Sponsorship and Partnerships Lead

Tempo: Music and Meetups; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 20,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct co-founders mentorship

Resume/portfolio boost

Autonomy and accountability

Uncapped earning potential

Job summary

Tempo: Music and Meetups in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a driven student to lead sponsorship outreach, identify partners, and secure tiered sponsorships and strategic partnerships. You will prospect, pitch, negotiate, and maintain pipelines, coordinating with event and marketing teams and representing Tempo at Bay Area events.

This off-site, in-person role offers uncapped earning potential through commissions and a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills for pitching, negotiating, and stakeholder management.
• Background in sales or business development with outreach and closing deals.
• Knowledge of event marketing or brand activations is beneficial.
• Willingness to work on-site across the Bay Area, including evenings/weekends.
• Excellent organizational and project management with attention to timelines.
• Familiarity with college student audiences or youth-focused brands is a plus.
• Currently pursuing a university degree in the SF Bay Area.

Responsibilities

• Lead sponsorship outreach and secure tiered sponsorships and partnerships.
• Prospect potential partners, conduct outreach, prepare proposals and pitch materials.
• Negotiate sponsorship agreements and maintain relationship pipelines.
• Coordinate with event and marketing teams to design sponsor activations.
• Track partnership metrics and represent Tempo at events and meetings.

Skills

Communication skills

Sales/BD

Event marketing

On-site availability

PM skills

Campus audience

Student status in SF Bay Area

Education

Undergraduate student in SF Bay Area

Job description

This is an off-site sales position for students in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ability to physically approach businesses is required.

Company Description

Tempo: Music and Meetups hosts free, curated events for college students across the San Francisco Bay Area, featuring live music, automotive showcases, and local vendors. Based in Santa Clara, California, the organization partners with brands that want to connect authentically with student communities. Tempo offers flexible activations and events across various Bay Area locations, creating engaging on-site experiences tailored to sponsors' goals. The environment is fast-paced and collaborative, ideal for individuals interested in live events, brand partnerships, and campus engagement.

Role Description

We're looking for a driven, outgoing student to lead sponsorship outreach and bring new partners into our tiered sponsorship program. This role is responsible for identifying, pitching, and securing sponsorships and strategic partnerships with brands, local businesses, and campus organizations. Day-to-day tasks include prospecting potential partners, conducting outreach, preparing proposals and pitch materials, negotiating sponsorship agreements, and maintaining relationship pipelines. The Lead will coordinate with event and marketing teams to design sponsor activations, ensure deliverables are met, and analyze the performance of each partnership. The role also includes tracking partnership metrics and representing Tempo at events, meetings, and networking opportunities across the Bay Area.

This role is a flexible, off-site sales position. In-person sales and cold-approaches at local businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area is required. This role is best for those who are unafraid to show up at a prospective partner's storefront (e.g. car dealer, record store, or art studio), hand out business cards and make conversation.

This position will report personally to the Co-Founders of Tempo, and will have a significant impact on the early days of our company.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated Communication skills (written, verbal, presentation) for pitching, negotiating, and stakeholder management.
• Background in Sales or business development, with comfort in outreach, lead generation, and closing deals.
• Knowledge of event marketing, experiential activations, or brand management is highly beneficial.
• Ability to work on-site across the Bay Area, including evenings or weekends when events are scheduled.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with attention to detail and timelines.
• Familiarity with college student audiences, campus environments, or youth-focused brands is a plus.
• Currently pursuing a degree at a university in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Compensation

Compensation for this role is based on a tiered, commission-based structure directly tied to your performance. Tempo's sponsorships operate in three tiers, and will offer commission in the following manner:

For non-paid partnerships or collaborations (including local vendors - for which no fee is charged), the Lead will be awarded a $50 per verified attendee signed by you that appears at our event.

Payment will be issued after the amount from the sponsor has been received, or when the partner has completed their attendance at the event. The amount will be calculated after the completion of the event.

Who we're looking for

• Current undergraduate at SCU or a nearby Bay Area campus (SJSU, UC Santa Cruz, Stanford, Cal State East Bay, etc.)
• Comfortable walking into a local business and pitching a partnership in person
• Reliable transportation for sponsor visits around the South Bay
• Interest in music, car culture, or event production
• Self-starter — this role has real independence and real accountability

Why Tempo

• Work directly with the co-founders to put Tempo on the map.
• Real experience to put on a resume or portfolio.
• Latitude to build lasting relationships with independent and interesting brands.
• Uncapped earning potential tied directly to your own effort.