Senior Manager, Business Development & Brand Partnerships

Whalar; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO + Sick Time + Paid Holidays

HSA, FSA, Commuter + Parking Benefits

Company Paid Life & Disability

401k with Employer Matching

Monthly Work from Home Stipend

Professional Development Stipend

Job summary

The Lighthouse in Brooklyn, NY is seeking a Senior Manager of Business Development & Brand Partnerships to lead sales for brand activations. This position involves extensive engagement with clients, using media plans and market research to drive partnership opportunities.

The ideal candidate will have a background in media buying or account management and a passion for sales. Benefits include flexible working conditions and various insurance policies, reflecting our commitment to employee

Qualifications

• 2–3 years in media buying, publishing, account management, or integrated marketing.
• Experience building media plans and working with rate cards.
• Understanding of social media and Creator economics.

Responsibilities

• Sell and close brand activations at targeted campuses.
• Support VP in managing larger deals and client communications.
• Gather and communicate market feedback to improve offerings.
• Build pitch decks and media plans using AI tools.
• Manage client interactions throughout the deal lifecycle.

Skills

Media buying

Account management

Social media understanding

Project management

AI tools proficiency

Client pitching

Job description

Senior Manager, Business Development & Brand Partnerships

Brooklyn, New York

Job Title: Senior Manager, Business Development & Brand Partnerships

Reports to: Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Business Development at The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is a first-of-its-kind campus for creators and their teams, with locations in Venice, CA, and Brooklyn, NY.

We are a studio system and creative playground designed for creators to Learn, Make, and Belong—creating a more frictionless path from idea to production to publication.

Our mission is to assemble and inspire the Creator Generation, helping creators build sustainable careers while shaping what's next for the Creator Industry.

The Lighthouse is looking for an Associate Director, Brand Partnerships to help turn our Creator campuses in Brooklyn and Venice into a marketing platform brands want to buy, not just a venue they rent. You'll own sales of our turnkey brand activations in the $50,000 to $100,000 range against your own revenue target, and spend around 40% of your time as right hand to our VP, Business Development & Brand Partnerships on larger deals, pitch materials, client communication and post-sale kickoff. This role is built for someone from media buying, publishing or account management who's ready to move into sales, with hands-on mentorship and a clear path to a full, independent sales role.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Sell and close The Lighthouse's turnkey, off-the-shelf brand activations, mostly one-off events at our Brooklyn and Venice campuses in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, protecting speed and margin.
• Join inbound client calls with the VP, help grow opportunities into larger partnerships, and take ownership of the deals that land below that threshold, keeping your pipeline accurate and up to date.
• Act as the VP's right hand on larger deals, polishing pitch decks, gathering information and getting back to clients quickly when the VP is in back-to-back meetings.
• Share real market feedback to shape our program tiers: what lands, what's priced wrong, and what brands keep asking for
• Support the VP in running and scaling our Creator engine, including Creator casting, briefing, contracting, and payment, and applying our impression and eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) methodology to new deals
• Partner with our Creator Intelligence team to run occasional focus groups with Lighthouse members and present what you learn back to brands.
• Build pitch decks and media plans quickly with AI tools, pulling rates from our rate card to produce clear plans by placement, format and channel.
• Lead post-sale kickoff on the deals you and the VP close, making sure everything sold is properly scoped, briefed and handed over to the teams activating it.
• Serve as the point of contact for clients on the deals you own, and support the VP on larger deals, from pre-production and on-site execution through the post-campaign wrap report
• Work with our programming, content, activation and campus teams, including our location GMs, to source themes, concepts and resources for client pitches so every client experiences one Lighthouse.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 2–3 years in agency media buying, publishing, account management or integrated marketing, or at a Creator network or influencer platform, and a clear drive to move into sales.
• Experience building media plans or presenting them to clients, including working with rate cards, guaranteed impressions and eCPMs.
• A deep, practical understanding of social media and Creator economics; you're active on Instagram or TikTok yourself and know what Creators want from a brand deal.
• Confidence pitching in client meetings, writing your own pitch materials, and running a focus group and presenting findings.
• Proficiency with AI tools for building decks, media plans and client materials quickly.
• Strong project management skills, so you can hold scope, timelines and handovers across several teams and keep deals on track after they're sold.
• Excitement about building a career in sales, a collaborative approach to working shared deals with your manager, and a desire for hands‑on coaching as you grow.

The salary range for this role is $120,000 - $130,000 and serves as a general guideline reflecting the potential compensation for the role. The final salary offer will be determined based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors such as the candidate's experience, expertise, alignment with the position's requirements, and, ultimately budget approvals. This position will also earn commission on the deals you close.

The Perks:

The Lighthouse provides flexible benefits and collaborative work environments and experiences so employees can work productively in a setting that best and uniquely suits their needs:

• PTO + Sick Time + Paid Holidays
• HSA, FSA, and Commuter + Parking Benefits
• Company Paid Life & Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance Policy
• Voluntary Hospital and Critical Illness Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401k with Employer Matching. No Vesting Period.
• Monthly Work from Home Stipend
• Yearly Professional Development Stipend

Our values:

At The Lighthouse, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn't just a statement, it's our collective strength. Our people are our superpower. A diverse team and inclusive leadership have shaped Whalar since our inception in 2016, fueling a constant evolution of growth. We champion a culture of respect and empathy, fostering a sense of belonging that transcends demographics. We hire individuals of all backgrounds and empower them to thrive, challenge stereotypes, and actively break societal barriers.

The Lighthouse provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Equal opportunity extends to all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring, promotions, training, working conditions, compensation, and benefits.