Director, Business Development (WNBA Sirens)

Rocket Arena; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

401K match

On-site parking

Vacation & holidays

Team tickets

Job summary

The Cleveland Sirens, launching in 2028 at Rocket Arena, seek a Director of Business Development to lead new membership sales from the ground up. You will own the strategy, prospecting, and closing, and build a high-performing team capable of turning community momentum into a robust season-ticket book.

Must be a strategic sales leader with 6–8 years in sales, experience in season-ticket membership sales a plus, and strong CRM (Salesforce) and MS Office skills. Base salary + bonus + commissions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, sports management, sales or related field.
• 6-8 years of relevant sales experience, including 3+ years leading a sales team; experience in season ticket membership sales preferred.
• Proven ability to build and hit aggressive new-business revenue targets.
• Experience hiring, developing and retaining sales talent.
• Comfort operating in a launch environment with developing processes.

Responsibilities

• Own the annual new-business membership revenue plan and exceed targets.
• Lead, coach and develop the Business Development team of Account Executives.
• Design, run prospecting, lead generation and closing for new season ticket memberships.
• Set gameday and in-arena selling strategy and ROI analysis.
• Improve the membership sales process and document activity in Salesforce.
• Partner with BI and Marketing to generate leads and grow online sales.
• Lead ongoing sales training and onboarding for new team members.
• Manage budget, staffing and hiring to scale from launch to first season.
• Handoff new members to Membership Development and align pricing/inventory.

Skills

Sales leadership

Season ticket membership sales

CRM proficiency

Prospecting & closing

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, sports management, sales or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

About the Cleveland Sirens:

The Cleveland Sirens are Cleveland's WNBA franchise, the league's 16th, set to tip off in 2028 at Rocket Arena. Introduced to the world on August 4, 2026, the Sirens brand was co-authored with the community over a 13-month process that engaged tens of thousands of people across Northeast Ohio. The name draws on Lake Erie, the region's defining natural asset, and the Siren herself is sharp, fearless and unapologetic, power, and a symbol of something greater than herself.

This is a build-from-zero opportunity. The Sirens have already banked 12,000 season ticket membership initial payments and run over 40 community events reaching more than 3,500 girls across the region, but the marketing organization, fan base and inaugural-season plan are still being built. You can be part of how Cleveland and the WNBA come to know this team.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Director, Business Development leads the Cleveland Sirens' new business membership sales strategy and the team responsible for it. This is a builder's role: the Sirens take the court for the first time in 2028, and this leader will grow the season ticket membership base from the ground up, turning early community momentum into a full book of new members.

Reporting to the Vice President, Ticket Sales & Service, this leader owns new membership acquisition end to end - lead generation, prospecting and closing - and carries the annual new-business membership revenue plan. They are equally comfortable building a strategic plan and getting on the phone or in the room to close business themselves.

The successful candidate is a strategic thinker and a proven sales leader who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and is energized by the challenge of building a new membership base from scratch.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the annual new-business membership revenue plan, and be accountable for hitting and exceeding it.
• Lead, coach and develop the Business Development team of Account Executives through regular one-on-ones, team meetings and performance reviews.
• Design and run the prospecting, lead generation and closing process for new season ticket memberships, including outbound calling campaigns, referral programs and Early Bird-style initiatives.
• Set the strategy for gameday and in-arena selling initiatives and prospect events aimed at converting leads into new members, and own the ROI analysis for each.
• Build and continuously improve the new membership sales process - prospecting, RSVP tours, online inquiries - and ensure the team documents activity accurately in Salesforce.
• Partner with Business Intelligence and Consumer Marketing to generate and qualify new membership leads, drive traffic to clevelandsirens.com, and grow online sales.
• Design and lead ongoing sales training and onboarding for new team members on the Business Development team.
• Manage the department's budget, staffing plan and hiring, and build the team structure needed to scale new membership sales from launch through the Sirens' first full season.
• Hand off new members to the Membership Development team smoothly, and partner with that team and Premium Sales & Service to align pricing, inventory and the overall Guest experience.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Vice President, Ticket Sales & Service.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in business, sports management, sales or a related field.
• 6-8 years of relevant sales experience, including 3+ years leading a sales team; experience in season ticket membership sales in sports or entertainment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success building and hitting aggressive new-business revenue targets.
• Experience hiring, developing and retaining sales talent.
• Comfort operating in a start-up or launch environment, where process and playbooks are still being built.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or a comparable CRM, plus Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent communication and executive presence; able to represent the department to senior leadership and lead from the front on major pitches.

COMPENSATION:

• Base Salary + Annual Bonus + Commission.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision benefits for team members and dependents.
• Employer 401K match.
• Complimentary downtown/onsite parking at arena.
• Vacation (PTO), Personal Significance Days, Holiday pay
• Home tickets (Cavs, Monsters, Charge), Cavs team shop discount, and much more!