Vice President, Business Development

100 LEARFIELD; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) + Match

Paid time off

Job summary

Learfield is seeking a Vice President of Business Development to lead revenue growth across EDGE Max and EDGE College Sports Connect. You will own pipeline development, contract execution, and strategic partnerships with brands and agencies.

The role requires building a scalable revenue engine, hiring and coaching a high-performing team, and driving two-way growth with Learfield properties. You will engage senior marketers, CMOs, and agency executives, shaping go-to-market strategy and ensuring

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive sales experience in media or advertising.
• Proven success selling to brands, agencies, and senior executives.
• Experience winning AOR, retained, and strategic media relationships.
• Strong network across national brands and agencies.
• Entrepreneurial, growth-oriented mindset with leadership ability.
• Experience leading distributed field sales teams.
• Knowledge of digital media: programmatic video, display, CTV.
• Strong commercial judgment and negotiation skills.
• Overnight travel up to 30%.

Responsibilities

• Own new business revenue across EDGE products, from pipeline to contract execution.
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategy targeting priority brands, agencies, and partners.
• Lead high-value and complex sales opportunities with senior decision-makers.
• Position EDGE as a full-service media partner and grow EDGE relationships with Learfield properties.
• Build and lead a high-performing revenue team with coaching and performance management.

Skills

Sales leadership

Strategic selling

AOR negotiations

Relationship building

Digital media

Tools

CRM systems

Forecasting tools

Job description

Learfield is the leading media, data, and technology company in college athletics, representing more than 140 university athletic programs and supporting more than 12,000 brand partnerships nationwide. EDGE is our media solutions business, powered by the largest first-party data asset in college sports, with more than 130 million U.S. consumers and 16B+ data points. We are seeking a Vice President of Business Development to own our sales growth and build a scalable revenue engine across two primary solutions: EDGE Max, our full-service media relationships with mid-tier brands, spanning digital media strategy, planning, activation, creative, and measurement and EDGE College Sports Connect, a managed audience solution enabling agencies and brands to activate our proprietary college sports fan audiences across programmatic video, display, CTV, and other digital channels. This is a hand-on sales and growth leadership role responsible for turning Learfield’s broader ecosystem into a meaningful, two-way revenue growth channel, working with our local sports properties teams to identify media opportunities within their existing sponsor base while bringing EDGE relationships back to the properties as potential new sponsorship partners. The successful candidate will personally drive strategic new business while building the team, processes, and sales discipline required to scale.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Own new business revenue generation across EDGE products, from pipeline development, through contract execution. Develop and execute a comprehensive go-to-market strategy targeting priority brands, advertising agencies, media investment organizations, and strategic partners. Personally lead high-value and complex sales opportunities, building relationships with CMOs, senior marketing executives, agency investment leaders, and other senior media decision-makers. Position EDGE as a credible full-service media partner and compete for AOR, retained and other long-term client relationships. Accelerate adoption of EDGE College Sports Connect among agencies and brands seeking differentiated, addressable sports audiences. Build a repeatable partnership model with Learfield Sports Properties to identify opportunities within the existing sponsor base and introduce net new EDGE AOR clients as potential property sponsors. Build and lead a high-performing revenue team, including hiring, account coverage, quotas, compensation, coaching, and performance management. Establish disciplined pipeline management and forecasting practices. Partner with Activation, Partner Success, Strategy, and other EDGE teams to ensure successful delivery and expansion of client relationships.

Minimum Qualifications

10+ years of progressive sales experience in media, advertising, ad technology, audience solutions, or related revenue leadership, with a demonstrated track record of driving significant new business. Demonstrated success and significant experience selling to brands, advertising agencies, media investment organizations, and senior marketing executives. Proven success winning AOR, retained, and other strategic media relationships, with the ability to sell integrated solutions rather than transactional media. A strong network of relationships across national brands, holding companies, independent agencies, and/or media investment organizations. An entrepreneurial, growth-oriented mindset with the ability to personally sell, build relationships, lead teams, and create the infrastructure required to scale a growing business. Demonstrated experience building, leading, and scaling high-performing sales or business development teams, including hiring, organizational design, quota setting, compensation, coaching, and performance management. Experience working with or alongside a distributed field sales organization, with the ability to create alignment between centralized and field-based commercial teams. Strong understanding of the digital media ecosystem, including programmatic video, display, CTV, audience targeting, first-party data, addressability, and measurement. Proven ability to translate sophisticated first-party data and audience solutions into compelling business value for senior marketing and media decision-makers. Working knowledge of the sports multimedia rights, sponsorship, media, and sports marketing ecosystem. Strong commercial judgment and the ability to identify, structure, negotiate, and close complex, high-value partnerships. Exceptional executive presence, communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills. Strong operational discipline, including pipeline management, forecasting, CRM, and revenue accountability. Overnight travel up to 30% of the time worked.

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.

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.

EDGE Mission

Our mission is to build authentic connections between brands and consumers through media and marketing solutions that are powered by technology and fueled by data.

EDGE Values

Powered By People, Not Just Platforms - We combine strategic insight, cutting-edge technology, and emotional intelligence to drive results that are both high-performing and human. Our people don't just push buttons — they build partnerships and bring clarity to complexity. Care Beyond the Contract - We treat our clients' goals like our own, showing up with purpose, taking ownership, and investing in outcomes that matter. Because real impact starts with real commitment. Diversity By Design - We intentionally build teams that blend different skills, styles, and perspectives to deliver sharper strategy and smarter solutions.

Culture With Character

We bring our whole selves to the table — embracing individuality, curiosity, and growth. Because the best ideas (and the best careers) happen when performance and personality meet.