Director of Sponsorship, Commercial Partnerships ($138,700.00 - $182,300.00)

Irvine Company; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 183,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Director of Sponsorship to enhance marketing programs and drive revenue through strategic partnerships. This role involves identifying potential sponsors, developing compelling proposals, and managing relationships to ensure successful collaborations. The ideal candidate will have a strong sales acumen, excellent negotiation skills, and a passion for creating unique market experiences. Join a collaborative team that values innovation and community engagement, and contribute to the success of renowned retail properties while enjoying competitive benefits and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Paid Time Off

Matching 401(k)

Health Benefits

Qualifications

• 10+ years in sales & marketing with experience in lifestyle centers.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue through strategic sponsorships and partnerships.
• Negotiate and close sponsorship agreements while ensuring mutual value.

Skills

Sales Acumen

Relationship Building

Negotiation

Market Analysis

Project Management

B2B Communication

Detail Orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing or Communications

Tools

Google Docs

Google Sheets

Google Slides

Salesforce

InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

Deep North

GIS

MRI

ZoomInfo/Winmo

Job description

Director of Sponsorship, Commercial Partnerships ($138,700.00 - $182,300.00)

Date: Apr 21, 2025

Property: 110 INNOVATION (0009)

Location: Irvine, CA, 92617

Division: Retail (Retail)

The Retail Commercial Partnerships Director of Sponsorship is responsible for driving revenue by securing strategic sponsorships and partnerships that strengthen marketing programs, enhance the customer experience and increase traffic and indirect sales to shopping centers. This role involves identifying potential sponsors for company-wide programs, physical spaces and amenities, including signature events, venues, attractions and amenities while understanding their business objectives and creating tailored sponsorship opportunities that align with their goals. The Director will leverage strong sales acumen and relationship-building skills to negotiate and close deals, ensuring mutual value for both the sponsor and the company. The position is primarily focused on supporting retail properties and leading initiatives with other Irvine Company divisions. In collaboration with the Senior Director, the Director of Sponsorship will be responsible for creating and managing a book of business and working on multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strategize/ Conceptualize: Exciting, unique to market experiences that leverage the synergies between ICRP and partner brands to create a compelling value proposition and further enhance ICRP’s brand and visitation.
• Prospect Identification: Research and identify potential sponsors across various industries that align with the company’s brand and values.
• Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers within target companies to understand their sponsorship needs and objectives as well as vendors and agencies.
• Proposal Development: Create compelling sponsorship proposals that effectively communicate the benefits and ROI of partnering with the company, including customized packages that meet the sponsor’s specific goals.
• Negotiation and Closing: Lead negotiations to secure sponsorship agreements, ensuring terms are favorable and meet revenue targets.
• Contract Management: Oversee the execution of sponsorship contracts, ensuring all deliverables are met and the partnership runs smoothly.
• Market Analysis: Stay informed about industry trends, competitor activities, and emerging opportunities to continuously refine and enhance the sponsorship offerings.
• Reporting: Track and report on sales performance, sponsorship effectiveness, and client feedback to optimize future sales strategies.
• Drive Execution & Collaboration excellence for all deal fulfillment. Work closely with Management, Operations, Leasing, Marketing, Design and Development to ensure seamless integration of sponsorships into overall business strategies that are on-par with the overall aesthetics, customer experience, messaging and quality of the merchants at the Retail Centers.
• Develop communication B2B content for marketing platforms on Sponsorship including video sizzle reels of programs.
• Manage monthly expenses and budget.
• Dedicated weekly meeting with Sr. Director to review pipeline, activity reports, client feedback and more.
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment and be resourceful, creative, detail oriented and capable of running multiple projects with limited supervision and with a sense of ownership and vitality.
• Provide verifiable and accurate proof of performance reports to clients the morning campaign is live including photography with personal cell phone.
• Manages administrative support including generating reports and assembling sponsor and premium space fulfillment packages.
• Other duties as assigned by the Senior Director.

Minimum Qualifications / Other Expectations:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree related to Business, Marketing and/or Communications.
• Minimum of 10+ years experience in sales & marketing.
• Experienced in Lifestyle Centers (retail, sports, etc) and Out-of-Home Advertising.
• Experienced in client/account management.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as required to coordinate on-site activations at the Retail Centers.
• Leads with executive presence.
• Requires proficiency in Google Docs, Sheet, Slides and Gmail.
• Experience in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, preferred.
• Working knowledge of Deep North, GIS, MRI, Salesforce, ZoomInfo/Winmo a plus.

Other

Valid California driver’s license; Maintain continuous vehicle liability insurance as required by state law. (This role requires the regular and frequent operation of a vehicle, as defined in the Company’s MVR policy, and is part of the essential duties of this position.)

Compensation:

Base Pay Range: $138,700.00 - $182,300.00

Actual placement within this range may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business sector, and geographic location.

The Company also offers competitive benefits for full time employees including paid time off, matching 401(k), and health benefits.

About Us:
Irvine Company Retail Properties (a division of Irvine Company) has created some of America’s most popular retail centers. Each of our 40 retail centers - including Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Irvine Spectrum Center and The Market Place, as well as neighborhood shopping centers like Woodbury Town Center in Irvine - is meticulously planned and ideally located to support the community it serves.

We take as much pride in our employee community as we do the communities we create. It’s an environment populated with talented and experienced people, a collaborative spirit and abundant opportunities.

Apply today to join our employee community, and learn more about Irvine Company, our legacy and our guiding principles.


The Irvine Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, compensation, termination, and training, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, and local law. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request.