Director, Partner Development

About the role

The Director of Partner Development leads a portfolio of Power 4 partnerships, working closely with the Vice President of Partner Development to drive growth, retention, and long-term partner satisfaction across the organization’s most strategic accounts.

Responsibilities

• Own renewal, retention, and revenue growth across a portfolio of Power 4 partnerships
• Lead, coach, and develop a direct report responsible for account management, ensuring consistent execution and high-quality partner engagement
• Invest in long-term relationships with Power 4 partners through senior-level engagement, consultative partnership, and deep subject matter expertise across the SIDEARM platform
• Represent SIDEARM’s strategy and capabilities in senior-level partner conversations and executive forums
• Promote awareness and adoption of new platform features and solutions, including cross-company offerings, across all partner relationships
• Partner with the Director of Partner Intelligence to integrate insights, analytics, and AI-driven reporting into account strategy and decision-making
• Collaborate with the Director of Partner Monetization to ensure effective delivery of sponsorship packages and revenue strategies
• Monitor and improve client satisfaction metrics, including NPS, CSAT, and CES
• Identify and close expansion opportunities by aligning partner needs with emerging capabilities such as Partner Intelligence, gamification, mobile strategy, and OAS
• Contribute to partner-facing deliverables, including renewal proposals, executive presentations, on-campus engagements, and conference participation

Requirements

• 8+ years of client-facing experience in partner development, account management, or consultative sales, preferably within sports, media, SaaS, or similar long-cycle B2B environments
• Demonstrated success growing six- and seven-figure partnerships through renewals and expansion
• Prior proven ability to present, influence, and close business with both prospective and existing clients
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to translate partner needs into actionable outcomes across product, operations, intelligence, and monetization teams
• Prior people management or team leadership experience
• Analytical mindset with experience leveraging data to monitor and improve client satisfaction and performance metrics
• Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives for senior stakeholders, including athletic directors and executive leadership
• Proactive ownership mentality with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities and mitigating risks
• Proficiency with AI tools and a solid understanding of their application within sports and digital strategy
• Established relationships within collegiate athletics—particularly with athletic directors, digital/technology leaders, or conference offices is a strong differentiator

Qualifications

• 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
• Learfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability