Commercial Strategy & Ventures Lead

Commercial Strategy & Ventures Lead by | Apr 30, 2026 Job Description The Role This is a pivotal role at the heart of Chelsea FC Women's commercial ambition. As Commercial Strategy & Ventures Lead, you will serve as the strategic engine of the commercial department, working directly alongside the Commercial Director to shape the direction, identify the opportunities, and build the frameworks that will drive sustainable revenue growth over the next five years and beyond. This is not a conventional commercial role. While the Commercial Director leads on sponsorship, matchday, and P&L, this role exists to look around corners, identifying and developing non-traditional revenue opportunities that sit outside the existing commercial infrastructure, from ventures and equity partnerships to content monetisation and consumer products. We are looking for someone who thinks beyond traditional football revenue streams, who can build a compelling business case from scratch, and who brings the credibility and gravitas to represent the Club in a room with senior clients, investors, and partners. You will ensure the commercial department is not only delivering today but is structurally set up to win over the next five years. Closing date: 15th May We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the position may be filled before the listed closing date. To avoid missing out, please submit your application at your earliest convenience. Key responsibilities Strategy & Growth
Work in close partnership with the Commercial Director to develop and maintain a five-year commercial strategy for CFCW
Leading on creation of materials for board packs, ownership documents, reporting and tracking progres
Identify whitespace opportunities, particularly those outside the core sponsorship and matchday infrastructure, and develop them into credible commercial propositions
Build robust business cases for new initiatives, balancing ambition with commercial rigour, for sign-off by CFCW leadership
Provide regular strategic analysis and market intelligence to inform the commercial decision-making and ELT reporting
Ventures & Non- Traditional Revenue Lead the identification, evaluation, and development of non-traditional revenue opportunities, including but not limited to:
Ventures & non traditional partnerships – identifying strategic co-creation, co-investment or non-traditional partnership opportunities that extend the Club's commercial footprint
Retail & consumer products – developing propositions that deepen fan engagement and grow direct revenue
Content & media monetisation – working with relevant teams to unlock commercial value from the Club's content and media assets
Revenue Optimisation Work with commercial departments (sponsorship, licensing, matchday) to ensure pricing strategies are data-led, competitive, and growth-oriented
Identify cross-sell and upsell opportunities across the commercial portfolio
Support forecasting and target-setting with the Finance and Strategy & Insights teams
Client & Partner Engagement Represent CFCW externally with prospective partners, stakeholders, and ventures; able to lead or support commercial conversations at a senior level
Support the development of compelling commercial propositions and terms for new and existing partners
Maintain awareness of the Club's key commercial relationships and contractual landscape
Cross-Functional Leadership Foster a culture of strategic alignment and collaborative working across commercial functions
Champion the use of data and insight in commercial decision-making
Contribute to the development of a high-performing commercial team, with an expectation to build and lead a small team over time
Measures of Success Development and delivery of a credible, ambitious five-year commercial strategy for CFCW
Identification and progression of a pipeline of non-traditional revenue opportunities
Achievement of commercial revenue KPls across relevant departments
Quality and impact of strategic input provided to the Commercial Director and senior leadership
Regular market assessments benchmarking CFCW against leading women's clubs, leagues, and sports properties globally
Skills, Experience & Behaviours Essential Proven experience in commercial strategy, business development, or ventures, ideally across more than one of: management consulting, sports/entertainment, or startup/venture/private equity
Strong analytical and commercial acumen, able to build a business case, stress-test an assumption, and translate insight into action
Credible and confident in senior external stakeholder environments, comfortable in a client-facing room
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify and develop opportunities from scratch
Excellent communicator, written, verbal, and in presentation
Highly collaborative, with the ability to influence without authority across a matrixed organisation
Desirable Experience in women's sport or a high-growth sports/entertainment property
Familiarity with licensing, content commercialisation, or consumer product development
Experience building or scaling a commercial function
Our Expectations To embody the club's BLUE behaviours (Brave, Lead, Unity, Edge) in the approach to work and interaction with others
To adhere to the club's policies and procedures, including Health & Safety, Financial Authorisation, Confidentiality and GDPR.
To act as an ambassador for diversity, equality, and inclusion, and demonstrate a positive commitment by treating others fairly in line with our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy and reporting any acts of discrimination through appropriate channels
To create a safe environment and act to protect all young people and vulnerable adults that are either in your care or attending club premises, and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead
To report any misconduct or suspected misconduct to the HR Department