Director, Editorial Partnerships & Sponsor Content

About the role

Ad Age is seeking a director to lead the editorial side of sponsor-supported programs and create a stronger working model between the newsroom and Custom Ad Solutions. The director will bring editorial judgment, audience insight and operational discipline to sponsored content, events, research, awards and programs built around Ad Age intellectual property, serving as the main bridge between editorial and commercial teams. The role involves shaping credible ideas, defining the newsroom's role, guiding work through review and approval, and protecting Ad Age's standards and editorial independence. The mandate is to build a clear, dependable process in which editorial is involved before commitments are finalized, newsroom responsibilities and approvals are explicit, and sponsor-supported work is useful to the audience, credible and realistic to execute. The position is based in New York City with an in-office presence three days a week.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the newsroom's primary partner to Custom Ad Solutions for programs requiring editorial expertise, review, talent or intellectual property.
• Turn commercial opportunities into credible, audience-focused concepts and clear editorial asks, with realistic roles, timelines and approvals.
• Review and edit sponsor-supported content, research and event materials for relevance, accuracy and Ad Age standards.
• Set guardrails for sponsor involvement, disclosure, conflicts and newsroom participation, and revise, escalate or decline work when necessary.
• Host and moderate sponsored roundtables, panels, interviews and webinars, developing sharp questions and substantive conversations.
• Work with editorial, events and commercial leaders to develop responsible extensions of Ad Age rankings, awards, research, franchises and expertise.
• Coordinate newsroom participation, protect editorial capacity and improve the intake and approval process so work moves efficiently without disrupting core journalism.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in editorial partnerships, sponsored or branded content, custom content, or a newsroom role involving substantial commercial collaboration; B2B media experience is a plus.
• Strong editorial judgment and the confidence to distinguish useful thought leadership from promotional or unsupported content.
• Excellent writing and editing skills across event concepts, moderator materials, articles, research narratives and client-facing copy.
• A record of working effectively with sales, events, marketing, legal, commercial content and senior editorial leaders.
• Strong project and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to clarify ambiguity and move complex work forward.
• Confidence with clients and senior executives,