Sr. Business Development Director, POLITICO Live

POLITICO; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 135,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

POLITICO seeks an experienced Sr. Business Development Director to join our Media Solutions team, focusing on driving revenue for POLITICO Live.

You will build relationships with brands, associations, and agencies while collaborating with POLITICO’s broader team to close meaningful event partnerships. The ideal candidate brings 7–10 years in sales of live events, understands public affairs, and can translate client priorities into strategic sponsorships.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of experience in sales, event sponsorships, experiential marketing, digital advertising, media or related field.
• Passion for journalism and understanding of its importance to democracy.
• Live and experiential sales expertise and knowledge of how brands use live experiences.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue across POLITICO’s live events and experiences, identifying, developing and closing sponsorship opportunities.
• Build and grow relationships with corporations, associations, agencies and other organizations aligned with POLITICO Live.
• Partner with POLITICO’s Business Development team to uncover Live opportunities within existing client relationships and develop new prospects.
• Identify potential partners based on POLITICO’s editorial and event calendar, client priorities and policy conversations.
• Develop thoughtful sponsorship solutions connecting client objectives with POLITICO’s journalism and audiences.
• Lead client conversations from outreach through proposal, negotiation and close.
• Respond to RFPs and inbound opportunities with strategic Live solutions.
• Maintain a strong pipeline of event opportunities and manage revenue forecasts and activity.
• Collaborate with POLITICO Live, Marketing, Business Development and internal teams to create compelling partnership opportunities.
• Articulate the value and differentiation of individual events and the POLITICO brand.
• Identify emerging client needs, market trends and new revenue opportunities for POLITICO Live.
• Strengthen POLITICO’s brand presence with clients, agencies and the marketplace.

Skills

Sales leadership

Live events

Sponsorship sales

Strategic partnerships

Enterprise sales

Public affairs

Education

BA/BS degree

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.

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.