Associate Director, Partnerships (Creative Tools, Game Development, and Learning)

Ziff Davis, LLC; Los Angeles, New York (CA, NY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Time Off

Volunteer Time Off

Family Care and Parental leave

Wellness programs

Job summary

Humble Bundle is seeking an entrepreneurial Associate Director of Business Development to own the Creative Software Licensing, Learning Partnerships, and creator tools category. You will set strategy, build relationships with developers and publishers, and shape deals that power bundles and charitable campaigns.

Based in the United States, with travel to industry events and the possibility of a hybrid schedule near Los Angeles or New York, you will lead negotiations, design custom deal

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or content acquisition.
• Proven track record sourcing, negotiating, and closing licensing or content deals independently.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including building pitch decks that win partners over.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, revenue goals, and promotion calendar for the Creative Software Licensing & Learning Partnerships vertical.
• Source and close new partnerships through outbound prospecting and cold outreach.
• Negotiate business terms, develop custom deal structures, and shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.
• Build bundles and manage pre- and post-sale operations with partners.
• Represent Humble Bundle at industry events to source content and advocate for the platform and charitable mission.

Skills

Outbound prospecting

Negotiation

Strategic partnerships

Data-driven decisions

Public speaking

Job description

Associate Director, Business Development (Creative Tools, Game Development, and Learning)

This is a business development and partnerships role, not a software engineering or game development position.

The Opportunity

Humble Bundle is looking for an entrepreneurial leader to own, reinvigorate, and grow our Creative Software Licensing & Learning Partnerships business. Our primary areas of focus include software licensing for digital creators, game development assets, educational content, and audio production. You will set the strategy for the category, build relationships with the developers and publishers behind the tools creators use every day, and turn those relationships into the bundles and promotions Humble Bundle is known for.

We need someone who can rebuild momentum in the software category with fresh thinking: open doors with new partners, reconnect with past ones, find new product areas worth adding, and design custom deals that go beyond templated promotions.You'll shape our 2027 strategy for the vertical while staying hands-on with the deals and details that make it work. You'll reach a community of over 10 million customers, and along the way, you'll help raise money for thousands of worthwhile causes.

• This is role is based in the United States. For applicants that reside within a 30-mile radius of our office locations in Los Angeles or New York, there may be a requirement to work a hybrid schedule. For all others around the US, this position will be remote. Humble Bundle is set up to hire candidates in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, TX, UT, VA, WA.
• This role is full-time, with an expectation to occasionally require work during evenings or weekends around industry events, such as gamescom, GDC, or IGN Live.
• Some travel is required for this position to industry events, conferences, and partner meetings.
• This role involves standard office tasks, such as sitting at a computer. Additionally, travel and participation in industry events may require prolonged periods of standing and walking.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, revenue goals, and promotion calendar for the Creative Software Licensing & Learning Partnerships vertical across digital tools, game assets, educational platforms, and audio. Lead the 2027 plan to reinvigorate and grow the category. Make creator-focused platforms a priority growth area (design/illustration, photo/video editing, 3D, game engines, and emerging AI tools).
• Source and close new partnerships with developers and publishers through high-volume outbound prospecting, including cold outreach.
• Reconnect with past and current partners, rebuild relationships, and find new ways to work together.
• Lead full-cycle negotiations on business terms, financial structures, and promotion windows. Develop custom deal structures and products, not templated or plug-and-play promotions, and find new ways to package software as the industry shifts from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.
• Find new formats and crossover opportunities, such as software licensing paired with assets, or educational courses paired with the platforms they teach.
• Roll up your sleeves on the details. Build bundles, maintain trackers and detailed spreadsheets, and manage pre- and post-sale operations for your partners.
• Analyze sales data and past bundle performance to improve composition, pricing, and timing. Work with Merchandising and Marketing to design themed bundles that fit our audience.
• Represent Humble Bundle at industry events such as GDC, Adobe MAX, and SIGGRAPH to source new content and advocate for our platform and charitable mission.
• Manage and mentor one business developer, with the opportunity to grow the team as the category grows.

Job Qualifications

• Deep familiarity with game development and the creator-economy stack, such as 2D and 3D tools, video production, game engines, and music creation, plus existing relationships with developers and publishers in the digital creator or educational space.
• 7+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or content acquisition.
• Demonstrated success sourcing, negotiating, and closing licensing or content deals independently.
• Comfortable with outbound prospecting and cold outreach to new partners.
• A proven track record of building or revitalizing a category, product line, or partner program and growing it into consistent, large-scale revenue.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including building pitch decks that win partners over.
• Comfort owning revenue targets and making decisions based on data.
• Ability to work autonomously with minimal guidance and manage multiple deal cycles at once.

Humble offers competitive salaries in addition to robust, health and wellness-focused benefits, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as life and disability benefits. Our employees enjoy Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), a 401(k) with company match, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

We are committed to work-life balance with Flexible Time Off, Volunteer Time Off, and paid holidays. We offer family building and caregiving support and generous Family Care and Parental leave, when you need it. We also provide Fitness Reimbursement and access to wellness programs, ensuring our team stays healthy both physically and mentally.

At Ziff Davis, we remain dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. We offer Employee Resource Groups, company-sponsored events, and regular opportunities for professional growth through educational support, mentorship programs, and career development resources. Our employees are recognized and celebrated through employee engagement programs and recognition awards.

If you're seeking a dynamic and collaborative work environment where you can see the direct impact of your performance and thrive both personally and professionally, then IGN Entertainment is the place for you.

About IGN Entertainment

Humble is part of IGN Entertainment. IGN Entertainment, a division of Ziff Davis, is one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment media platforms for fans to explore and celebrate games, film, TV, comic, and much more. Across its 15 digital properties, IGNE reaches more than 470 million monthly users in 100 countries and engages with 85 million fans on social media. IGNE and Humble have donated over $280 million to more than 38,000 charities worldwide, underscoring its commitment to making a positive impact. Learn more at corp.ign.com .

About Ziff Davis

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD) is a vertically focused digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, health, cybersecurity, and martech. Today, Ziff Davis is focused on seven key verticals – Technology, Shopping, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Cybersecurity and Marketing Technology. Its brands include IGN, Mashable, RetailMeNot, PCMag, Humble Bundle, Spiceworks, Domino, Everyday Health, BabyCenter, Moz, iContact and Vipre Security.

Compensation Range

Ziff Davis provides a range for the base pay. Factors that may be used to determine your actual pay may include your specific job related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. The range of the total salary compensation package for this role is $110,000 to $155,000. Individual pay within the compensation range for this business unit specific role is determined based on a variety of factors including experience, scope of the role, capabilities to perform the role, education and training, as well as business and company performance.

Ziff Davis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. At Ziff Davis, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has always been about fairness, equal opportunity, and belonging. DEI enables us to attract and retain the best talent, regardless of background or circumstances, while enabling our thousands of employees worldwide to thrive.