Sports & Entertainment Partnerships Manager, UK

The Elevator Pitch

Evolv is helping organisations create safer, more welcoming places for people to gather. We are looking for an entrepreneurial commercial leader to establish and grow our Sports & Entertainment business across the UK.

You will develop a focused market strategy across high-attendance environments—including multipurpose arenas, major football and rugby stadiums, music festivals, cricket grounds, racecourses, motorsport, exhibition centres and the venue operators that connect them. Your goal will be to position Evolv as a trusted partner for organisations seeking to strengthen protective security while improving guest flow and creating a less intrusive arrival experience.

This is a market-building role, not simply an account-management position. You will identify the right entry points, create demand, develop senior relationships and manage complex opportunities from first conversation through deployment and expansion. You will work closely with Marketing, Solutions Engineering, Customer Success and Product to translate Evolv’s global experience into a compelling UK value proposition.

What Success Looks Like:

In the first 30 days, you will:

• Become fluent in Evolv’s solutions, customer outcomes and value propositions for sports and live entertainment environments.

• Build a working understanding of the UK venue-security ecosystem, including evolving protective-security expectations and Martyn’s Law, without positioning Evolv as a compliance-only solution.

• Prioritise the European market by segment, account potential, event frequency, attendance profile, current screening approach and readiness to change.

• Develop an initial stakeholder map spanning venue owners, operators, teams, event organisers, security leaders, operations executives, commercial leaders and trusted advisers.

Within 3 months, you will:

• Launch a clear territory and account plan focused initially on multipurpose arenas, major football stadiums and festival or venue-operator groups, with targeted expansion into cricket, rugby and racing.

• Build qualified pipeline through direct prospecting, industry relationships, referrals, events, demonstrations and strategic partners.

• Establish senior-level relationships within priority accounts and uncover each venue’s security, throughput, labour, accessibility and guest-experience objectives.

• Create a repeatable European discovery and demonstration motion that connects Evolv’s capabilities to measurable operational and commercial outcomes.

By the end of the first year, you will:

• Advance a healthy portfolio of complex opportunities with clear stakeholders, decision criteria, commercial value and next steps.

• Develop relationships with influential venue operators, security consultancies, guarding providers, integrators and event-delivery partners that can accelerate access and adoption.

• Use early wins, demonstrations and customer proof to create horizontal growth across venue portfolios, leagues, cities and event categories.

• Provide actionable market intelligence to Evolv on competitive activity, buyer requirements, deployment models and product considerations specific to the UK.

• Achieve agreed revenue and pipeline targets while establishing a credible foundation for sustainable European growth.

• Secure lighthouse customers or strategic partnerships that demonstrate Evolv’s value in the European market and create pathways into additional International venues.

• Build executive relationships that support renewals, expansion and multi-site or multi-event adoption.

• Serve as the internal voice of the UK sports and entertainment customer, translating market needs and operational realities into clear recommendations.

The Work: What You'll Do

• Own the end-to-end commercial process across your territory: market mapping, prospecting, discovery, solution development, demonstrations, proposals, negotiation, close and expansion.

• Build new territory from the ground up, balancing strategic account development with consistent hands-on pipeline generation.

• Engage complex buying groups that may include venue ownership, security, operations, guest experience, IT, procurement, finance, event organisers and public-sector stakeholders.

• Develop business cases grounded in venue outcomes such as stronger protective security, improved throughput, more effective use of security personnel and a less intrusive guest experience.

• Adapt the commercial approach to permanent venues, temporary events, seasonal deployments and multi-property operator relationships.

• Partner with Solutions Engineering to plan demonstrations, pilots and operational assessments that reflect real-world venue conditions.

• Work with Marketing to develop European-specific campaigns, industry events, customer stories and thought-leadership opportunities.

• Collaborate with Customer Success and implementation teams to support a smooth handover, successful deployment and long-term customer value.

• Maintain disciplined opportunity management, forecasting and account planning in Salesforce, including accurate next steps and deal risks.

• Represent Evolv at relevant industry events and customer sites, including some evenings, weekends and public holidays.

What You Bring

• A strong record of winning complex B2B technology, security, venue, infrastructure or operational solutions in the UK.

• Experience creating pipeline and opening a new territory or market—not only managing established accounts.

• Credibility with senior stakeholders in sports, live entertainment, venues, events, security or an adjacent ecosystem.

• The ability to navigate long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles and translate technical capabilities into clear operational and commercial value.

• A consultative, curious approach to discovery, with the judgement to understand how different venues balance security, flow, accessibility, cost and fan experience.

• Strong commercial discipline across qualification, forecasting, pricing, negotiation and closing.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive presentations and customer-facing demonstrations.

• An entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating with autonomy in a fast-growing, evolving business.

• Willingness and ability to travel frequently throughout the UK and Europe with occasional international travel.

Helpful, But Not Required

• Existing relationships with major venue operators, football clubs, arena groups, festival organisers, cricket or rugby organisations, racecourses or security partners.

• Experience with physical security, screening, access control, venue technology, SaaS or recurring-revenue business models.

• Familiarity with UK protective-security guidance, procurement environments and the operational implications of Martyn’s Law.

• Experience developing multi-site, league-level, portfolio or channel-led commercial opportunities.

Leadership, Team Structure & Culture

You will report to the Sr. Director of International Sales and work as the UK market lead within a collaborative global go-to-market organisation.

Our culture is grounded in trust, collaboration and ongoing development through kindness, authenticity, courage, drive and fun. You will have meaningful autonomy, direct access to cross-functional partners and the opportunity to shape how Evolv grows in an important new market.

Location and Travel

This is a UK-based role. The ideal candidate will be located within practical reach of London or another major transport hub. We anticipate approximately 50–70% travel, primarily across the UK & Europe, with flexibility to support customer and industry events during evenings, weekends and public holidays. Occasional travel International including to Evolv’s US headquarters may be required.

Compensation and Transparency Statement

The base salary range for this full-time position is £59,000 - £83,000. In addition to base salary, this role offers a competitive target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package. This range reflects our commitment to pay transparency and equity, in alignment with applicable laws. Our compensation ranges are determined based on factors such as role, level, location, market benchmarks, and internal equity. The posted range represents the good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this role in the relevant location. Actual compensation within the range will be based on the candidate’s skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

In accordance with relevant pay transparency laws we may disclose salary ranges in all job postings and provide additional information upon request where required under such laws.

We are committed to fair pay practices, and we regularly review our compensation programs to ensure they are competitive, equitable, and aligned with our values.

Evolv Technology is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with Evolv Technology's privacy notice/statement, which is available upon request. Your application data will be used solely for recruitment purposes and handled in compliance with relevant data protection legislation.

At Evolv, we’re on a mission to help make public spaces safer through innovative security technology. So, we're looking for future teammates who embody our values, people who:

• Do the right thing, always;

• Put people first;

• Own it;

• Win together; and continue to

• Be bold, stay curious.

Our Benefits Include:

• Equity as part of your total compensation package

• Private Medical Insurance (this is usually a taxable benefit).

• A workplace pension scheme with company contributions

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)- take the time you need to recharge, with manager approval and business needs in mind

• Quarterly stipend for perks and benefits that matter most to you

• Tuition reimbursement to support your ongoing learning and development

• Subscription to Calm

Evolv Technology (“Evolv”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace, and all employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other status protected by law in the locations where we operate. Evolv will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Evolv is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of the job application process, please connect with us at [email protected].

Evolv conducts Right to Work checks for all successful candidates in accordance with applicable law.