VP, Business Development at ZONED (New York)

GameSquare Inc.; Frisco (TX); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

GameSquare Inc. is seeking a VP of Business Development to lead strategy and execution for new business across the ZONED agency.

The role focuses on expanding the client base, driving revenue, and building meaningful relationships with brands and agencies in a fast-paced, internet-culture driven environment. The candidate will partner with Agency Leadership to identify opportunities, manage multi-stakeholder pitches, and ensure profitable engagements while maintaining margin and strategic

Qualifications

• 10+ years in business development or sales within media, creative, experiential or integrated marketing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead client acquisition and development, building relationships with brands and agencies across industries.
• Drive revenue growth and ensure profitable opportunities, managing pursuits end-to-end.
• Collaborate with Strategy, Creative, Talent, Media and Production to craft compelling proposals.
• Lead cross-functional pitch teams and shape stories to differentiate the agency in RFPs and negotiations.
• Integrate into agency culture and represent the agency in key industry events and partnerships.

Skills

Business development

Sales

Networking

Cross-functional leadership

Media knowledge

Internet culture

Strategic storytelling

Pitching to clients

Relationship management

Project management

Job description

About GameSquare & ZONED

GameSquare is a gaming-native media, technology, and services company operating at the intersection of culture, content, and community. We work with brands, creators, publishers, and platforms to help them authentically engage modern audiences through gaming, digital media, live experiences, and emerging ecosystems.

ZONED is the in-house creative agency inside of GameSquare. We are not a traditional advertising agency with a gaming department bolted on. We are a culture-first creative and activation agency built to operate at the speed of the internet, solving a wide range of brand problems, across many different industries and fields. Strategy, creative, production, media, talent, experiential, product all included in one team.

Our ZONED team members come from a mixed background of marketing, gaming, music and sports that allows us to cover all corners of internet culture. Using our combined experience, we work to create unique cultural crossover opportunities that will leave a footprint on the digital landscape.

With everything we do, we live by six core principles:

• Recognize and respect target niches
• Leverage insights over inferences
• Feel current and push trends forward
• Build positive community
• Deliver world-class experiences across IRl & Digital environments
• Value diversity and inclusivity

The Role

The VP of Business Development will lead the strategy and execution of all new business initiatives, with a primary focus on expanding our client base across all Agency streams. This role requires a visionary leader who understands the nuances of marketing for marketing agencies, brings with them and can build meaningful relationships with clients. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving revenue growth, identifying new business opportunities, and alongside the Agency Leadership Team, will lead business development opportunities.

The role partners with key stakeholders to drive successful new business outcomes. Success requires strong project management, operational excellence, and collaboration across teams, geographies, and disciplines but most of all, proven experience in driving initiatives that directly impact marketing growth. The ideal candidate can manage multiple priorities and stakeholders while supporting seamless pitch execution and strategic storytelling in a fast-paced, agile environment

What you'll be doing:

Client Acquisition & Development

• Build and maintain relationships with key decision-makers at brands & agencies across a wide range of industries and sectors.
• Build and run the new business pipeline: targets, outreach, qualification, forecast.
• Be in the places our future clients are: industry events, conferences, platform and publisher moments, and the culture itself.
• Know the work well enough to sell it cold. Sit close to the strategy and client services teams so you always know what we just made and why it worked.

Revenue Growth

• This role is hyper and solely focused on Agency growth.
• On a day-to-day basis the role will be engaging in conversations that open pathways to new clients & programs for the agency
• Although agency growth is a collective effort, the revenue growth of the agency will be the key metric of success for the role
• Ensure that new opportunities also maintain our agency margin goals and are profitable opportunities for the business

Business Development Partner

• Build strong relationships with agency & company leads including, Strategy, Creative, Talent, Data/Insights, Content, Experiential, Consumer Products, Media, Social & Client Services
• Fully integrate into agency culture by attending all agency wide team meetings, as well as key division weekly meetings (Strategy, Client Services & Experiences)
• Gain a strong understanding of what makes us best-in-class and identify ways of highlighting this to new partners

Winning Together

• Lead pursuits end to end alongside the RFP lead, from first call through pitch and scope. Engage Strategy, Creative, Talent, Media, Production and Data when they make the difference, not by default.
• Shape proposals with Strategy so the story we tell is ours, not a template.
• Protect margin. Every deal we sign should be one we want to deliver

What you'll need:

• 10+ years of business development/sales experience in media, creative, experiential, integrated marketing agencies or related experience
• You live in internet culture. Not "understand gaming," live in it. You know why a creator blew up last month, what is happening on Roblox, Kick, YouTube, TikTok and in Discord, and you can hold that conversation with a CMO without a strategist in the room.
• A real network of brand marketing decision makers and holding company or media agency relationships you can engage in your first 90 days.
• You have led cross-functional pitch teams (Strategy, Creative, Media, Influencer Marketing, Production) through RFPs and won.
• Proven experience driving agency growth through relevant new business opportunities
• An extensive network of C-level & procurement marketing relationships (direct to brand)
• Self-starter who is curious, entrepreneurial and proactively thinks around corners
• A relentless competitive nature and passion for winning
• Equally comfortable operating at the strategic level and driving executional details
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment while managing multiple high-priority opportunities simultaneously

Location:

Ideally NY salary dependent on location.

(up to 3 days/week in-office)

Reporting To:

Chief Commercial Officer

Head of Agency