Assistant Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Lexington (VA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Military Institute seeks an Assistant Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships to lead the development, solicitation, activation, and management of partnerships. You will work with external partners and internal teams to create revenue-generating opportunities and enhance fan engagement.

Candidates should have a degree in a relevant field and proven experience in sponsorship sales, activation, and account management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, sports management, communications, public relations, or a related field.
• Professional experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales, business development, fundraising, marketing, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining relationships with corporate partners or other external stakeholders.
• Experience with sales prospecting, presentations, negotiations, contract development, partnership activation, and account management.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Ability to develop customized proposals and sponsorship packages aligned with partner objectives.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal departments and external partners.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and partnership deliverables simultaneously.
• Proficiency with standard office and business communication software.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours as required for athletic events, partner activities, and departmental initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, solicitation, activation, and management of corporate partnerships for VMI Athletics.
• Develop and execute sales strategies to increase annual revenue and partner portfolio.
• Identify, prospect, cultivate, and solicit new corporate partners.
• Manage full lifecycle from prospecting to renewal and retention.
• Create customized partnership proposals and sponsorship packages.
• Build relationships with partners through regular communication and service.

Skills

Corporate partnerships experience

Sales prospecting

Presentations

Negotiations

Contract development

Partnership activation

Account management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

MS Office

Flexibility

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, sports management, communications, public relations, or a related field

Tools

CRMs

Job description

Title: Assistant Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships

State Role Title:

Hiring Range: $50,000-55,000 commensurate with experience

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia Military Institute

Location: Virginia Military Institute

Agency Website: www.vmi.edu

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

• The Assistant Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships is responsible for leading the development, solicitation, activation, and management of corporate partnerships for Virginia Military Institute Athletics. This position serves as a key member of the external operations team and is responsible for generating new revenue while strengthening relationships with corporate partners, local businesses, alumni, and community stakeholders.
• Develop and execute comprehensive corporate partnership sales strategies to increase annual partnership revenue and expand VMI Athletics’ corporate partner portfolio.
• Identify, prospect, cultivate, and solicit new corporate partners through direct sales, networking, community engagement, referrals, and relationship development.
• Manage the full corporate partnership lifecycle, including prospecting, presentations, negotiations, contracting, activation, fulfillment, renewal, and retention.
• Create customized partnership proposals and sponsorship packages aligned with prospective partners’ marketing, branding, community engagement, and business objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with corporate partners through consistent communication and high-quality service.
• Collaborate with marketing, creative, ticketing, communications, facilities, licensing, and other internal departments to execute partnership assets and activations.
• Develop and implement creative in-venue, digital, social media, hospitality, experiential, and promotional activations that deliver value to partners and enhance the fan experience.
• Increase VMI Athletics’ visibility and identify potential corporate partnership opportunities within the community.
• Assist with the development of annual revenue projections, sales goals, budgets, and departmental strategies related to corporate partnerships.
• Support department-wide external initiatives and other revenue-generating opportunities as assigned.
• Generate new revenue while strengthening relationships with corporate partners, local businesses, alumni, and community stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively across VMI Athletics and with external partners to create mutually beneficial partnerships that support the department’s financial and strategic objectives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, sports management, communications, public relations, or a related field.
• Professional experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales, business development, fundraising, marketing, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining relationships with corporate partners, businesses, community organizations, or other external stakeholders.
• Experience with sales prospecting, presentations, negotiations, contract development, partnership activation, and account management.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Ability to develop customized proposals and sponsorship packages aligned with partner objectives.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal departments and external partners.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and partnership deliverables simultaneously.
• Proficiency with standard office and business communication software.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours as required for athletic events, partner activities, and departmental initiatives.

Additional Considerations

• Experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, sports marketing, or the entertainment industry.
• Established relationships with local, regional, or national businesses and community stakeholders.
• Experience creating and executing in-venue, digital, social media, hospitality, experiential, or promotional activations.
• Experience managing revenue goals, budgets, sales pipelines, and partnership performance metrics.
• Knowledge of corporate partnership trends, sponsorship valuation, branding, licensing, and fan engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to generate new revenue and retain long-term business relationships.
• Strong community engagement skills and the ability to represent VMI Athletics professionally.
• Availability to travel and attend athletic events or partner functions as needed.
• The Assistant Athletic Director manages the full partnership lifecycle, from prospecting and sales strategy through contract fulfillment, activation, renewal, and retention. The position works collaboratively across VMI Athletics and with external partners to create meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships that support the department's financial and strategic objectives.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Contact Information

Name: Matthew Hart

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.