Position OverviewWe9re looking for a Head of Partnerships & Sponsorships to own every dollar of brand, sponsorship, and partnership revenue across all Contrarian Thinking and Codie Sanchez media assets, and to build it into an 8-figure business.
This role is responsible for building the sponsorship strategy and rate card, selling and closing category partners, running deals from first pitch through renewal, and building the team and systems to scale it.
This role sits at the intersection of Media & Content, Events & Community, Marketing, and Finance. You9ll work closely with content leads and producers, the events team, and leadership to make sure partnerships make the content better, not worse.
We9re past #ad reads and #sponsoredposts, and you are too. You9ll sell story-driven, multi-touch partnerships that brands want to be part of and our audience actually trusts. You9ll start as a player-coach: closing the first deals yourself, then hiring and leading the team as the department grows.
What You9ll OwnSponsorship & partnership strategy
- Define how we package and sell sponsorships across all Contrarian Thinking and Codie Sanchez media assets: podcast, YouTube, newsletter, social, live events, and community
- Build the packaging, rate card, inventory calendar, and brand-safety guardrails
- Own the plan and annual targets to build an 8-figure partnerships & sponsorships business
Selling & closing
- Build and work a pipeline of category partners (e.g. finance, travel, auto, lifestyle, business tools)
- Pitch big-idea creative concepts to brand-side VPs, CMOs, and their agencies; negotiate and close
- Sell the team internally on ideas before they ever go to a brand
Partner execution & renewal
- Shepherd deals from signed contract through campaign delivery, reporting, and renewal
- Protect creative integrity and our voice in review cycles without torching the relationship
- Report partnership ROI back to partners and to leadership
Affiliate & community partnerships
- Vet and manage partners that offer real value to our Buyers and Builders communities
- Grow affiliate and referral programs that align with our mission
Team, systems & data
- Build the CRM pipeline, contracts process, and dashboards (pipeline, booked vs. delivered revenue, partner ROI, renewal rate)
- Hire and lead the partnerships team as revenue grows
- Report weekly to the President on pipeline, booked revenue, and delivery
What Success Looks LikeFirst 90 days
- Full audit of current and past sponsors, inventory, and pricing across every property; recommendation on what to sell and at what price
- Rate card, pitch deck, and partnership one-pager approved by leadership
- A qualified pipeline of category prospects built in the CRM, with the first category deals closed or in contract
- Standing weekly rhythm with Content, Events, and Finance so inventory and delivery are never a surprise
First year
- Build an 8-figure partnerships & sponsorships business across all Contrarian Thinking and Codie Sanchez media assets
- Multiple signed 7-figure category partnerships structured for multi-year renewal
- Partner-integrated content matches or outperforms non-sponsored content on retention and engagement
- Strong partner renewals and a repeatable process the next hire can run
What We9re Looking For- 8-10+ years in brand partnerships, sponsorship sales, or business development at a creator-led media company, publisher, agency, or events business, including leading a sponsorship revenue function at scale
- A track record of personally closing 7-figure brand deals and owning 8-figure partnership revenue, ideally category partnerships rather than one-offs
- Existing relationships with brand-side marketing leaders and agencies
- Experience building a sponsorship function from scratch: packaging, pricing, process, and team
- Strong negotiator with a diplomatic spine; you can say "we won7t do that" to a brand without drama
- Comfortable in data: CRM, platform analytics, and partner reporting
- Clear, concise writer of pitches and briefs
- Low ego, high standards, bias toward action
What Makes You Stand Out- Experience selling across podcast, YouTube, newsletter, and live events in one package
- You7ve hired and led a partnerships or sales team
- You use AI tools as a thinking multiplier for research, pitching, and reporting
- Interest in small business, acquisitions, and entrepreneurship
Who You Are- You7re the person at the party who introduces two strangers and watches them hit it off
- Show me your results, not your intentions
- Winners want pressure; you like owning a number
- Better weird than boring; you bring ideas, not templates
- You do the dirty work and close the loop
Why This Role Matters- Most media companies treat brand partnerships as a tax on audience attention. We7re building the opposite: partnerships that make the content better and fund more of it.
- This role turns our audience reach into a durable, diversified revenue line for the company.
LocationAustin, TX - Full time in office. Applicants must live within a 1-hour drive of Austin or be willing to relocate.
Type of EmploymentFull-Time. Reports to the President.
Crew Benefits- 100% Company-paid health, dental, and vision for all full-time Crew Members with an option to add any dependents.
- Unlimited PTO Policy (with approval from your Direct Support) + 8 paid US holidays
- On-time direct deposit pay 2x/month
- Option to enroll in a 401(k) plan via Vestwell with competitive match options
- Learn expert deal-making and how to buy businesses with 100% free access to all of our courses and our flagship Contrarian Community
How To ApplyInclude a resume plus a short Loom walking us through a brand partnership or sponsorship you closed that you7re proud of: the creative idea, the deal structure, how it performed, and your role from pitch to renewal.
