Business Development Manager, City Studios

Closing Date of Applications – 31st October 2025

Our Story

Established in 2013, City Football Group is the world’s leading private owner and operator of football clubs, with total or partial ownership of twelve clubs across the world. City Football Group also invests in other football related businesses and serves as a global commercial platform for our partners, whilst fulfilling our purpose of empowering better lives through football on a local and global scale, consistent with what “City” football has meant to people for over a century.  

City Studios is the in-house media agency of City Football Group (CFG) — a global football powerhouse with clubs and operations spanning continents. As part of CFG’s industry-leading Media Hub, City Studios blends creative, strategy, production, and high-spec studio facilities to deliver world-class content and campaigns.

Our Winning Team

Our purpose is to empower better lives through football. We are proud of the role City Football Group clubs play in their localities, delivering positive economic, social and environmental impact through our operations and through programmes and activities that bring about meaningful, lasting change.

As the Business Development Manager, you will drive City Studios’ growth by delivering new business strategies and action plans, secure upsell opportunities across Manchester City and City Football Group, and lead external pitches to non-partner brands, whilst contributing to ambitious revenue targets within the agency’s five-year growth plan.

Please be aware, this role can be undertaken from our Manchester or London office.

This is Your City 

As part of our team, you will be entitled to 26 days annual leave plus an additional day off for your birthday, private healthcare and a Simply Health cash plan, an annual discretionary bonus, plus a range of partnership and lifestyle discounts. 

Your Impact

• Lead new business growth, expanding our client base beyond existing partners and executing strategic plans that position City Studios as a creative force in the industry.
• Own the pitch process — from events and PR to thought leadership and award submissions — managing resources and acting as the key contact for our external agency consultant.
• Drive commercial performance, tracking revenue across core streams, forecasting growth, and managing P&L with a sharp eye on cost control and margin delivery.
• Streamline client onboarding, working with legal and leadership to ensure efficient contracting, clear financial models, and scalable revenue opportunities.
• Bring marketing insight to life, aligning creative ideas with partner goals, staying ahead of industry trends, and inspiring colleagues with fresh thinking and strategic vision.

What we are looking for

• 6–8 years’ experience in sales and business development within creative or sports industries — ideally from a creative, media, marketing agency or sports partnership background.
• Deep industry insight, with expert knowledge of advertising, media, creative agency, and sports marketing landscapes. You bring fresh inspiration from across the sports and marketing world to fuel City Studios’ growth.
• Strong commercial acumen, confident with financial constructs like P&L, EBITDA, budgeting and forecasting. You understand agency revenue models and can spot and shape new commercial opportunities.
• Creative energy and proactive mindset — you thrive on building imaginative, compelling ideas that excite both partner and non-partner brands, and you’re always thinking about what’s next for City Studios.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, able to pitch ideas with clarity and impact to both internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Collaborative and organised, comfortable working across departments and managing multiple projects in a fast-paced, creative environment.

*We regularly review applications and reserve the right to close an advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, please submit your application as soon as possible.

City Football Group promotes equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose skills and experience seem to meet our needs. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you only if you are selected for an interview. 

Employment is subject to the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Due to our safeguarding promise, all UK based CFG roles will be subject to a DBS check upon commencing employment with us. This will be either a basic, standard or enhanced check depending on the job role and responsibilities.