Brand Partnerships Manager, Energy Central

About the role

Smooth Smooth Media is the talent management company for knowledge creators — the people teaching, explaining, and breaking down the world through smart, insightful content. We serve as a true strategic partner to our creators — an extension of their team that helps them run, grow, and professionalize their business. About the Role Reports to: Head of Brand Partnerships Energy Central is a B2B media platform owned by Smooth that empowers, engages, and educates 120,000 utility and power professionals, through newsletters, events, and digital content. We're building something ambitious in a space that matters, and we're growing our team to match. Today, we are building out our brand partnerships function and looking for a sales associate who can develop and close meaningful advertising and sponsorship relationships with brands targeting this audience. This is a full-cycle sales role. You'll own your book of business, build relationships with marketing leaders at companies active in the energy space, and develop proposals that connect brand goals to Energy Central's engaged professional audience. You'll work closely with the editorial and account teams to make sure campaigns deliver real results. If you're excited about the future of energy and want to sell in a market that's only getting bigger, this is a strong opportunity to get in early and help shape how it's done.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow a portfolio of B2B brand relationships across the industries and buyer personas we serve, bringing creative thinking to every proposal and strategic perspective to every client conversation.
• Develop thoughtful, tailored media plans that go beyond off-the-shelf packages. Connecting brand goals to Energy Central's engaged professional audience in ways that are genuinely compelling.
• Lead the full sales cycle from outreach through close, with a focus on building long-term partnerships that deliver real results for both sides.
• Partner closely with editorial and account teams to make sure campaigns are executed well and clients come back.
• Stay close to existing brand partners to identify upsell and renewal opportunities as their goals evolve.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in B2B media sales, advertising, or brand partnerships, with a track record of building pipeline and consistently hitting revenue targets.
• Someone who brings both the strategic and creative side to partnerships. You're not just selling inventory, you're helping brands think about how to show up in a new market.
• Someone who's as comfortable in a relationship as they are in a negotiation, you build trust and you know how to close.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills (you'll be pitching to senior marketing and brand leaders regularly, and your proposals should reflect that).
• Genuine curiosity about the