Director, Experiential Partnerships — Live Events

JDS Sports; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Fanatics Events seeks a Director of Experiential Partnerships to own major partner programs from concept through onsite execution at live events. You will work with partnerships, creative, and operations teams to turn ambitious ideas into deliverable fan experiences, with a track record of leading complex programs for blue-chip brands.

You will travel for major event weeks, manage budgets, and drive client-facing pitches, ensuring feasibility and financial discipline across programs.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in experiential marketing, integrated brand experiences, live events, sponsorship activation, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience personally leading complex experiential programs from concept development through onsite execution.
• Experience delivering major tentpole events and programs for blue-chip brands.
• Experiential agency experience strongly preferred and will be prioritized.
• Strong event production fluency and an understanding of how creative concepts translate into operational and financial requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous or incomplete information and turn it into a clear recommendation and actionable plan.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional teams, agencies, and vendors without direct reporting authority.
• Strong client-facing communication skills, financial discipline and comfort operating independently in fast-moving environments.
• Willingness to travel and work onsite during major event weeks, including weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

• Shape & Sell the Solution
• Support the development of pitch materials and partnership proposals, helping translate experiential concepts into clear, compelling client-facing recommendations.
• Lead and support partner pitches, bringing an experiential and operational point of view to new business conversations.
• Pressure-test concepts for feasibility, cost, timing, dependencies, and execution risk before commitments are made.
• Support management of the pipeline, including opportunity tracking, revenue forecasting, budgets, and financial projections.
• Engage the appropriate internal teams early to ensure partnership solutions are both ambitious and executable.
• Own assigned partnerships from kickoff through onsite execution and post-event wrap.
• Translate commercial commitments and creative concepts into clear work-streams, timelines, budgets, and decision points.
• Drive execution across Creative, Operations, Production, Talent, Marketing, Media, Legal, Finance, agencies, and vendors.
• Maintain command of the overall program while holding functional experts accountable for their respective workstreams.
• Anticipate operational challenges and dependencies before they become critical issues.
• Bring clear recommendations and solutions when navigating ambiguity or changing circumstances.
• Maintain financial discipline across assigned programs, identifying potential scope or budget exposure early.
• In collaboration with Operations, manage assigned partner programs onsite, making timely decisions and resolving issues in a fast-moving live environment.
• Lead the Partner & Operation
• Serve as the primary day-to-day lead for assigned brand partners and their agencies.
• Set clear expectations around scope, timelines, responsibilities, and decision-making.
• Navigate evolving partner requests while protecting program feasibility, economics, and the overall fan experience.
• Build trusted relationships across partner organizations and effectively engage senior Fanatics leadership when appropriate.

Skills

Experiential marketing

Live events

Sponsorship activation

Brand experiences

Cross-functional leadership

Client-facing communication

Travel readiness

Financial discipline

Vendor management

Job description

Fanatics Events seeks a Director of Experiential Partnerships to own major partner programs from concept through onsite execution at live events. You will work with partnerships, creative, and operations teams to turn ambitious ideas into deliverable fan experiences, with a track record of leading complex programs for blue-chip brands.

You will travel for major event weeks, manage budgets, and drive client-facing pitches, ensuring feasibility and financial discipline across programs.