Naming Rights Vice President

Learfield IMG College; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 215,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Health Savings Account

401(k) + Match

Paid time off

Parental Leave

20 Paid Holidays

Job summary

Learfield IMG College seeks a seasoned Naming Rights Vice President to lead business development for naming rights across its collegiate properties. You will work with Athletic Directors and university leadership to identify, create, and close transformational sponsorship opportunities.

Ideal candidates bring 15+ years in sponsorship sales, extensive Fortune 500 networks, and a proven ability to drive large-scale deals through a collaborative, executive-level approach.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of sales, sponsorship, or business development experience.
• Proven track record selling naming rights and large-scale sponsorships.
• Experience building relationships with Fortune 500 brands and C-suite executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead naming rights business development across Learfield's collegiate properties.
• Identify and cultivate stadium and arena naming rights opportunities.
• Partner with Athletic Directors and university leaders to take assets to market.
• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of naming rights opportunities.

Skills

Sales leadership

Business development

Relationship management

Consultative selling

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic prospecting

Executive relationship management

Job description

Naming Rights Vice President

Location: Irvine, CA | Atlanta, GA | Dallas, TX

Full/Part-Time: Full time

About Us

Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With data-based solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

Our people-first culture is the foundation of our business and is reflective of our approach to building meaningful relationships with our employees, partners, and fans. The company strives each day to deliver the mission statement and embody the core values that make Learfield an exciting place to work.

Our Mission

Powering the connection of fans to the brands and experiences they love.

Our Core Values

Build Trust | Be Fans of One Another | Power Tomorrow | Create & Connect Communities | Have Fun

Learfield is seeking an experienced, results-driven sales executive to lead the business development efforts for naming rights opportunities across its portfolio of collegiate athletic properties. This role will be responsible for identifying, creating, and driving revenue-generating naming rights opportunities while serving as the primary liaison between university leadership, Learfield property teams, and the Commercial Partnerships organization.

The Vice President of Naming Rights will work directly with Athletic Directors, alongside of commercial partnership VPs and senior university stakeholders to identify and commercialize naming rights opportunities for arenas, stadiums, and other high-profile athletic venues across Learfield's portfolio. Success in this role will be defined by the ability to originate opportunities and partner with Learfield's Commercial Partnerships team to develop and close transformational sponsorship agreements.

This role is ideal for a proven rainmaker with deep experience selling naming rights, entitlement partnerships, and large-scale sponsorship platforms who thrives on relationship building, business development, and revenue generation.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead Learfield's naming rights business development efforts across its portfolio of collegiate athletic properties.
• Identify and cultivate naming rights opportunities for stadiums, arenas and other premium university assets.
• Work with Commercial Partnership VPs to partner directly with Athletic Directors, university presidents, and athletic department leadership to gain approval and alignment on taking assets to market.
• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of naming rights and entitlement partnership opportunities.
• Drive prospecting efforts and cultivate relationships with Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and senior marketing executives.
• Lead the sales process for high-value opportunities, from identifying prospects through negotiation and contract execution.
• Secure new revenue streams through long-term naming rights agreements and integrated sponsorship platforms.

Collaboration with Commercial Partnerships

• Work hand-in-hand with Learfield's Commercial Partnerships team to bring naming rights opportunities to market.
• Collaborate with local and national sales teams to identify prospects, develop customized partnership solutions, and accelerate deal flow.
• Serve as the naming rights subject matter expert, supporting Commercial Partnerships teams throughout the sales cycle.
• Coordinate internal resources to ensure opportunities are effectively positioned, marketed, and sold.
• Partner with property leadership and sales teams to maximize the value of naming rights opportunities within broader sponsorship discussions.

University & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with Athletic Directors and senior university decision-makers across Learfield's portfolio.
• Serve as a trusted partner to university leadership throughout the process of evaluating and commercializing naming rights assets.
• Present recommendations and opportunities to key institutional stakeholders.
• Help educate and guide university leaders on industry best practices and market opportunities related to naming rights partnerships.

Industry Leadership

• Maintain knowledge of naming rights trends, industry benchmarks, and emerging opportunities within sports and collegiate athletics.
• Represent Learfield at industry events, conferences, and executive meetings.
• Leverage an extensive network of brand and agency relationships to identify and create new partnership opportunities.

Impact

This role will be instrumental in driving significant new revenue for Learfield and its university partners by identifying, developing, and commercializing naming rights opportunities across one of the most expansive portfolios in collegiate athletics. The ideal candidate will combine elite business development skills with deep sponsorship expertise to help universities unlock the value of their most important assets while delivering meaningful partnerships for leading brands.

Required Experience

• 15+ years of sales, sponsorship, business development, or partnership experience.
• Proven track record selling naming rights, entitlement partnerships, and other large-scale sponsorship agreements.
• Demonstrated success securing multi-million-dollar partnerships and complex platform-based deals.
• Extensive experience building relationships with Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and C-suite decision-makers.
• Strong business development and consultative sales skills with the ability to create opportunities from concept through close.
• Exceptional presentation, negotiation, and relationship management abilities.
• Experience working across multiple stakeholders and managing long sales cycles.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, sports marketing, media, or entertainment.
• Existing network of senior marketing executives, sponsorship buyers, and agency leaders.
• Understanding of collegiate athletics and the evolving landscape of college sports.

Key Competencies

• Business Development
• Revenue Generation
• Naming Rights & Entitlement Sales
• Executive Relationship Management
• Consultative Selling
• Negotiation & Deal Structuring
• Sponsorship Sales
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Influencing & Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Prospecting

Travel Requirements

This position requires extensive travel, including frequent visits to university campuses, client meetings, industry conferences, and partner presentations. Candidates should expect to travel approximately 40-50% of the time.

Pay Transparency

The approximate national base pay range for this position is $215,000 to $275,000. Please note that this is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Individuals may also be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus and/or sales compensation based on individual and company performance. Placement on the range may vary based on factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, and geographic location. The pay rate will comply with all minimum federal, state, and local wage/salary requirements.

Benefits

Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (minimum 10+ days annually), including Parental Leave, 20 Paid Holidays, 401(k) + Match, and Short/Long Term Disability. Leave benefits are consistent with state and local laws, including the Colorado Health Families and Workplaces Act.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Learfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability.