Brand Partnerships Manager (Remote)

Pier Five; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 99,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

Pier Five is a Canada-based community and media platform focused on entrepreneurs, small business owners, creatives and emerging founders. The Brand Partnerships Manager will lead full-cycle sales and partnerships, from identifying prospects to negotiating and closing deals, with support from the founders.

You’ll nurture senior relationships and shape Pier Five’s sales function while targeting partnerships across community, media, content and programming.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience in business development, brand partnerships, sponsorships, or related commercial role.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• Ability to prospect, start conversations from scratch and manage multiple relationships.

Responsibilities

• Build new relationships with brands and partners.
• Researchers identify brands, decision-makers and opportunities.
• Develop and manage own prospect pipeline across multiple categories.

Job description

Brand Partnerships Manager
(Full Time, Remote)

On-Target Earnings: Approximately $110,000 CAD

Ideal Start Date: November 2026

Pier Five is a community and media platform built for Canada’s entrepreneurs, small business owners, creatives and emerging founders.

We create content, experiences and opportunities that help ambitious people build their businesses, develop their ideas and connect with others doing the same.

Through our community, events, original content and brand partnerships, we work with leading companies to create meaningful ways for them to support and connect with the next generation of Canadian builders.

As Pier Five enters its next stage of growth, we’re looking for a Brand Partnerships Manager to help build and grow our partnership business.

The Role

This is a full-cycle sales and partnerships role for someone who is excited about building relationships, developing creative ideas and generating new business.

You’ll work directly with Pier Five’s founders to identify and connect with brands that want to reach and support entrepreneurs, small business owners and creatives.

You’ll own your sales opportunities from end to end, from identifying prospects and opening conversations to developing partnership ideas, building proposals, negotiating and closing deals. You’ll also work collaboratively with Pier Five’s CEO and founding team on larger and more strategic opportunities, while building and managing a pipeline of your own.

This isn’t a role where a list of leads will simply be handed to you. We’re looking for someone who is hungry, curious and proactive. Someone who enjoys finding the right people, starting conversations and figuring out how to turn an initial introduction into a meaningful partnership.

You’ll also have the opportunity to help shape Pier Five’s sales function as we grow.

A quick note on scope: This role is focused specifically on partnerships across the Pier Five community, media, content and programming business. It does not include sales for Pier Five Studios, the creative agency within Pier Five Inc.

What You’ll Do

Build new relationships

Research and identify brands, agencies and decision-makers that align with Pier Five and our community.

Develop and manage your own prospect pipeline across categories including financial services, technology, business software, creator tools, e-commerce, professional services, travel, hospitality, lifestyle and more.

Create thoughtful, personalized outreach that gets conversations started. Attend industry events, Pier Five programming and other opportunities to build relationships in person.

Develop and sell creative partnerships

Lead discovery conversations with prospective partners to understand their goals, priorities and challenges.

Work with the Pier Five team to develop partnership concepts across content, community programming, events, original series and other brand integrations.

Build and present proposals that connect a brand’s objectives with opportunities that genuinely provide value to the Pier Five community.

Negotiate partnership scope and pricing and move opportunities through to close.

Manage opportunities and relationships through our CRM.

Maintain an active and accurate pipeline, including prospecting, follow-ups, proposals, forecasting and next steps.

Consistently generate new conversations and opportunities while progressing existing deals toward close.

Take ownership of your revenue targets and help Pier Five build a predictable, scalable partnership business.

Grow partner relationships

Remain a senior relationship owner after a partnership is sold, working alongside Pier Five’s production and creative teams to ensure partners have a great experience.

Identify opportunities for renewals, expanded partnerships and longer-term relationships.

Our goal is not simply to sell one-off campaigns. We want to build partnerships that grow over time.

Who We’re Looking For

You likely have 2-4 years of experience in business development, brand partnerships, sponsorships, media, experiential marketing, influencer or creator marketing, agency services, branded content or another relevant commercial role.

You do not need to come from a traditional media company.

More importantly, you:

Are genuinely excited by sales, relationship building and creating new business

Are comfortable prospecting and starting conversations from scratch

Can communicate confidently with everyone from entrepreneurs and creatives to senior brand and agency marketers

Are creative and can see partnership opportunities beyond simply selling existing inventory

Are highly self-directed and comfortable working independently

Are organized and able to manage multiple relationships and opportunities at once

Have strong written, presentation and interpersonal skills

Understand how to balance persistence with building genuine relationships

Are interested in entrepreneurs, small businesses, creators and the people building the next generation of Canadian companies

You’re Culturally Plugged In

Pier Five sits at the intersection of business, creativity and culture, and we want someone who naturally pays attention to that world.

You follow what brands are doing.

You notice interesting campaigns, partnerships, events and experiences.

You understand creators and social media.

You’re curious about emerging companies, entrepreneurs and the people shaping culture.

You can walk into an event where you don’t know anyone and start conversations, but you can also walk into a meeting with a major financial institution or technology company and confidently represent Pier Five.

You know how to be casual when the environment calls for it and polished when it matters.

Why Join Pier Five

This is an opportunity to join Pier Five at an important stage of our growth.

We’ve built a strong foundation, an engaged community and relationships with leading brands. Now we’re building the commercial engine that will help take Pier Five into its next chapter.

You’ll work directly with the founders, have significant ownership over your work and have the opportunity to help shape how Pier Five approaches partnerships and sales.

As the company grows, we want this role to grow with it, whether that means becoming a senior individual contributor, taking ownership of major strategic accounts or eventually helping build and lead a larger partnerships team.

We offer a flexible working environment with significant independence. While we work remotely, this role is based in the Toronto area and will involve regular in-person meetings, events and community programming.

Compensation

On-target earnings: Approximately $110,000 CAD

This role includes an uncapped commission structure designed to meaningfully reward strong performance. There is no ceiling on earnings for someone who substantially exceeds their sales targets.

Full details of the commission plan will be discussed during the interview process.

What Success Looks Like

In your first few months, you’ll learn Pier Five’s community, products, partners and sales approach while building your prospect universe and developing new relationships.

Over time, you’ll independently manage your partnership sales opportunities from prospecting through close, consistently generate new brand conversations, maintain a healthy pipeline and develop partnerships that create real value for both our partners and the Pier Five community.

You’ll work closely with Pier Five’s founders on strategic opportunities while increasingly taking ownership of your own relationships, accounts and revenue.

Most importantly, you’ll help us build a partnerships business that can become a major part of Pier Five’s future.