Brand Partnerships & Advertising Manager

Job Posted: 11th August 2026

Job Closing: 11th September 2026

Location: London, UK (Hybrid)

Reports to: Managing Director

Key Stakeholders: Senior Management, Editorial, Social, External Production Partners

Expected Experience: 5+ years in a full-cycle sales role (media, agency or B2B), with direct experience ideating integrated bespoke social & digital partnerships concepts, alongside turnkey advertising solutions. You should be able to hit the ground running with minimal training required in building and maintaining sales pipelines.

The Context

Gay Times has been a leading voice in LGBTQIA+ media for over 40 years, a legacy built on cultivating conversation and amplifying the voices of our global community.

Continually adapting to the shifting media landscape, Gay Times pivoted to a social and digital-first strategy in the early 2020s, becoming the first LGBTQIA+ media brand to surpass 1M followers on Instagram. Today, we command a global reach of over 70M. However, as the market evolves, so does our strategy.

Over the next 24 months, our ambition is clear: to become the world’s leading LGBTQIA+ journalism brand, fuelled by a subscriber ecosystem. The Gay Times Advertising & Partnerships strategy supports this ambition by creating a value-exchange between our brand partners, our audience and the publication itself. Built from a place of strategic authority, our work with brands is placed to complement our editorial offering, aligning our partners with a credible and powerful audience group.

The Role

Gay Times is seeking a proactive, highly organised Brand Partnerships & Advertising Manager to drive and deliver new business for our clients and partners. Working closely with and reporting directly to the Managing Director, you’ll be identifying new and prospective partners, whilst nurturing existing relationships. 

Selling for Gay Times is an art: it takes storytelling, bold ideas and genuine client relationship-building, aligned with a credible and culturally fluent understanding of our audience. Delivery at Gay Times requires an understanding of the production process, overseeing internal and external stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered with the highest degree of care and passion. The role is a fine-tuned blend of sales and delivery, from pitch to PCA. 

You won't be running this solo. The Managing Director will be involved in client communications and close to the creative: reviewing concepts, shaping pitches, and joining key client conversations. Where you'll have real autonomy is in running the pipeline itself: prospecting, chasing, scheduling and moving deals forward day-to-day without needing to be managed through each step.

Key Responsibilities

1. New Business & Pipeline

  • Own the sales pipeline day-to-day, working towards revenue targets set by the Managing Director.
  • Use your initiative to identify and engage brand-direct decision-makers and key media agency contacts to build a robust, qualified pipeline, strategically spearheading client comms to foster leads.
  • Support the MD in developing culturally fluent strategic concepts — bespoke content, roundtables, activations, white papers — as well as more traditional advertising opportunities.
  • Build and adapt bespoke media plans (digital, social, paid social, creator content).
  • Pitching and presenting creative ideas to clients through brand-friendly pitch decks, which you will have built out from topline creative thought-starters into an easy-to-digest written form.
  • Suggest new and innovative ways of reaching prospective leads, ensuring sales collateral and pitches are always fresh and up to date.

2. Campaign Coordination & Delivery

  • Act as day-to-day point of contact for clients once a deal is signed, coordinating handover into delivery and helping brands navigate LGBTQ+ audiences authentically.
  • Coordinate with production partners and internal teams (Editorial, Social) to keep multi-channel campaigns on track against agreed timelines and KPIs.
  • Escalate strategic or senior-relationship matters to the Managing Director promptly and with context.

3. Reporting & Account Growth

  • Compile post-campaign analysis reports, providing interpretive thinking and data-led insights to encourage long-term partner retention and always-on activity.
  • Identify account growth opportunities and partner marketing insights to share with the Managing Director for strategic follow-up.

Requirements

Essential Experience & Skills

  • Full-Cycle, Senior Sales Experience: 5+ years in a media sales role with experience in campaign delivery — you’ll have managed your own sales pipeline (prospecting, pitching, negotiating and closing), have proven autonomy and experience in delivering social & digital campaigns.
  • Bespoke Sales: direct experience developing and pitching bespoke, strategic partnership concepts and building media plans — you will already have evidence of doing this successfully.
  • A Storyteller's Instinct: able to translate a brand's ambitions into a bold, culturally credible partnership concept for an LGBTQIA+ audience — this is creative, relationship-led selling, not transactional media buying.
  • Commercial Drive: a self-directed track record of hitting or exceeding targets, ideally against a revenue number you were personally accountable for.
  • Organisational Rigour: comfortable managing a live pipeline and multiple concurrent campaigns, delivering on time without things slipping.
  • Communication: confident presenting to clients and holding your own in a room; strong written communication for proposals and reporting.

Personal Attributes 

  • Proactive & Self-Directed: you work on your own initiative, flag risks and opportunities before being asked, and are capable of working without day-to-day management to keep moving.
  • Autonomy & Grit: you thrive in a fast-paced, startup-like environment and are happy getting into the operational details.
  • Outcome-Oriented: you believe in partnerships that do something, and want to see your deals through, not just close them.
  • Mission-Driven: a personal passion for LGBTQIA+ rights and a sincere belief in the work, legacy and ambition of Gay Times.

Advantageous

  • Existing Network: established contacts within brand-direct marketing teams or media agencies.
  • Editorial Curiosity: an interest in how commercial partnerships intersect with editorial integrity.
  • B2B Specialisms: previous experience activating thought-leadership projects, such as white papers, roundtables, or policy-driven content.

Salary: £40,000–£44,000 base DOE + commission. Remuneration will be formally reviewed after the first calendar year as scope and results are established.

How to Apply

To apply — send your CV and a cover letter detailing relevant previous experience to careers@gaytimes.com

Selected applicants will be invited to a 40 minute pre-screening interview to assess eligibility.

Following this, successful candidates will be invited to a 60 minute interview, for which you will be asked to prepare some materials.

There will then be one final interview with the leadership team.