Business Development and Partnerships Director (Remote)

The Athletic Media Company; United States; Remote; USD 130,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) matching

Paid vacation & sick days

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Job summary

The Athletic Media Company is seeking a director-level business development executive to lead partnerships, operations, and strategic deals across a growing commercial organization. You will close complex deals, drive revenue, and coordinate with sales teams and cross-functional partners in a remote US-based role.

Ideal candidates bring 8+ years in business development and partnerships within consumer media, with autonomous work style, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree required; MBA a plus.
• Experience in advertising sales and/or media business development.
• Experience working with rights holders and sports leagues.
• Ability to work autonomously and proactively push ideas and projects forward.
• High level of professionalism; driven and motivated with excellent follow-up.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Ability to think creatively and strategically to come up with out of the box ideas.

Responsibilities

• Secure and manage long-term, revenue-driving partnerships for The Athletic.
• Grow The Athletic’s league partnerships portfolio and ensure success of these deals.
• Collaborate with Head of Global Business Development to set and execute growth strategy.
• Act as primary liaison between The Athletic and The New York Times sales teams and partners.
• Think creatively and strategically to identify new opportunities for commercial growth.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (legal, finance, product, editorial, design, marketing) to ensure operational excellence.
• Partner with Partner Management to optimize partnerships.
• Create and manage project plans for partnership executions.

Skills

Business development

Partnerships operations

Advertising sales

Media business development

Rights holders experience

Leagues experience

Autonomous work

Professionalism

Interpersonal communication

Creative thinking

Multitasking

Education

BA/BS degree

MBA

Job description

About Us

Powered by one of the largest global newsrooms in sports media, The Athletic brings sports fans the most comprehensive stories about the teams, sports and athletes they love. The Athletic’s newsroom of 500+ full-time staff delivers in-depth coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across more than 47 North American markets and all 20 football clubs in the English Premier League, as well as many Championship clubs.

About This Role

We are looking for a standout, director-level business development executive to apply their skills in business development, business operations, and partnerships - supporting senior leadership and working across all functions to maximize the business impact of The Athletic’s large and growing commercial organization. Our ideal candidate will be experienced in business development and partnerships within the consumer media industry and be an expert in developing and closing complex strategic deals.

Responsibilities

• Secure and help manage long-term, revenue-driving partnerships for The Athletic.


• Help grow The Athletic’s league partnerships portfolio and be accountable for the success of these deals.


• Work closely with the Head of Global Business Development on setting and executing the strategy for growing the business.


• Be the primary liaison between The Athletic and The New York Times sales teams and our portfolio of strategic partners where there is sales overlap and opportunity.


• Think creatively and strategically to find new ways to grow The Athletic’s commercial business.


• Work efficiently with cross-functional teams including legal, finance, product, editorial, design and marketing to ensure operational excellence on a daily basis.


• Partner closely with the Partner Management team to ensure partnerships are operating effectively and are optimized for success.


• Create and manage project plans for various partnership executions.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree with 8 years of relevant business development and partnerships operations experience; MBA a plus.


• Experience in advertising sales and/or media business development.


• Experience working with rights holders and sports leagues.


• Ability to work autonomously and proactively push ideas and projects forward.


• High level of professionalism; driven and motivated with excellent follow-up.


• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).


• Ability to think creatively and strategically to come up with out of the box ideas.


• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with colleagues based in New York, San Francisco, around North America, and internationally


• This is a remote-based role in the United States.


• Represent The Athletic brand well.

The annual base salary range for this role is $130,000.00 - $145,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location.

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

We are excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process. If you are a candidate for a technical role, we will let you know what specific tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.