and reduce reliance on the levy alone.
- Own the commercial and partnership pipeline in Pipedrive, our CRM — from prospecting to renewal — and report clearly against income targets.
- Manage the Partnerships and Commercial delivery budgets, ensuring they are invested transparently and deliver measurable value.
Partnerships, representation & stakeholder relations
- Own and deliver the stakeholder, trade and business engagement plan, acting as the day-to-day point of contact for levy payers and the Island's tourism and hospitality industry.
- Build and deepen strategic partnerships with the Isle of Wight Council, transport operators (Red Funnel, Wightlink, Hovertravel, Southern Vectis), national tourism bodies and commercial partners.
- Represent the Island at trade events and exhibitions, and with national and regional bodies including VisitEngland, the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network and Tourism South East.
- Lead levy-payer engagement and trade communications — VisitWightPro, newsletters, briefings, events and industry forums — bringing businesses together on collaborative projects.
Performance reporting, ROI & intelligence
- Own performance reporting to levy payers — regular, clear reports on the reach, engagement and return on investment delivered by website, social media and campaign activity.
- Report results to every advertiser and partner, demonstrating the ROI of their investment to drive renewals and repeat business.
- Own destination intelligence — research, visitor and market data — and track the BID 3 Partnerships and Commercial KPIs, turning insight into practical guidance for the Board and businesses.
- Evidence the value of the BID to levy payers, building the case for future BID renewal.
Ways of working
- Work hands-on within a small, dynamic team — selling, delivering partnerships and running events personally, not only planning them.
- Work closely with the Marketing Manager, Marketing & Digital Executive and our outsourced social media partner so that advertising and sponsored content is delivered well and on time.
- Use AI tools and automation, alongside Pipedrive, to work smarter — from prospect research and proposals to reporting and engagement.
Person specification
Commercial & income generation
The non-negotiable core
- A demonstrable track record of selling advertising, sponsorship or media and content packages against targets — ideally digital, website or social media advertising.
- Able to build a compelling commercial proposition, negotiate confidently, and close and renew deals.
- Commercially astute and comfortable being accountable for income targets and budgets.
Partnerships & stakeholder relations
- Proven ability to build strong, trusting relationships with businesses, partners and senior stakeholders, including local authority, transport and national bodies.
- Experience engaging, representing or serving a membership, trade or business community.
- Diplomatic and credible — able to balance different interests and represent a collective voice.
Communication & influencing
- Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation and public-speaking skills.
- Confident influencing at every level, from small businesses to boards and national partners.
Social media, digital & ROI
- A strong understanding of social media and digital advertising — platforms, content formats, audiences and how performance is measured.
- Able to demonstrate return on investment — using analytics and performance data to show advertisers and levy payers what their money delivered.
- Hands-on experience managing a pipeline in a CRM (Pipedrive or comparable), and practical, confident use of AI tools.
Hands-on delivery, location & travel
- Lives on the Isle of Wight, with a full UK driving licence and use of your own car — the role involves regular travel across the Island.
- Comfortable and effective hands-on in a small, dynamic team — as happy delivering the work personally as planning it.
- Well organised, able to run multiple partners, projects and events to deadline.
Desirable
- Experience in the visitor economy, tourism, leisure or hospitality.
- Knowledge of the Isle of Wight or comparable destinations and their business communities.
- Experience of event, trade-show or partnership-programme delivery, or of destination research.
What success looks like
- A media pack and rate card launched, with website advertising and social media content sales delivering the majority of new commercial income.
- A live, well-managed commercial pipeline in Pipedrive, with growing renewals and repeat business from advertisers and partners.
- Regular performance reports to levy payers that clearly show the reach and return on investment of BID activity, building the evidence base for future renewal.
- Strategic partnerships in place with the Council, transport operators and national bodies, and trade activity delivered.
- Measurably stronger levy-payer engagement and confidence, with more businesses taking part in BID activity.
Key relationships & how the role fits
- Reports to
- the Marketing Director.
- Works alongside
- Marketing Manager; Marketing & Digital Executive; Fractional Finance Manager; and the outsourced PR and social partners. Supports the Board and its working groups.
- Works with
- levy payers; Isle of Wight Council; transport operators (Red Funnel, Wightlink, Hovertravel, Southern Vectis); VisitEngland, the LVEP network and Tourism South East; BALPPA; IoW Chamber of Commerce; sponsors and commercial partners; media and MPs.
Apply for the role
To apply, please send your CV and a short covering letter setting out how you meet the brief to office@visitwight.org, marked ‘Commercial, Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager’.
The postholder must live on the Isle of Wight and hold a full UK driving licence, with use of their own car. The start date will be confirmed at offer.
We reserve the right to close applications earlier and to interview on a rolling basis should suitable candidates be identified, so early application is strongly encouraged.
An informal conversation
For an informal and confidential conversation about the role before applying, please contact Dominic Wray at dominic.wray@visitwight.org.