With new fans discovering the sport each season, Formula 1 now has one of the biggest global audiences in sport. At Atlassian Williams F1 Team, that momentum brings an opportunity to build partnerships, create content, and develop our brand in a way that resonates with new and existing fans alike.
Our commercial and brand specialists play a big part in our comeback story. They help bring partners onboard, improve the fan experience, and make sure every off-track decision contributes to creating the winning formula. Here’s how F1 commercial jobs make real impact behind the scenes.
What do commercial and brand teams do in Formula 1?
There are a wide variety of different roles across our commercial and brand team. From developing merchandise fans are proud to wear, to delivering trackside activations, and shaping partner campaigns, they make sure our identity comes through clearly wherever Williams appears.
Luke Timmins, Director of Merchandise and Licensing, explains:
“Merchandise and licensing is about igniting fan passion and making sure fans across the world get best in class merchandise, products, and licensed goods. My job is to spearhead the strategy that gets us to where we want to be as a global sporting brand.”
It also contributes directly to on-track improvements:
“We bring revenue into the business that can go towards developing the car and the team who add performance to it.”
Likewise, Senior Partner Manager Juliette Pelham shares:
“I’m responsible for looking after our title partner, Atlassian. That includes everything from partnership strategy to implementation and activation. We contribute to the car going faster on track as commercial partners help the team to grow revenue and that money is put back into the car programme.”
What types of commercial and brand roles exist in F1?
Commercial and brand teams cover a wide mix of specialisms, all focused on strengthening the connection between the team, fans and partners.
These roles include:
- Partnerships: managing partner relationships, creating activation plans and delivering campaigns across a season.
- Commercial strategy and insights: researching trends, shaping proposals and supporting long-term growth.
- Brand and fan insights: tracking fan behaviour and sentiment and advising on how to improve the overall experience.
- Merchandise and licensing: developing products years in advance, managing the creative process and aligning with manufacturing timelines.
- Creative and content roles: helping Williams stand out in a competitive sponsorship environment.
What skills do you need in Formula 1 commercial jobs?
Commercial and brand roles attract people who enjoy variety and aren’t put off by pace. No two weeks look the same, and priorities shift quickly as races approach, deals progress or new campaigns launch.
People in these teams tend to share strengths in:
- Empathy and relationship-building
- Data literacy and insight interpretation
- Ability to prioritise in high-pressure environments
Luke sees decision-making and planning as core to his work:
“Problem-solving skills are massively important in this role. There needs to be a lot of bandwidth in terms of decision making and then having the foresight and vision to see how we’re going to get to where we need to go.
“Timelines are the biggest challenge in my role. The sport is fast-moving and product development and merchandise isn’t. We’re working on 2027 product now before we know what a 2027 car could remotely look like, so there’s a bit of a balancing act where we will concurrently work on three different years at the same time.”
For Juliette, resilience is essential:
“Resilience is hugely important in my role. If you love what you do and you care about the mission and journey we’re on as a team, it becomes quite easy to be resilient as you know there will be tough days and tough decisions to get us where we need to go.”
What is life like in commercial and brand teams?
The commercial and brand teams are shaped by collaboration and the sense that everyone is pulling in the same direction. It’s an environment where you learn from the people around you and feel the impact of your work across the season.
Luke shares:
“In general, the culture here is outstanding. It’s open, driven, passionate, and very united toward the common goals of getting Williams back to where it should be, which is winning multiple World Championships.”
Juliette sees the same spirit across the wider group:
“Williams is a great place to work as it’s really rare to find somewhere where you’re learning from experts in the field every single day. People are really happy to listen to one another, and they're happy to help one another.”
“When you're travelling as a race team, you spend a lot more time with your colleagues than most other industries would do. I think that's the nice part about it, that you can recognise when someone needs uplifting and find ways to empower one another. It’s an amazing place to work.”
Why build your commercial or brand career at Atlassian Williams F1 Team?
Joining Williams today means being part of a transformation. It’s a chance to influence how the team grows commercially, how we connect with fans and how we build the partnerships that shape future performance.
Luke encourages people from all backgrounds to consider the path:
“My advice for someone wanting to make the step into merchandise and licensing is simply to go for it. If you’re diligent, pick up transferable skills and truly care about the job, that can go a long way. The breadth of opportunities that we have here is huge.”
There are areas of the business where we have a really niche requirement for that motorsport and F1 talent, but there's a huge part of this business where that's not a requirement. Back yourself, don't doubt yourself, and think about how you could apply your learnings from elsewhere here”
Juliette also advises:
“My advice to anyone wanting to follow this career path is to take every opportunity. When I was at university, I took an unpaid placement year to get a foot in the door. I found it difficult but I’m so grateful I did it as it gave me a chance. I would unashamedly ask so many questions if I could go back to that period of my career rather than sitting back.”
Ready to shape your future?
If you’re looking to build a career in F1 commercial jobs or F1 brand roles, there’s never been a more exciting time to join Atlassian Williams F1 Team. You’ll work and develop alongside ambitious people and help create the winning formula that takes us back to the front of the grid.
Explore our commercial and brand opportunities and wider marketing jobs to find your place in the team today.
