Partnerships Manager/ City Partnerships Lead

Who We Are

Pinkvilla is Indias leading entertainment and lifestyle media company, reaching 50M+ monthly users across web, social, and video. From celebrity news to pop culture moments, Pinkvilla shapes how millions of Indians consume entertainment every day - through credible, engaging, and trend-led storytelling across formats.

Pinkvilla is a Flipkart Group Company.

Location: Mumbai

Experience: 38 years

Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

We are looking for a Partnerships Manager / City Partnerships Lead to build and scale a strong city-level network. This role will be responsible for cracking high-value collaborations across the city including restaurants, cafs, events, nightlife, experiences, communities, venues, brands, and local associations.

This person will build high-impact partnerships that drive content supply, user acquisition, engagement, and monetisation opportunities through strategic tie-ups and city activations.

Key Responsibilities

1) Build & Scale City Partnerships (Core Ownership)

• Identify, pitch, and close partnerships with city discovery categories like:
• restaurants, cafs, bars, lounges
• clubs, nightlife venues
• events, concerts, comedy shows, festivals
• malls, markets, exhibitions
• fitness studios, sports arenas, hobby communities
• salons, spas, lifestyle services
• local travel and experience providers
• Build a strong city network that becomes the backbone of the product.

2) Events & Experience Collaborations

• Partner with event organizers, venue owners, and ticketing ecosystems for:
• event listings and discovery
• exclusive access / early bird offers
• on-ground activations
• co-branded promotions
• 
  Work on recurring event partnerships (weekly/monthly calendars) to keep product fresh and relevant.

3) Restaurant & Venue Collaborations

• Crack collaborations with top restaurants and local favourites to enable:
• featured discovery placements
• influencer/creator visits
• launch events and community meetups
• Build long-term relationships with venue partners for repeat collaborations.

4) Strategic Alliances & Local Ecosystem Building

• Partner with city associations and communities such as:
• restaurant associations
• college/institute networks
• cultural groups and clubs
• RWAs / local community groups
• startup communities and co-working spaces
• Create scalable association-based onboarding to add multiple partners quickly.

5) Partnership Campaigns & Co-Marketing

• Plan and execute co-marketing initiatives with partners including:
• City Picks lists
• weekend guides
• event calendars
• themed city trails (date night, family day, budget eats, etc.)
• Collaborate with Marketing and Community teams to drive distribution and engagement.

7) Commercial & Deal Structuring

• Structure partnership terms such as:
• listing/visibility packages
• sponsorships and featured placements
• event collaborations and brand integrations
• barter deals (venue + experience exchange)
• Work closely with internal commercial/finance teams for approvals and closure.

8) Partnership Ops, Reporting & Growth

• Maintain a partnerships pipeline and CRM with:
• partner status
• category mapping
• deliverables
• renewal timelines
• Track performance metrics such as:
• number of active partners
• new partner onboarding per month
• partner-led user traffic and engagement
• campaign performance
• Share insights on what categories and partners drive the highest discovery and conversions.

Other Tasks

• Build city-wise anchor partnerships (top 2050 must-have venues/events)
• Create repeatable city launch playbooks (how to crack a city in 30 days)
• Build a partner referral engine (partners introduce other partners)
• Develop a strong local network through frequent on-ground visits and relationship building
• Collaborate with creators/community team to turn partnerships into high-engagement content

Skills & Qualifications

• 38 years experience in partnerships, business development, alliances, local sales, or city ecosystem roles
• Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills
• Deep knowledge of city culture: food, events, nightlife, experiences
• Comfortable with on-ground meetings and high daily outreach
• Strong execution and coordination skills (multi-partner campaigns)
• Comfortable with CRM tools, Google Sheets, and reporting

Preferred Candidate Traits

• Hustler mindset with strong city networking ability
• Great at closing deals and building long-term relationships
• Street-smart, resourceful, and proactive
• Understands whats trending and what people want to discover locally
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment