The Director of Partner Development leads a portfolio of Power 4 partnerships, working closely with the Vice President of Partner Development to drive growth, retention, and long-term partner satisfaction across the organization’s most strategic accounts. This role includes direct management of a team member responsible for a portfolio of accounts and requires close collaboration with the Directors of Partner Intelligence and Partner Monetization to deliver a unified, high-impact partner experience.
This is a senior, consultative position designed for a strategic leader who thrives in complex, relationship-driven environments. The Director partners with premier athletic departments nationwide, advising on key priorities such as fanbase growth, digital monetization, data-driven decision-making, and engaging the next generation of fans. The role owns a defined book of Power 4 partnerships, drives renewals and expansion opportunities, and ensures the full capabilities of the organization are brought to every partner interaction.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Own renewal, retention, and revenue growth across a portfolio of Power 4 partnerships
- Lead, coach, and develop a direct report responsible for account management, ensuring consistent execution and high-quality partner engagement
- Invest in long-term relationships with Power 4 partners through senior-level engagement, consultative partnership, and deep subject matter expertise across the SIDEARM platform
- Represent SIDEARM’s strategy and capabilities in senior-level partner conversations and executive forums
- Promote awareness and adoption of new platform features and solutions, including cross-company offerings, across all partner relationships
- Serve as the primary escalation point for partner issues within the portfolio, collaborating with the VP of Partner Development as needed
- Partner with the Director of Partner Intelligence to integrate insights, analytics, and AI-driven reporting into account strategy and decision-making
- Collaborate with the Director of Partner Monetization to ensure effective delivery of sponsorship packages and revenue strategies
- Monitor and improve client satisfaction metrics, including NPS, CSAT, and CES
- Identify and close expansion opportunities by aligning partner needs with emerging capabilities such as Partner Intelligence, gamification, mobile strategy, and OAS
- Contribute to partner-facing deliverables, including renewal proposals, executive presentations, on-campus engagements, and conference participation
Minimum Qualifications:
- 8+ years of client-facing experience in partner development, account management, or consultative sales, preferably within sports, media, SaaS, or similar long-cycle B2B environments
- Demonstrated success growing six- and seven-figure partnerships through renewals and expansion
- Proven ability to present, influence, and close business with both prospective and existing clients
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to translate partner needs into actionable outcomes across product, operations, intelligence, and monetization teams
- Prior people management or team leadership experience
- Analytical mindset with experience leveraging data to monitor and improve client satisfaction and performance metrics
- Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives for senior stakeholders, including athletic directors and executive leadership
- Strong ownership mentality with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities and mitigating risks
- Proficiency with AI tools and a solid understanding of their application within sports and digital strategy
- Experience with digital platforms or sports technology
- Established relationships within collegiate athletics—particularly with athletic directors, digital/technology leaders, or conference offices is a strong differentiator
Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (minimum 10+ days annually), including Parental Leave, 20 Paid Holidays, 401(k) + Match, and Short/Long Term Disability. Leave benefits are consistent with state and local laws, including the Colorado Health Families and Workplaces Act.
