job title: Sales Manager

location: Luxembourg

Reports To: Managing Director

Department: Marketing

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Start Date: As soon as possible

About CEV

The European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) is the official governing body for volleyball and beach volleyball in Europe. With 56 National Federations and a growing global fanbase, CEV is committed to delivering world-class events such as the CEV Champions League Volley, EuroVolley, and the Beach Volleyball European Championships.

The Role

We are looking for a Sales Manager, Sponsorships to drive B2B revenue growth and build long-term partnerships with leading brands across the globe and Europe. This is a senior commercial role with direct impact on CEV’s commercial strategy and future growth, where you will also be responsible for building, leading, and scaling a high-performing sales team to deliver sustained success.

You will own CEV’s sponsorship sales strategy and delivery: building the pipeline, leading premium pitches, closing multi-year deals, and shaping category and pricing architecture. You’ll work in the Marketing Department and you’ll collaborate closely with Digital, Events/Operations, Legal, and Finance to create activation-ready partnerships that deliver measurable ROI—and you’ll build a high-performing sales team and agency network.

Key Responsibilities

· Own the sponsorship sales strategy and deliver ambitious revenue growth (new business, renewals, upsell).

· Build and maintain senior-level pipelines with brands and agencies; lead C-level pitches and complex negotiations.

· Design insight-driven propositions across content, digital, data, hospitality, and CSR.

· Develop category strategy and pricing architecture, informed by market intelligence.

· Manage term sheets, exclusivities, KPIs, and deal governance with Legal and Finance.

· Oversee sponsorship budget planning, forecasting, and board-level reporting.

· Recruit, coach, and scale a high-performing sales team.

· Install CRM discipline and a performance culture.

· Ensure premium deliverables and on-site rights in collaboration with the Events Department.

· Lead cross-functional alignment with Marketing, Digital, and Events for seamless activation.

· Represent CEV at key industry events and partner forums, strengthening CEV’s market presence.

· Hand over closed deals for best-in-class activation; support renewals via performance reviews.

Qualifications & Experience

· 5–8+ years’ sponsorship/commercial sales experience in sport or entertainment, with a proven record of securing six- and seven-figure, multi-year deals,

· Strong network across global and European brands as well as sponsorship agencies,

· Expert negotiator with experience in rights packaging, valuation, and exclusivity management,

· Proven ability to design and deliver long-term commercial strategies, not just short-term sales.

· Experience in building and leading sales teams: recruiting, coaching, setting KPIs, and driving performance culture.

· Strong knowledge of sports media, digital trends, fan engagement, and emerging sponsorship models (e.g., CSR, sustainability, data-driven activations).

· Experience in setting up and using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

· Data-driven storyteller, confident with ROI models, valuation tools, and executive-level presentations.

· Event-led selling experience (experiential, hospitality, B2B2C).

· Financial acumen with budgeting, forecasting, and P&L responsibility.

· Experience working with multinational corporations and managing cross-border negotiations.

· Fluent English: additional European languages are an asset.

· Proficiency with CRM (In-Crowd) and MS Office (Excel/PowerPoint).

· Resilient, adaptable, and results-driven, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, event-driven environment.

· Willingness to travel extensively and adapt to event schedules (including evenings/weekends).

Why Join Us?

· Lead the commercial growth of Europe’s flagship volleyball properties — from CEV Champions League Volley to EuroVolley.

· Drive partnership with global and European brands in one of the world’s fastest-growing sports industries.

· Work in an ambitious, international sport confederation with strong momentum and visibility across Europe and worldwide media platforms.

· Play a crucial role by shaping the future of the volleyball commercial model and long-term growth.

· Join a forward-looking organisation investing in digital innovation, fan engagement, and sustainability.

· Benefit from competitive compensation package and the tools to succeed.

· Thrive in collaborative, impact-driven culture where your work directly shapes outcomes and long-term partnerships, leaving a legacy for European Volleyball.

Ready to Make an Impact?

Send your *CV and a motivation letter (+optional: portfolio/case studies) to [email protected] with the following subject line: “Sales manager – Application”.

Please include your earliest start date and (if applicable) work permit status.

Deadline for application 19.09.2025

*Please save your documents as follows: Last name-first name-CV and Last name-first name-ML.