Senior Director, Partnerships Activation

Reports to: Vice President, Growth

Location: Austin, TX

Status: Full-time

About LOVB Austin

LOVB Austin is a premier professional women's volleyball team competing in League One Volleyball (LOVB), playing its home matches at HEB Center in Cedar Park. Backed by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, LOVB Austin is building an independent local commercial and community presence as it heads into Season 3 (Dec 2026-Apr 2027).

Position Overview

The Senior Director, Partnerships Activation owns the activation, delivery, and growth of LOVB Austin's corporate partnerships ensuring every sponsorship asset sold (jersey placements, on-court and LED signage, VIP suites, theme nights, watch parties, digital and social integrations, in-match activations, and more) is executed flawlessly and measurably, and using that execution as the foundation for renewals and upsells. This role may also support the sales team on select initial deal closing, but its primary charge is bringing our brand partnerships to life in ways that feel authentic to Austin, our team, and deliver immeasurable values to our partners so that they become long-term trusted advocates of our team and league.

You will report directly to the VP of Growth and be a foundational voice in shaping how LOVB Austin drives brand awareness, ticket sales, and fan engagement through our partnerships in Season 3 and beyond. This is an exciting opportunity for someone that wants to play a pivotal role in growing a new professional team from the ground up in one of the country's most exciting

sports markets!

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Activation & Fulfillment
• Translate signed sponsorship agreements into detailed activation plans, timelines, and deliverable trackers
• Manage the production calendar for uniform and hard-good placements (front-of-jersey, sleeve, shorts) against league and manufacturing deadlines, including media day
• Work closely with the Events Ops Manager to coordinate in-venue partner activation at all home matches (10 per season at HEB Center), including signage, suite experiences, theme nights, and watch parties
• Serve as the day-to-day partner contact post-signature, managing relationships to ensure satisfaction and delivery quality

Cross-Functional Execution
• Partner with Marketing, Events, Ticketing, and Social Media leads to ensure sponsor deliverables (social mentions, digital placements, email/newsletter inclusion, gameday signage, ticket packages) are scheduled and executed against contract terms
• Work with league office and within ACOM (Annual Commercial Opportunities Memo) guidelines to ensure all activations are compliant with league rules and regulations
• Coordinate with Spurs Sports & Entertainment and HEB Center operations on venue-dependent elements of activation

Renewals & Upselling
• Own the renewal process for existing partners, using activation performance and reporting as the foundation for renewal and growth conversations
• Identify and pursue upsell opportunities within existing partner accounts as activation relationships develop
• Partner with the sales team on select initial deal closing where activation expertise or existing partner relationships add value

Reporting
• Build and deliver partner recap reports (impressions, attendance, engagement, ROI) at agreed cadences and at season's end
• Maintain a master tracker of all partner deliverables, deadlines, and fulfillment status for internal visibility

Team & Process Building
• Establish activation playbooks, templates, and standard operating procedures as the first person in this function
• Identify and manage any freelance, contract, or game-day staffing needed to execute activations
• Partner with the VP of Growth on org design as the partnerships function scales

Qualifications
• 7+ years in sponsorship activation, partnership marketing, or brand partnerships, ideally in sports, live events, or entertainment
• Track record managing complex, multi-deliverable partner contracts from signature through renewal
• Strong project management skills; comfortable building process from scratch in a lean, fast-moving organization
• Experience coordinating with marketing, events, and digital/social teams to execute integrated campaigns
• Familiarity with sports sponsorship conventions (FOJ/uniform placement, signage, hospitality, theme nights) strongly preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for partner-facing reporting and relationship management
• Comfortable working some evenings and weekends for home matches during the season (Dec-Apr)