The Partner Development Manager is responsible for cultivating strong relationships with collegiate athletics partners, driving product adoption, and ensuring partners realize maximum value from their investment in Company's digital solutions. Working under the guidance of the Vice President, Partner Development, this role supports a portfolio of Power Conference institutions while independently managing a territory of Division I athletic department partners.
Serving as a trusted advisor, the Manager develops a deep understanding of each partner's strategic objectives and aligns Company's products, services, and resources to help achieve measurable business outcomes. This position plays a critical role in client retention, revenue growth, and overall partner satisfaction by delivering exceptional service, proactive account management, and strategic recommendations.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Support the Vice President, Partner Development in managing a portfolio of Power Conference institutions, contributing to strategic account planning, renewals, executive business reviews, and long-term partner engagement initiatives.
- Independently manage an assigned portfolio of Division I collegiate athletics partners, serving as the primary relationship manager and trusted advisor for each account.
- Develop a thorough understanding of each partner's strategic goals, operational priorities, and business objectives to deliver tailored recommendations and maximize platform value.
- Conduct regular virtual and on-site partner meetings to review performance, share best practices, identify opportunities for growth, and strengthen long-term relationships.
- Drive adoption of Company's products, services, and new platform capabilities by educating partners on available solutions and identifying opportunities to expand product utilization.
- Partner with clients to identify revenue growth opportunities, support renewal efforts, and contribute to account expansion through strategic recommendations and solution alignment.
- Monitor partner health, engagement, and performance metrics while proactively identifying risks and implementing retention strategies.
- Establish clear expectations regarding project timelines, deliverables, implementation milestones, and ongoing support to ensure a positive client experience.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned accounts, managing issue resolution and coordinating with internal teams to ensure timely communication and successful outcomes.
- Gather client feedback, market insights, product enhancement recommendations and communicate findings to Product, Engineering, Support, and Leadership teams.
- Collaborate closely with Partner Intelligence, Product, Project Management, Customer Support, Engineering, Marketing, and other cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional partner experiences.
- Prepare and deliver executive presentations, business reviews, account plans, proposals, and strategic recommendations to client stakeholders.
- Maintain accurate account documentation, activity tracking, and client communications within CRM and other business systems.
- Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and collegiate athletics best practices to provide valuable guidance to partners.
- Perform additional responsibilities and special projects in support of departmental and organizational objectives.
Minimum Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in collegiate athletics, customer success, account management, sports technology, digital media, or a related client-facing environment.
- Demonstrated success building and maintaining strategic client relationships while driving customer satisfaction, retention, and account growth.
- Strong understanding of digital technologies and platforms supporting collegiate athletics, including websites, mobile applications, ticketing, digital marketing, fan engagement, or related solutions.
- Excellent communication, presentation, relationship management, and consultative problem-solving skills.
- Strong organizational and project management abilities with the capability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
- Ability to analyze client needs and develop strategic recommendations that align with organizational objectives.
- Experience working collaboratively across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word; experience with CRM platforms is preferred.
- Willingness and ability to travel to partner campuses, conferences, and Company events as needed.
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.
