Business Development & Partnerships Manager

Hawke Media

Santa Monica, Northern (CA, KY)

On-site

USD 75,000 - 90,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness

401(k) with Company Match

Unlimited PTO

Career Development

Job summary

Hawke Media in Santa Monica seeks a Business Development & Partnerships Manager with a proven ability to turn relationships into revenue. You’ll build a high‑value partner network, identify opportunities, and drive revenue through referrals, co‑selling, technology partnerships, and strategic alliances.

This is a high‑ownership, fast‑paced role requiring an entrepreneurial operator who can open doors, negotiate win‑win deals, and work cross‑functionally with Sales, Marketing and Leadership to

Qualifications

4+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, sales, or similar roles with a track record of delivering results.
Proven superconnector with a network you can activate and mobilize quickly.
Exceptional communicator capable of engaging executives and founders.
Entrepreneurial by nature with a drive to create opportunities and revenue.
Hungry to build value, not just manage existing accounts.
Comfortable with ambiguity, rejection, and aggressive goals.
Extremely proactive—you don’t wait for leads or directions.
A strong negotiator who creates win‑win partnerships.

Responsibilities

Build a high‑value network by developing relationships with founders, executives, agencies, technology platforms, communities, and investors.
Create a predictable growth engine and pipeline from channel partners to generate qualified leads and revenue.
Proactively source partner opportunities and drive partnerships to closure.
Close partnerships through pitches, negotiations, and launches of referrals, co‑selling, and strategic alliances.
Turn relationships into revenue with a repeatable pipeline of introductions, campaigns, and initiatives.
Activate partners by creating campaigns, events, introductions, content, and offers that produce business.
Represent Hawke at conferences and industry events to meet key people and create opportunities.
Think entrepreneurially—identify unassigned opportunities and move quickly from idea to revenue.
Work cross‑functionally with Sales, Marketing and Leadership to turn partnerships into measurable pipeline.

Skills

Relationship building

Networking

Sales

Negotiation

Communication

Entrepreneurial

Organizational skills

Proactive

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Details

Job Location

1 Santa Monica Office CA HQ - Santa Monica, CA 90404

Salary

Salary Range: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 Salary/year

Build Relationships. Create Opportunities. Drive Revenue.

Hawke Media is the leading growth marketing agency in the U.S., helping thousands of brands launch, scale, and grow through performance-driven marketing. We’ve worked with brands including Red Bull, Verizon, Crocs, Casamigos, K-Swiss, and many more.

We’re looking for a Business Development & Partnerships Manager who is an absolute rockstar. This is a high-ownership, high-accountability role for a natural networker, entrepreneurial operator, and proven superconnector who knows how to turn relationships into opportunities and opportunities into revenue. You’ll build relationships with founders, executives, technology companies, agencies, communities, investors, and other influential people — then figure out how to create value for both sides.

You will not be handed a list of partners and told to maintain relationships. You’ll build the list, open the doors, create the partnerships, and drive the revenue. If you're ambitious, highly resourceful, competitive, and have a track record of making things happen, this could be a massive opportunity. If you need a playbook, lots of direction, or a predictable 9–5 — this isn't the role for you.

What You’ll Own

Build a high-value network: Identify and develop relationships with founders, executives, agencies, technology platforms, communities, investors, and other potential referral partners.
Predictable growth engine: Build a system to drive consistent, predictable leads at scale from channel partners
Create pipeline: Proactively source partner opportunities that can generate qualified leads and new revenue for Hawke.
Close partnerships: Pitch, negotiate, and launch referral, co-selling, technology, and strategic partnerships.
Turn relationships into revenue: Build a repeatable pipeline of introductions, referrals, co-marketing opportunities, and strategic deals.
Activate partners: Don't just sign partnerships — create campaigns, events, introductions, content, offers, and other initiatives that actually produce business.
Represent Hawke: Attend conferences, dinners, networking events, and industry gatherings with the goal of meeting the right people and creating opportunities.
Think like an entrepreneur: Identify opportunities nobody assigned to you, develop creative partnership models, and move quickly from idea → relationship → revenue.
Work cross-functionally: Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, and Leadership to turn partnerships into measurable pipeline and closed business.

The Numbers Matter

We measure partnerships by pipeline and revenue — not logos, meetings, or vanity metrics. You should be comfortable being held accountable to aggressive targets, including:

60+ qualified partner conversations/month
30+ new partner relationships/month
$250K+ partner-sourced pipeline within your first 90 days
Consistent month-over-month growth in partner-sourced opportunities and revenue

Qualifications

What We're Looking For

You have 4+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, sales, strategic alliances, agency growth, or a similar role — and you've already demonstrated that you're unusually good at building relationships and getting results.
A proven superconnector with a network you can activate.
An exceptional communicator who can walk into a room and meet anyone.
Entrepreneurial by nature — you see opportunities before someone tells you they exist.
Hungry to build something, not simply manage something.
Comfortable with ambiguity, rejection, and aggressive goals.
Extremely proactive — you don't wait for leads, introductions, or instructions.
A strong negotiator who knows how to create win-win partnerships.
Competitive, resourceful, and relentless about getting results.
Highly organized enough to manage dozens of relationships and opportunities simultaneously.
Interested in marketing, technology, entrepreneurship, and the rapidly changing growth ecosystem.

You Will Stand Out If You Have:

A demonstrated history of generating revenue through partnerships or business development.
An existing network of founders, executives, agencies, SaaS companies, investors, or other high-value relationships.
Experience in digital marketing, advertising, ecommerce, technology, media, or professional services.
A history of exceeding aggressive goals.
Built something from scratch — a business, partnership channel, community, side hustle, or other entrepreneurial endeavor.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Your First 90 Days

Days 1–30: Learn Fast. Build the Map.

Become an expert on Hawke, our services, ICP, sales process, and partner ecosystem.
Build a prioritized list of 100+ high-value potential partners.
Begin aggressive outreach and relationship development.
Establish your initial pipeline and partnership strategy.

Days 31–60: Create Momentum.

Generate 50+ qualified partner conversations.
Begin closing and activating referral partnerships.
Launch your first co-marketing, referral, or co-selling initiatives.
Start generating partner-sourced opportunities.
Close your first meaningful partner-sourced business.

Days 61–90: Prove It.

Generate $250K+ in partner-sourced pipeline.
Establish a repeatable process for sourcing, activating, and monetizing partnerships.
Build a roadmap to significantly scale partner-sourced revenue.

By Day 90, we should be able to point to tangible revenue impact — not just a full CRM.

Why Hawke?

You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with senior leadership, build relationships with some of the most influential companies and people in the growth ecosystem, and have significant autonomy to create your own impact.

This is a role for someone who wants to move fast, build a network, make money, learn a ton, and earn increasingly bigger opportunities. If you exceed expectations in this role, there is a clear path to take on significantly more responsibility and eventually lead a major growth channel for Hawke. We're not looking for someone to fill a seat. We're looking for someone who wants to build a career.

Salary and Benefits

Base Salary: $75,000 - $90,000
OTE: $130,000

“Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. The company is not able to sponsor employment visas for this position at this time.”

Perks and Benefits

Health and Wellness