Director / Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development

Octane OC; Newport Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Octane OC in Newport Beach, CA seeks a Director / Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development to grow corporate partnerships and sponsorship revenue across our medtech and tech ecosystem.

You will manage a high-value network of partners, sponsors, executives, universities, and investors, focusing on delivering long-term value and driving revenue through Octane’s events and initiatives. Hybrid work available in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in business development, enterprise sales, strategic partnerships, sponsorship sales, or account management.
• Demonstrated success building and managing high-value professional relationships.
• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Customer-centric mindset with a focus on delivering value and long-term partnership success.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and grow strategic corporate partnerships and sponsorship relationships.
• Drive sponsorship and partnership revenue across Octane’s Signature Events, initiatives, and ecosystem offerings.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective partners, sponsors, and strategic collaborators.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and primary relationship manager to key stakeholders, partners and sponsors.
• Deliver a high-touch, customer-centric experience focused on long-term value creation and retention.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure successful fulfillment of partner and sponsor deliverables and initiatives.
• Foster relationships with corporate executives, physicians, investors, entrepreneurs, universities, healthcare systems and innovation leaders.
• Represent Octane externally at industry events, meetings, and ecosystem engagements.
• Identify opportunities to deepen partner and sponsor engagement across Octane’s platforms and initiatives.
• Collaborate with leadership on strategic growth initiatives and organizational priorities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Business development

Strategic partnerships

Enterprise sales

Account management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Organization Overview

Build the SoCal of Tomorrow with Octane.

Octane convenes and enables the Southern California medtech and tech innovation ecosystem by connecting people, resources, and capital. Octane is helping create 55,000 high-paying technology jobs in Southern California by 2030.

Since 2010, Octane’s award-winning LaunchPad Accelerator has supported more than 2,500 companies, contributing to over $12.1B in capital raised, 45,000 high-paying jobs created, and more than $14.8B in exits. Octane is recognized as one of the nation’s leading accelerators for medtech and tech innovation, with a network of coalition partners across the US and beyond.

Octane’s end-to-end platform spans:

• Signature industry forums and convening events
• Startup acceleration and commercialization support
• Capital access and growth services
• AI innovation and analytics
• Community and workforce initiatives

Through Octane, Octane Capital & Growth, Octane Boost Fund, and Octane Foundation for Innovation, the organization delivers an integrated, enterprise-wide platform designed to support companies from concept to commercialization.

Our ecosystem includes entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, strategic corporate partners, universities, advisors, and innovation leaders working together to advance transformational technologies and improve lives.

Position Overview

Octane is seeking a dynamic, relationship-driven professional to join our growing team in strategic partnerships, sponsorship sales, business development and ecosystem engagement.

This role is responsible for cultivating and expanding Octane’s network of corporate partners, sponsors, strategic stakeholders, and ecosystem relationships across medtech and tech verticals. The individual in this position will play a critical role in driving revenue growth, strengthening partner and sponsor engagement, and advancing Octane’s mission and long-term impact.

Depending on experience and organizational alignment, this role may focus on one or more strategic sectors of innovation, including:

• Cardiovascular & Neurotech
• Ophthalmology & Medical Aesthetics
• Technology & Artificial Intelligence
• Medtech & Healthcare

This is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated professional who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment and is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and ecosystem building.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree

Minimum Experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience in business development, enterprise sales, strategic partnerships, sponsorship sales, or account management
• Demonstrated success building and managing high-value professional relationships
• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
• Customer-centric mindset with a focus on delivering value and long-term partnership success
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Team player with strong collaboration skills
• Proactive, self-starter with strong organizational and project management capabilities
• Fast learner with intellectual curiosity and strategic thinking skills
• Experience in medtech, healthcare, technology, innovation, venture capital and investment, or startup ecosystems preferred
• Salesforce or CRM experience preferred

Essential Functions

• Develop, manage, and grow strategic corporate partnerships and sponsorship relationships
• Drive sponsorship and partnership revenue across Octane’s Signature Events, initiatives, and ecosystem offerings
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective partners, sponsors, and strategic collaborators
• Serve as a trusted advisor and primary relationship manager to key stakeholders, partners and sponsors
• Deliver a high-touch, customer-centric experience focused on long-term value creation and retention
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure successful fulfillment of partner and sponsor deliverables and initiatives
• Foster relationships with corporate executives, physicians, investors, entrepreneurs, universities, healthcare systems and innovation leaders
• Represent Octane externally at industry events, meetings, and ecosystem engagements
• Identify opportunities to deepen partner and sponsor engagement across Octane’s platforms and initiatives
• Collaborate with leadership on strategic growth initiatives and organizational priorities
• Other duties as assigned

Office Environment

This position is based in an office environment (hybrid) and may require occasional weekend or evening work for events. The Director / Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development will work closely with Octane leadership, Signature Event Managers and other cross-functional teams.

Equal Employment Opportunity

At Octane, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

To learn more about Octane, visit https://octaneoc.org/. To view Octane’s Annual Impact Report, visit https://octaneoc.org/#impact.