Sr. Business Development Director, POLITICO Live

POLITICO; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

POLITICO seeks a Sr. Business Development Director for POLITICO Live, focusing on revenue growth from live events and partnerships. You will build relationships with brands, associations and agencies, and collaborate with the broader Business Development team to uncover opportunities.

The ideal candidate has extensive live sponsorship sales experience, strong knowledge of public affairs, and an entrepreneurial mindset. A BA/BS and proficiency with Keynote/PowerPoint are required.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of sales, event sponsorships or related field.
• Passion for journalism and democracy implications.
• Live and experiential sales expertise in brands and events.
• Knowledge of political influencer market and public affairs ecosystem.
• Proven ability to build pipeline and close large, complex partnerships.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and self-starter attitude.
• Creativity beyond turnkey sponsorships to deliver client value.
• Initiative to identify opportunities and grow POLITICO Live.
• Strong collaboration across sales, marketing, product and editorial teams.
• Excellent communication for client meetings, pitches and negotiations.
• BA/BS degree required; proficiency with Keynote and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue across POLITICO Live events and sponsorships.
• Build and grow relationships with corporations, associations, agencies and others.
• Uncover opportunities within existing client relationships and develop new prospects.
• Identify potential partners from editorial and event calendars and industry conversations.
• Develop creative sponsorship solutions aligning client objectives with POLITICO's brand.
• Lead client conversations from outreach to proposal, negotiation and close.
• Respond to RFPs and inbound opportunities with live solutions.
• Maintain a strong pipeline and accurate revenue forecast.
• Collaborate with POLITICO Live, Marketing, Account Management and others to execute partnerships.
• Know POLITICO Live portfolio deeply and articulate its value to clients.
• Identify market trends and new revenue opportunities for growth.

Skills

Live sales experience

Relationship selling

Public affairs knowledge

Sales pipeline building

Negotiation skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Creativity

Initiative

Communication skills

Education

BA/BS degree

Tools

Keynote

PowerPoint

Microsoft Suite

Job description

Job Description:

POLITICO seeks an experienced Sr. Business Development Director to join our dynamic and growing Media Solutions team, with an exclusive focus on driving revenue and partnerships for POLITICO Live.

POLITICO Live brings together the most influential leaders shaping politics, policy, business and society for consequential conversations around the issues that matter most. The Sr. Business Development Director will be responsible for developing and growing partnerships around POLITICO’s expanding portfolio of live events, including major summits, forums, receptions, dinners, roundtables and other custom experiences.

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated, entrepreneurial seller who understands the unique value of live experiences and knows how to translate a client’s business and public affairs priorities into meaningful event partnerships. This individual will build relationships with brands, associations, agencies and other organizations while working closely with POLITICO’s broader Business Development team to identify, develop and close opportunities.

This role requires someone who can move seamlessly between proactive prospecting, strategic relationship development and closing complex partnerships. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the public affairs ecosystem, experiential and event sponsorship sales, and the issues driving conversations in Washington and across the country.

As POLITICO’s Business Development team grows, we have re-envisioned the way our sales organization engages with clients and agencies. We embrace individuals from immensely diverse professional and personal backgrounds in an ongoing effort to create a comprehensive and collaborative team driven to support not only our clients, but one another.

What You’ll Do

• Drive revenue across POLITICO’s portfolio of live events and experiences, with responsibility for identifying, developing and closing event sponsorship opportunities
• Build and grow relationships with corporations, associations, agencies and other organizations that align with POLITICO Live programming and audiences
• Partner closely with POLITICO’s broader Business Development team to uncover Live opportunities within existing client relationships and develop new prospects
• Proactively identify potential partners based on POLITICO’s upcoming editorial and event calendar, client priorities and relevant policy and industry conversations
• Develop thoughtful, creative sponsorship solutions that connect a client’s objectives with POLITICO’s journalism, audiences and convening power
• Lead client conversations and presentations from initial outreach through proposal development, negotiation and close
• Respond to RFPs and inbound opportunities with strategic and creative Live solutions
• Maintain a strong pipeline of event opportunities and accurately manage revenue forecasts, opportunities and client activity
• Collaborate closely with POLITICO Live, Marketing, Business Development, Account Management and other internal teams to develop compelling partnership opportunities and ensure successful execution
• Develop deep knowledge of POLITICO’s Live portfolio and clearly articulate the value, audience and differentiation of individual events and the broader POLITICO brand
• Identify emerging client needs, market trends and new revenue opportunities that can help inform the continued growth of POLITICO Live
• Continue to embody and strengthen POLITICO’s brand presence with clients, agencies and the broader marketplace

What You’ll Need

• 7-10_years of experience in sales, event sponsorships, experiential marketing, digital advertising, media or a related field
• Passion for journalism: An individual who reveres and respects the art, science and creativity involved in journalism and understands its importance to our democracy
• Live and experiential sales expertise: A strong understanding of event sponsorships, experiential marketing and how brands use live experiences to reach influential audiences
• Knowledge of the political influencer market: An understanding of the dynamic and complex ecosystem that drives public affairs and business decisions
• Proven sales ability: A track record of developing relationships, building pipeline and closing significant, complex partnerships
• Entrepreneurial mindset: Someone who is energized by creating opportunities, opening doors and building business rather than waiting for opportunities to arrive
• Creativity: An individual who wants to go beyond turnkey sponsorship packages, understand a client’s priorities and KPIs, and develop partnerships that deliver meaningful value
• Initiative: A self‑starter with the desire to grow within the role, take ownership and continually identify new opportunities for POLITICO Live
• Collaboration: The ability to work across departments and alongside POLITICO’s sales, Live, marketing, product and editorial‑adjacent teams while maintaining the appropriate separation between POLITICO’s editorial independence and client objectives
• Communication skills: Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently lead client meetings, pitches, presentations and negotiations
• BA/BS degree required
• Experience with Keynote and Microsoft Suite, especially PowerPoint, for client presentations and written materials.

COMPENSATION:

$135,000- 145,000 Annual Base. This position is eligible for commission.

The final salary offered will be based on factors including relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

We value our people.

About Us.

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow’s headlines, not reports on yesterday’s news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital.

Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear-eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes.

Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world’s key democratic capitals—Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world’s premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don’t even know exist.

Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision‑makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself.

These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization.

POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family-owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world, believing that a free and informed society is essential to democracy. The company’s guiding principles - first articulated as The Essentials by founder Axel Springer in the aftermath of World War II - remain a cornerstone of the company’s foundation today. Learn more about Axel Springer.